±«Óãtv

Following last week's win of Best Arts Documentary at the 2010 Griersons British Documentary Awards, ±«Óãtv Two today announced that its flagship arts documentary strand, Arena, has commissioned a new film celebrating the life and career of one of Britain's best-loved artists and entertainers, Rolf Harris.

Having famously painted the Queen's portrait, Rolf's taking on an even more challenging project. Arena – Rolf Harris Paints His Dream follows Rolf as he paints a series of pictures inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, working with a remarkable series of women: supermodel Lily Cole; soap starlet Emer Kenny; actress Dervla Kirwan; daughter of rock royalty Lizzy Jagger; and his beloved wife, Alwen. Now 80, Rolf is starring in a ±«Óãtv Arena, directed by multi-award-winning director Vikram Jayanti.

The ±«Óãtv's Commissioning Editor, Mark Bell, said: "For nearly 60 years Rolf Harris has been sharing his infectious enthusiasm for art and music with us on British television, he is a real national treasure and this Arena promises to be an enlightening and richly entertaining film about a remarkable cultural figure."

As these daring paintings progress from the sittings through to completion, the film branches off into the many landmarks of Rolf's long career as a singer and musician, as an artist, and as a public personality beloved in Britain, Australia and Canada.

It's more than a retrospective celebration of Rolf's 57 years as a popular entertainer. We see Rolf as he's never been seen before, in an intimate exploration of the relationship between the showman we all know and the man himself.

The feature-length documentary mines the ±«Óãtv archives, but the action is today, as the ageless Rolf maintains his unstoppable momentum. We see him mobbed by art fans, rocking the 2010 Glastonbury crowds, and playing a big outdoor concert in Vancouver – all in the last few months.

The result is a wildly entertaining insight into what it takes to become a national treasure, with an extraordinary painting project at its heart, and with five fascinating, thought-provoking relationships between the artist and his models.

Notes to Editors

Rolf Harris Paints His Dream is the third film Jayanti has made about extraordinary cultural individuals for Arena, , each one working with Anthony Wall, long-time editor of nine-time Bafta-winning Arena. James Ellroy's Feast Of Death (2001) and The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Phil Spector (2008) both won RTS Awards for Best Arts Documentary.

Arena is the ±«Óãtv's longest-running arts strand and forms part of ±«Óãtv Commissioning arts editor, Mark Bell's commitment to commissioning in-depth and innovative arts programmes.

JB