Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,647 playable programmes from the BBC

Secret Knowledge

The Art of Witchcraft

Duration: 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Two ScotlandLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

Artist Lachlan Goudie presents a highly personal documentary, inspired by his father, in which he investigates why witches have cast such a powerful spell over generations of artists.

From early woodcuts of shrieking hags to Victorian depictions of the seductive sorceress, our familiar stereotypes of the witch have been conjured up from artists' imaginations and in The Art of Witchcraft, Lachlan marvels at the enduring power of their imagery, reveals the role that some artists played in fuelling the hysteria of the witch trials and argues that the witch in art offers a vivid commentary on changing attitudes to sex, superstition and the supernatural. Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More