An Afanti original format, the first “ Life Drawing Live!” was produced for BBC Four in February 2020 with Josie D’Arby at the helm and, such was its’ success, that a further COVID-compliant/lock-down version followed in early May of that year.

Filmed at the height of lockdown, the programmes reflected the nation’s love of life drawing, a hobby which gained great popularity as people were confined to their homes, and elicited a huge public response in the BBC’s interactive platform, with over 34,000 drawings being submitted during the transmission of the second programme in May.

The first programme featured “as live” contributions from art classes around the UK, submitted whilst on air, and the second programme featured fully live interactive artists drawing along from locations around the country, as well as in the studio.
Inclusion, diversity, and the sense of nationwide live event were the core values of these programmes.

The BBC entered Life Drawing Live! to the BAFTA’s for Best Live Event and the programme was also a finalist in the Broadcast Best Lockdown programme. The ‘pose cam’ even made the shortlist for the Prix Italia. It was clear that we struck a chord with viewers who wanted to express themselves creatively at a time of enormous stress and isolation, and our mission to “draw” our four nations together hit the right note at the right time.