Sunday evening sees our new one-hour broadcast documentary with Vic Reeves looking back at the highs and lows of twenty years of the Turner Prize. (Why Vic Reeves? Because he’s quite a serious painter in his spare time.) Frustratingly, despite our presenter being something of a household name, Vic Reeves’ Turner Prize Moments is scheduled at 11.15pm on More4, sandwiched in between two Father Ted repeats. Broadcasters pride themselves on their scheduling skills. Don’t ask me what the logic is. Something to do with art loving Father Ted fans being insomniacs possibly?
We have sort of been here before. In 2003, we made a documentary for Channel 4 called Twenty Years of the Turner Prize. That year it was indeed the twentieth Turner Prize since the award began in 1984. The programme was presented by Matthew Collings who put forward an interesting argument about the rise of conceptual art. This time around, we’re more light hearted. The pretext now is Channel 4 having sponsored the prize for twenty years, since its support began in 1991. Our interviewees looking back (for the most part with affection) are Grayson Perry, Cornelia Parker, Martin Creed, Tim Marlow and Brian Sewell.
It’s just as well we’re post-watershed (and quite a long way post-). There is an in-depth analysis of that legendary 1997 painting discussion programme which made a certain person famous overnight (see above) – not to mention Madonna swearing pre-watershed in 2001.
Aside from a potted history of the controversy that has surrounded the prize over the years, there is a wealth of other surprising archive – most of it footage from our own coverage. Illuminations made the one-hour annual Turner Prize programme for Channel Four from 1993-2005, and each year we also produced a short film with each of the shortlisted artists – so that’s no less than 52 artists we’ve had the pleasure of filming with.
Sometimes the artists had unusual methods: Stephen Pippin developed his photos in a toilet on an Intercity train, a curious process which involved lowering his trousers. Sometimes they had unusual requests: Gary Hume insisted a friend of his should pretend to be him on television, and the Chapmans were only willing to be filmed in their studio if a camera could be attached to the collar of their Staffordshire Terrier. A UK first for dogcam footage on terrestrial television. We’ve also got a 10 year old Lily Allen assisting Damien Hirst making a spin painting.
And what of the future of the Turner Prize? Is it at a tricky point in its career? Well, you’ll have to see what our analysts make of that question.
Hope you enjoy us Turnering the clock back on twenty years of the Turner Prize. (With thanks to Seb Grant for that appalling pun.)
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