Sky Arts Brushes Up for Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year with stellar line up across screen, stage and arts

Palettes prepped and canvases primed, the 11th series of Portrait Artist of the Year is ready to make a splash on Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW.  The nation’s favourite art competition returns to the iconic Battersea Arts Centre for its eleventh series on Wednesday 16th October with much-loved host Stephen Mangan.

This year’s Portrait Artist of the Year promises a thrilling showcase of talent as aspiring artists from across the UK vie for the coveted 2024 title. With celebrity sitters spanning the worlds of stage, screen, sport, literature, and politics, the competition is set to be as dynamic as ever. Over eight intense heats, these artists will put their skills to the test, aiming to dazzle our expert judges—Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano, and Kate Bryan—and prove they have what it takes to capture the essence of their famous subjects.

Taking the famous sitter’s chair this year are: Hannah Waddingham (Actor) , Richard Madeley (TV Presenter), Saskia Reeves (Actor), Cush Jumbo (Actor), Baaba Maal (Musician), Carly Paoli (Musician), Dan Snow, (TV Presenter) Layton Williams (Performer), Steven Frayne/Dynamo (Magician), Rosie Jones (Comedian), Linton Kewsi Jonhson (Poet), Andy Cole (Sports Personality), Lucy Worsley (Historian), Ricky Hatton (Sports Personality), Musa Motha (Dancer), Jill Scott (Sports Personality), Jimi Famurewa (Food Critic), Heather Mills (Activist), Kevin McCloud (Designer / TV Presenter), Martha Kearney (Presenter), Rebecca Taylor/Self-Esteem (Musician), Emma Thynn (Marchioness of Bath), Dr Karan Rajan (Public Health Advocate).

The heat winners will advance to the semi-final, where they’ll face the thrilling challenge of painting acclaimed actress Joely Richardson. But the real showdown awaits in the grand finale, where the top three finalists will battle for the title by capturing the essence of one of Britain’s most iconic acting duos, Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne. It’s a high-stakes race to the finish, with artistry, passion, and prestige on the line!

This year’s winner will receive a £10,000 commission to create a portrait of renowned broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, which will be exhibited at the National Galleries Scotland.

Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said: “Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts this autumn, with more incredible artists and celebrity sitters than ever. We are immensely proud of the impact this series has for artists in the real world. Our judges Kate Bryan, Kathleen Soriano and Tai Shan Schierenberg never fail to discover brilliant new talent whose work proudly hangs in some of the major art galleries in the country.”

Chairman of Storyvault Films, Stuart Prebble said:  "Series 11?   Wow.   How did that come around so soon?  And yet the properly wonderful thing about working with all these immensely talented artists is that they constantly surprise you, so that what happens in every show is always fresh and never predictable.   And watching these household name celebrity sitters interacting with their artists, giving of themselves, rooting for them to do their best work, is compelling and inspiring.  There’s something about watching genuine creativity in motion – faces and images coming to life before your eyes - which is a little piece of magic every time.” 

Portrait Artist of the Year is commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts. The Commissioning Editor for Sky is Benedetta Pinelli. Portrait Artist of the Year is produced by Storyvault Films. The Series Editor is Nelda Sale, the Series Director is Southan Morris and the Series Director of Production is David Buckley. Executive producers are Danielle Graham, Samantha Richards and Stuart Prebble.

Portrait Artist of the Year airs weekly on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 36 and NOW from 16th October

For more information on Portrait Artist of the Year:

Kwabena.Agyare@premiercomms.com / mike.thomas@premiercomms.com

NOTE TO EDITORS

All artists who competed in this year’s series are listed below:

Amy Sasaki-Fletcher

Asa Medhurst

August Lamm

Benjamin Wilshaw-Quinn

Bessie Kirkham

Beth Kuhepa

Bran Sivakumar

Brianna Lois Parker

Brogan Bertie

Caroline Pool

Chris Draper

Conor Quinn

Cristina Vercesi

Dónal Geheran

Donna McGlynn

Ed Simkins

Emilio Bartolome

Erin De Burca

Fletcher Sibthorp

Gabriella Moxey

Geoff Shillito

Georgia Huxley

Glen Gashi

Guilia Quaresima

Helen Lee Robinson

Imogen Alabaster

Jack Gavin

Jack Hewitt

Jason Munro

Jemima Spence

Jenna Waldren

Jennifer Anderson

Jione Choi

Josh Thomson

Julia Karl

Katie Gall

Kiana Manu

Kirstin Mackinnon

Kitty Bellamy

Lizzie Little

Lloyd Anthony Lewis

Lorna May Wadsworth

Luca Guarino

Manvir Dobb

Matthew Watts

Michelle Pang

Mick McNicholas

Mijnoo Kim

Nadia Padayachy

Neil Rogers

Neil-Jack Alphonsus (Niel Hamilton)

Nerissa Deeks

Paul Lee

Paul Martin

Pierce Rhodes

Polly Pincott

Rachael Stedman

Rachel Chen

Rob Perry

Rosie Philips

Seana McEvoy

Shyem Ramsay

Simon Rory Painter

Sofia Lipskerova

Sophia Ambrose

Sophia Kaur Hambleton-Grey

Steven Mackus

Tamzin Hennessy

Tussi Dunstall

Vincent Michael Brown

Yishu Wang

Zully Mejia

About Sky Arts

Sky Arts exists to bring more art to more people across the UK. In 2020, with the creative industries under serious threat, we threw open our doors to make the channel free for everyone to watch. We’ve redoubled our mission to increase access to the arts and we’re committed to getting everyone involved. The fact is, we need the arts like never before, and Sky Arts brings them straight to your living room. 

Storyvault Films

Storyvault Films is an independent TV production company making a wide range of high-quality factual and factual-entertainment programmes for all the major TV channels in the UK and for international distribution. Formed in 2009, the company brings together a group of award-winning producers and directors, alongside highly experienced production management and expertise in casting and live and pre-recorded programming.

Current and recent credits include “Landscape Artist of the Year” and “Gary Numan: Resurrection” for Sky Arts, and “Write Around the World, with Richard E Grant” for the BBC. Most of our productions are available for international distribution.