Episodes

SeriesEpisodeTitleFirst
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0101Uk Instantaneous2009042720100704 (R4)In spring 2009, fashion photographer Rankin invited people across the UK to take part in his most ambitious project to date; Rankin Live! It was open to anyone aged 13 and over, with a distinctive style and sense of British ethnicity and enthusiasm. Using cutting-edge technology he shot and instantly printed the portraits of 1,000 Brits which went on display at an ever-changing exhibition last summer. The process took only 15 minutes, from the click of the shutter to the hanging. Adil Ray went along to the shoot to talk to the man and his array of subjects as they prepared to capture the look that defines our time. Rankin's portfolio of celebrity subjects have included Britney Spears, Kate Moss and the Queen, and he was co-founder in 1991 of Dazed and Confused magazine.

Producer: Mohini Patel.

Adil watches fashion photographer Rankin in action as he photographs members of the public

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0102Street View2009042820100711 (R4)Street photographer Nick Turpin is worried about recent changes in the anti-terror laws. According to him, you can now be arrested simply for taking pictures on the streets. He himself has been stopped and searched many times by the police and has had several legal warnings. It comes with the territory he says. Adil joins him at work on the streets of central London as he reflects on the impact of this new legislation on his life.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Adil Ray sees the streets of London through the lens of street photographer Nick Turpin.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0103Less Is More2009042920100718 (R4)There are today a number of companies which specialise in wedding portraits with a difference - artfully lit shots of brides-to-be in posh knickers and veils and the odd football shirt: wedding day gifts for startled grooms. Visiting one of them as the prospective semi-naked wives-to-be prepare for the camera, Adil Ray listens in to the women's conversations about their past, and their hopes and fears about the future.

Producer: Mohini Patel.

Adil talks to brides-to-be as they nervously prepare for their big moment.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0104Animal Magic2009043020100725 (R4)Adil joins photographer Tim Flach as he attempts to shoot two contrasting worlds of domestic animals. At one end of the scale, there's the pedigree society of prize-winning Chinese Crested show dogs; at the other, the lost world of Staffordshire Bull Terriers, the most popular urban dog of our times and the most prominent breed to be found at Battersea Dogs Home in London. As they struggle to pose the dogs, Adil Ray talks to the owners and carers about their contrasting lives.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Adil Ray sees Britain through the lens of animal photographer Tim Flach.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0105Brand Britannia2009050120100801 (R4)If you open any glossy magazine the cool eye of photographer Richard Foster will most likely be behind the high heeled boots, the glitzy watches and sleek sunglasses. But Richard is immobile from the chest down. He was driving with his teenage boys along dirt roads in Australia, surf boards strapped to the roof, when he turned the car over and broke his neck. Adil Ray meets Richard as he trains his lens on swirling sheets of chocolate to find out how he has recovered and how a luxury brand photographer faces up to the recession.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Adil Ray sees luxury Britain through the lens of photographer Richard Foster.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0201The Fabulous World Of Tim Walker2011091120120123 (R4)In Picturing Britain, Adil Ray looks at British life through the lens of contemporary photographers.

In the first in this series Adil talks to Tim Walker, among the country's most influential photographers, as he creates one of his dramatic and epic sets. On a windy hill in Northumberland, models mount seahorses and dining room tables laden with crystal and china are hauled high into the canopy of a beech forest.

For more than a decade, Tim's exuberant pictures have helped to define style in the world's fashion magazines. And even in a bleak economic environment, his imagination and fairytale extravagance remain much in demand - whether it is Lily Cole eating from a giant indoor cake tree, Erin O'Connor dressed as a swan amongst geese or Otis Ferry posing indoors in pinks with beagles at his ankles.

Adil enters Tim's dream world to look at the impact he has on British design and beauty.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Adil Ray sees Britain through the magical lens of photographer Tim Walker.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0202From Pop To Pregnancy2011091820120124 (R4)In Picturing Britain, Adil Ray examines the country through the lens of it's most distinctive photographers.

In this second programme Adil meets Andy Fallon, a music photographer whose gritty, authentic style enlivens Britain's music magazines and newspapers. As he shoots the indie band Wild Beasts, Adil gets a glimpse into the artistry and gaffa tape behind the taking of iconic music photographs.

His wife Elle was also a music photographer, but she has left behind the mud of Glastonbury and crush of concerts, to take classic black and white portraits of bumps and babies. Adil hears how women, four weeks before their birth, no longer hide in tent-shaped clothes but celebrate the beauty of their changing bodies.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of photography couple Andy and Elle Fallon.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0203The Lady Bangers2011092520120125 (R4)In Picturing Britain, Adil Ray explores British life through the lens of some of the country's photographers.

In this programme, Adil takes to the track - the oval track - to discover the wild world of banger racing and meet the diehard foot-soldiers and fans of the sport.

He goes to an evening meeting just outside Eastbourne with documentary photographer Chloe Dewe Mathews as she works on her latest project. Their main focus - to follow the lady banger drivers as they prepare to for the first of the evening's races.

As he wanders around the arena, Adil discovers banger racing is very much alive and kicking thanks to a small but devoted band of followers who invest all their time and energy, not to mention money, in doing up old, useless and scrap cars and making them safe to race.

The cars are painstakingly stripped inside and out, all glass removed, doors taped and then painted in bright colours - only to have them smashed them to pieces on the track.

As he discovers, it's very much a family affair - bringing together two or three generations with a passion for the sport.

And it is a close-knit community and a warm and welcoming one - but keen to share the love of this forgotten motorsport with all newcomers.

Producer: Mohini Patel.

Adil Ray views a banger race meeting through the lens of photographer Chloe Dewe Mathews.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0204The Fisherman's Tale2011100220120126 (R4)In Picturing Britain, Adil Ray explores British life through the lens of some of the country's photographers.

How locals survive in Cornwall's ever-changing economic landscape is the subject of a popular weekly column in the Western Morning News. In this programme, Adil gets a chance to spend a day with the paper's photographer Emily Whitfield-Wicks, as she captures the life of fisherman Nigel Legge.

Like so many others, Nigel's economic survival depends on mastering the art of diversification, and in Cornwall this means embracing tourism.

Nigel, a member of the crab fleet based in Cadgwith, now has to supplement his living by giving boat tours of the rugged coastline in the summer and spending the winter months handcrafting traditional lobster pots of all sizes to sell to the general public as indoor and outdoor ornaments.

Producer: Mohini Patel.

Adil Ray sees Cornwall through the lens of local paper photographer Emily-Whitfield Wicks.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers

0205Beyond The Security Fence2011100920120127 (R4)In Picturing Britain, Adil Ray explores British life through the lens of some of the country's photographers.

Urban explorers creep through tunnels and drains, scale cooling towers and climb into abandoned buildings to get into parts of the country that are off-limits. Adil joins Li as he photographs a derelict military site, clambering through nettles and decaying buildings to document a hidden side of Britain. Although unusually Li has permission to photograph, Adil is still on his guard, tiptoeing through the crumbling ruins and jumping at every sound.

By day Li works with architects constructing buildings. But at night he dons his black clothes and grabs his camera and torch to record their demise. He sees himself as a modern day historian, safeguarding Britain's heritage by photographing buildings before they are torn down or collapse.

Urbexers, as they call themselves, emphasise that they have huge respect for the buildings they enter - and that they frown upon theft and leave nothing but footprints. Adil examines the ethics of trespass with Li as he photographs ivy bursting through a window, showing the beauty of decay and allure of peeling paint.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Adil Ray looks at life through the camera lens of an urban explorer.

Adil Ray looks at life through the lens of contemporary photographers