Arena
7.7
Season 2026
74 min
S2026 · E1 · Jul 16, 2026
Kim Novak's Vertigo Episode 1
1 episode in Season 2026
Some details come from TheTVDB.
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.
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
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Cast
42 people
Tony Benn
Self
Also in
Unlawful Killing
Tony Benn: Will and Testament
James Brown
Gail Porter
Also in
Da Ali G Show
Cardiac Arrest
Irvine Welsh
Known for
Trainspotting
Swung
Katie Puckrik
Also in
I Love 1990s
David Baddiel
Known for
Elliott from Earth
Harold Wilson
Also in
Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal
The Royal House of Windsor
Francis Ford Coppola
Self
Also in
Morceaux de Cannes
Close-Up on The Conversation
Martin Scorsese
Self
Known for
Shark Tale
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Tim Curry
Eden Rothwell Esp.
Known for
It
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Indira Varma
Various / Gila
Known for
Game of Thrones
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Nicholas Lyndhurst
Dennis
Known for
Only Fools and Horses
Gulliver's Travels
Adam Low Director · Peter Lydon Director Paweł Pawlikowski Director
Total runtime 1381h 30m · Episode length 90 min · Type Documentary
Show info
Premiered
October 1, 1975
Latest episode
July 16, 2026
Status
Returning series
Networks
BBC Four · BBC Two
Country
United Kingdom
Type
Documentary
Episode length
90 min
Total runtime
1381h 30m
Original language
English
Production
United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Spoken on screen
English
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Some details come from TheTVDB.