Simon Armitage
Biography: Simon Robert Armitage, CBE, FRSL is an English poet, playwright and novelist who was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford Professor of Poetry when he was elected to the four year part time appointment from 2015–2019.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: May 26, 1963
Deathday: N/A
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Known For
Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide
2014-01-01
Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide
Overview: Famous for his womanising, drinking and tragic death, Dylan Thomas is the rock star of 20th-century poetry. But for Welsh poet Owen Sheers, his tempestuous life often obscures the power of his poetry. Sheers takes us on a journey that reveals Dylan Thomas as a visionary and a craftsman.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-01-01
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Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey
2010-11-08
Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey
Overview: Virginia Woolf said that Homer's epic poem the Odyssey was 'alive to every tremor and gleam of existence'. Following the magical and strange adventures of warrior king Odysseus, inventor of the idea of the Trojan horse, the poem can claim to be the greatest story ever told. Now British poet Simon Armitage goes on his own Greek adventure, following in the footsteps of one of his own personal heroes. Yet Simon ponders the question of whether he even likes the guy.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-11-08
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Great Poets: In Their Own Words
2014-08-10
Great Poets: In Their Own Words
Overview: A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from some of Britain's greatest poets.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-08-10
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Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death
2015-10-10
Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death
Overview: Documentary exploring Ted Hughes, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, focusing on how his life story influenced his work and vision.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2015-10-10
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The Pendle Witch Child
2011-08-17
The Pendle Witch Child
Overview: The extraordinary story of the most disturbing witch trial in British history and the key role played in it by one nine-year-old girl. Jennet Device, a beggar-girl from Pendle in Lancashire, was the star witness in the trial in 1612 of her own mother, her brother, her sister and many of her neighbours and, thanks to her chilling testimony, they were all hanged.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-08-17
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BBC Four Presents: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
2009-06-04
BBC Four Presents: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Overview: Poet Simon Armitage goes on the trail of one of the jewels in the crown of British poetry, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written about 600 years ago by an unknown author. The poem has got just about everything - it is an action-packed adventure, a ghost story, a steamy romance, a morality tale and the world's first eco-poem. Armitage follows in the footsteps of the poem's hero, Gawain, through some of Britain's most beautiful and mystical landscapes and reveals why an absurd tale of a knight beheading a green giant is as relevant and compelling today as when it was written.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-06-04
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Speeches That Shook the World
2013-11-06
Speeches That Shook the World
Overview: Speech-making is the art of persuasion. Well-honed rhetoric appeals not just to the mind, but to the heart and, deeper down, in the guts. Examining the speeches that provoked radical change, surprised pundits or shocked listeners, poet Simon Armitage dissects what makes a perfect speech. Simon gets the inside story behind some of the famous speeches of the modern age, talking to Tony Blair's speechwriter, to Earl Spencer on his controversial address at his sister's funeral and the woman who challenged the rioters in Hackney. We hear how Peter Tatchell confronted the BNP, Paul Boateng on how Enoch Powell's divisive speech personally affected him as a child, and Colonel Tim Collins, whose charge was to motivate his troops on the eve of the Iraq war. Simon discusses the nuts and bolts of speech writing with Vincent Franklin, aka the blue-sky thinking guru Stuart Pearson from The Thick of It, and gets tips on powerful delivery from actor Charles Dance.
Genres: History Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2013-11-06
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A Pandemic Poem: Where Did the World Go?
2021-06-10
A Pandemic Poem: Where Did the World Go?
Overview: A powerful and moving examination of the pandemic, using poetry as a central narrative and featuring people from around the country who tell us their stories of life under Covid-19.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-06-10
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