''Omnibus'' is a British
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
series broadcast mainly on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
. The programme was the successor to the arts-based series ''
Monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...
''. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings. During its 35-year history, the programme won 12
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
(BAFTA) awards.
History
For one season in 1982, the series was in a magazine format presented by
Barry Norman. In 2001, the BBC announced that the programme was being switched to
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
, prompting accusations that the corporation was further marginalising its arts programming.
["BBC arts chief defends Omnibus switch"]
by Jason Deans, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 6 February 2001 BBC controller of arts commissioning
Roly Keating defended the move, saying "the documentary strand will be able to tackle a wider range of subjects."
[ Regarded as its "flagship arts programme", ''Omnibus'' was one of only two regular arts programmes broadcast by the BBC. In late 2002, the BBC announced that ''Omnibus'' would be cancelled the following year, to be replaced by the arts series '' Imagine'', hosted by ]Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob (11 March 1947 – 24 May 2025) was an English television executive and presenter. He held senior roles at the BBC, including head of music and arts, controller of BBC1 and BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadca ...
.
Selected list of programmes
Among the series' best remembered documentaries are:
* '' Song of Summer'' (1968) biographical film by Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...
about Frederick Delius
file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...
and Eric Fenby
* '' Cracked Actor'' (1975), a profile of David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
during the peak of his cocaine addiction
* '' Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood'' (1978), follows American Gonzo Journalist Hunter S. Thompson and British artist Ralph Steadman on a trip to Hollywood during the development of a film based on Thompson's life and work.
* ''Rene Magritte'' (1979), a graduate film by David Wheatley.
* '' Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story'' (1984), a documentary about a studio recording of Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
conducting his own music from ''West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
''. Bernstein had not previously conducted the 1957 musical. The episode won the Robert Flaherty Award for the best television documentary in 1986.
* Anna Benson-Gyles ''Madonna: Behind the American dream'' (1990), a film produced by Nadia Hagger. 7.7 million people watched this episode, which was slightly higher that the average audience of 3.1 million.Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
(1992)
* A two-hour career overview of director Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...
(1995)
* A documentary about The K Foundation
The K Foundation was an art foundation set up by Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond, formerly of The KLF, in 1993, following their 'retirement' from the music industry. The Foundation served as an artistic outlet for the duo's post-retirement KLF inc ...
's various art projects (1995).
See also
* ''Omnibus'' (American TV program)
References
External links
*
''Omnibus''
at British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
1967 British television series debuts
2003 British television series endings
1960s British documentary television series
1970s British documentary television series
1980s British documentary television series
1990s British documentary television series
2000s British documentary television series
BBC television documentaries
British English-language television shows
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