

Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. Voted by leading TV executives in Broadcast as one of the top 50 most influential programmes of all time, it has run since 1 October 1975 with over five hundred episodes made, directed by the likes of Martin Scorsese, Alan Yentob, Roly Keating, Frederick Baker, Volker Schlondorff and Vikram Jayanti. Arena's subjects are a roll-call of the world's best known cultural figures from the 20th and 21st centuries, from singers Bob Dylan and Amy Winehouse to academics Edward Said and Eric Hobsbawm, from writers Jean Genet and V S Naipaul to artists Francis Bacon and Louise Bourgeois. The current series editor is Anthony Wall.
The series spans 3 seasons with 689 episodes in total (avg. 230 per season).
Each episode runs approximately 90 minutes.
The show is currently in production with new episodes still being made.
Originally aired on BBC Four, BBC Two.
Executive produced by Debbie Geller, Diana Mansfield, Nigel Finch.

2024
J.K. Rowling’s orphan boy wizard took the world by storm, but before the first book was even published Warner Brothers had their eye on a franchise. But how to make it soar? In a leaky shed in the UK, these cinematic wizards build a whole new world and changed filmmaking forever. Through a revolving door of directors, an assortment of magical creatures, increasing demand for visual effects, and a cast that is growing up, the Harry Potter series continued to fascinate audiences. Get behind the wand to hear the secrets of the trials, threats, and near-death experiences from the people who made the magic happen on Icons Unearthed: Harry Potter.

2024
In the mid-1960s, the British film industry was in danger and unable to compete with the rise of television. Therefore, in order to survive, distributors decided to offer viewers something that television could not: sex. The story of the intrepid filmmakers and actors who transformed British cinema.

2022
Nine security guards from the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, in Lisbon, invite us to appreciate works of their choice from the Museum's permanent exhibition, in a presentation that crosses art, everyday life and biography.

2015
Karl and Chris goon a 3 week trip, where they got to travel through China, Tibet & Nepal with the highlight of reaching Mount Everest base camp. However, their plans fall apart with Chris being hospitalised with severe altitude sickness. Will they succeed with our quest for Everest?

2023
This documentary captures the process of JOOHONEY’s solo debut album 'LIGHTS'.

2018
Behind the scenes of the making of MVs and Fan Meetings, where the K-pop group Stray Kids performs and plays around.

2019
These blockbusters brought us together and gave us the time of our lives. Meet the actors, directors and industry insiders who made them happen.

2014
À la recherche du Hobbit (French for Looking for the Hobbit) is an exploratory documentary series directed by Olivier Simonnet in 2014, in which illustrator John Howe, story-teller Nicolas Mezzalira, and Professor Leo Carruthers of the University of Paris-Sorbonne explore real-world settings and famous myths that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology. The documentary explores many locations of Medieval significance.

2023
Good
9 votes
Arena
Returning Series
Yes
NR
English
United Kingdom
10/1/1975
12/29/2024

