The Big Painting Challenge

The Big Painting Challenge
GenrePainting
Reality
Presented byRichard Bacon (2015)
Una Stubbs (2015)
Richard Coles (2017–2018)
Mariella Frostrup (2017–2019)
JudgesDaphne Todd
Lachlan Goudie
David Dibosa (2017)
Theme music composerTheo Vidgen
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producersColm Martin
Claire Nosworthy
Kat Lennox
ProducersNick Wilkinson
Sarah Ager
Production locationVarious
Running time60 minutes
Production companyBBC Studios
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release22 February 2015 (2015-02-22) –
25 April 2019 (2019-04-25)

The Big Painting Challenge is a television programme first broadcast on BBC One on 22 February 2015. It is a contest in the style of The Great British Bake Off but with the craft of painting rather than baking.[1]

Series 1 (2015)

Una Stubbs and Richard Bacon hosted this series, in which 10 amateur painters took on three specially designed challenges each week, using a wide range of mediums. Expert judges Daphne Todd and Lachlan Goudie decided who would be leaving each week. The ten contestants were:-

Jan Szymczuk Paul Bell (Winner) Melvyn Flint Amy Goldring Richard Anthea Lay Alison Stafford Claire Parker Anne Blankson Hemans Heather Harding

Series 2 (2017)

Mariella Frostrup and the Rev Richard Coles took over as hosts for series 2. Goudie and Todd were joined by David Dibosa to assess their efforts of the contestants and decide who was eliminated. Diana Ali and Pascal Anson also joined the programme as mentors to the painters.

Series 3 (2018)

Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles presented the third series, which began with 10 contestants. Each week, the finished art was displayed to members of the public, who voted for their favourite. Judges Goudie and Todd decided which contestant would be eliminated. In week 2, Fraser Scaarfe was a guest judge in Lachlan's absence.

Results summary
Elimination chart
Painter 1 2 3 4 5[2] 6
Oliver WINNER
Anil Runner Up
Callum Runner Up
Chris Runner Up
Susan OUT
Tilly OUT
Jane OUT
Ray OUT
Bokani OUT
Surjit OUT

Colour key:

  Painter got through to the next round.
  Painter was eliminated.
  Painter was the Public Choice.
  Painter was a series runner-up.
  Painter was the series winner.

Series 4 - Celebrity Painting Challenge (2019)

Six well known figures - Jane Seymour, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Phil Tufnell, George Shelley, Amber Le Bon and Josie d'Arby - took part in a celebrity version of the contest. Mariella Frostrup was presenter and judges Daphne Todd and Lachlan Goudie returned to critique and review the work. Diana Ali and Pascal Anson returned to mentor the celebrities.[3] Josie D'Arby was crowned the winner in the third episode.[4]

Transmissions

Series

Series Start date End date Episodes
1 22 February 2015 29 March 2015 6
2 12 February 2017 19 March 2017 6
3 1 April 2018 6 May 2018 6
4 4 April 2019 25 April 2019 4

Reception

Sam Woollaston of The Guardian described the first series as "nothing original" to other tried and tested formats, though it did set out to prove painters weren't all "white, upper-middle-class retirees in smocks and straw hats" and worked much better than other programmes because of its visual subject matter.[1]

In April 2018 The Telegraph reviewer gave 3 out of 5 stars for Series 3.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Sam Wollaston (23 February 2015), "The Big Painting Challenge review: calm down Una, it's too early for sauciness", The Guardian
  2. ^ All remaining contestants after the public vote were considered to leave this week.
  3. ^ "Celebrity Painting Challenge - Episode 1". BBC One. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. ^ Hughes, Janet (26 April 2019). "Cotswolds designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen "robbed" in Celebrity Painting Challenge say outraged viewers". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  5. ^ Michael Hogan (1 April 2018), "The Big Painting Challenge: a pleasing mix of Bake Off and The Generation Game... with a splash of whisky - review", The Telegraph, London