Sign language

BBC Four

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

BBC Four HD

The Many Primes of Muriel Spark

BBC Two

BBC Two Scotland

Kirsty Wark

Morag Tinto

Tanya Hudson

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: Life Stories

31/01/2018

BBC Two - The Many Primes of Muriel Spark

Kirsty Wark celebrates the life and work of Scottish writer Dame Muriel Spark.

Kirsty Wark celebrates the life and work of Scottish writer Dame Muriel Spark, one of the 20th century's most enigmatic cultural figures, on the 100th anniversary of her birth.

Kirsty Wark celebrates the life and work of Dame Muriel Spark, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and one of the 20th century's most enigmatic cultural figures, on the one-hundredth anniversary of her birth.

Born in Edinburgh, Muriel's extraordinary life took her to colonial Africa, wartime London, literary New York and vibrant 1960s Rome. Her most famous novel - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - immortalised the city of her childhood but with an added darkness and acerbic wit that became her trademark style.

Kirsty retraces Muriel's footsteps from the cobbled streets of Edinburgh to the sublime beauty of Victoria Falls. Contributions from writers AL Kennedy, Janice Galloway, Ali Smith, William Boyd and Val McDermid tell of Muriel Spark's unique literary style and a life full of reinvention.

Kirsty meets with the journalist Alan Taylor, who has recently published his memoir of Muriel, and she travels to Italy for the first television interview with Penelope Jardine, Muriel's close friend of 40 years.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Many Primes of Muriel Spark

Contributors

Genres

Formats

BBC Four HD

About BBC Four