Alan Yentob, a distinguished figure renowned as a titan of arts broadcasting, has left an indelible mark through his passionate support of leading creative artists over the last half-century. His final interview, a conversation with the acclaimed figurative painter Jenny Saville, stands as a testament to his relentless curiosity and enduring advocacy for the arts throughout his extensive career. This significant broadcast, titled 'When Alan Yentob Met Jenny Saville,' is scheduled to air on Sunday 8 June on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Jenny Saville is one of today's most successful figurative painters, having first gained prominence as part of the Young British Artists (YBA) movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For many years, Saville has been notably reluctant to discuss her work on television, making this interview a rare and anticipated event. Alan Yentob was collaborating with Saville on a film for his esteemed 'imagine' strand when they met in Vienna earlier this year, on the eve of two major exhibitions she is mounting.

This interview was the last Alan Yentob conducted in a remarkable career spanning six decades at the BBC, during which he brought many of the world's leading artists and creatives to the screen. In a significant development, Yentob also persuaded Jenny Saville to allow cameras into her painting studio for the first time in almost thirty years, offering an unprecedented glimpse into her creative process.

Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV, remarked on Yentob's stature: “Alan Yentob was a titan of arts broadcasting and a passionate supporter of so many of the leading creative artists of the last half century. His final interview, in conversation with Jenny Saville, is testament to his relentless curiosity and advocacy for the arts across many decades - part of a night dedicated to celebrating his work as a programme maker, channel controller and visionary television executive.”

Jenny Saville herself expressed the significance of their collaboration, stating: “Alan and I were beginning to work on a documentary about my paintings from across the years. It was an honour to know Alan, who I’d met in my early twenties and we reconnected to make this film.”

'When Alan Yentob Met Jenny Saville' will air as a central piece of a tribute night on Sunday on BBC Two and iPlayer. This special evening, starting from 9.15pm, will also feature a selection of the legendary programme maker’s best-loved films. These include 'imagine… Mel Brooks: Unwrapped,' 'imagine… David Bowie: Cracked Actor,' 'Salman Rushdie: Through a Glass Darkly,' 'imagine… Diana Athill: Growing Old Disgracefully,' 'imagine… Tom Stoppard: A Charmed Life,' and 'Ella Fitzgerald at Ronnie Scott’s,' alongside Alan’s iconic BBC Two idents.

The production 'When Alan Yentob Met Jenny Saville' is a BBC Studios production for BBC Arts. The Producer / Director for the film is John O’Rourke, with Tanya Hudson serving as the Executive Producer. The commissioning editor for BBC Arts is Mark Bell. Viewers can watch the interview on BBC iPlayer.