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The Best Episodes of The South Bank Show

Genre:Documentary
Network:ITV1

Every episode of The South Bank Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The South Bank Show!

The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show that was produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky...
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  • Ian McKellen
    9.4/10(30)
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    #1 - Ian McKellen

    Season 27 Episode 13

    Aired 6/29/2004

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • David Lean: a Life in Film
    9.2/10(28)
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    #2 - David Lean: a Life in Film

    Season 8 Episode 15

    Aired 2/17/1985

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Cecilia Bartoli
    8.5/10(21)
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    #3 - Cecilia Bartoli

    Season 15 Episode 16

    Aired 11/28/1999

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • George Formby
    8.5/10(7)
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    #4 - George Formby

    Season 16 Episode 6

    Aired 11/8/1992

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Peter Gabriel
    8.4/10(11)
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    #5 - Peter Gabriel

    Season 6 Episode 3

    Aired 10/31/1982

    Cameras follow Peter Gabriel during the recording of his fourth solo album.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Douglas Adams
    8.4/10(28)
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    #6 - Douglas Adams

    Season 15 Episode 13

    Aired 1/5/1992

    Interviews with Douglas Adams Some parts of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency are filmed as link items, including the Electric Monk.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The South Bank Show

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  • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    8.3/10(29)
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    #7 - Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Season 7 Episode 14

    Aired 4/8/1984

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Ian McKellen, Diary of a Year
    8.2/10(29)
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    #8 - Ian McKellen, Diary of a Year

    Season 9 Episode 3

    Aired 10/20/1985

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber
    8.2/10(5)
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    #9 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

    Season 37 Episode 1

    Aired 3/28/2010

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Vivienne Westwood
    8.0/10(6)
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    #10 - Vivienne Westwood

    Season 13 Episode 23

    Aired 4/8/1990

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Dusty Springfield
    7.9/10(12)
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    #11 - Dusty Springfield

    Season 30 Episode 5

    Aired 4/9/2006

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Ken Russell's View of The Planets
    7.8/10(110)
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    #12 - Ken Russell's View of The Planets

    Season 6 Episode 26

    Aired 6/12/1983

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Michael Collins
    7.8/10(11)
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    #13 - Michael Collins

    Season 20 Episode 6

    Aired 10/27/1996

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • John Lennon's Jukebox
    7.8/10(11)
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    #14 - John Lennon's Jukebox

    Season 27 Episode 7

    Aired 3/14/2004

    Original Air Date—14 March 2004 In the mid-1960s, John Lennon bought a portable jukebox and stocked it with 40 of his favorite 45-rpm records. This documentary showcases those songs and uses them to explore Lennon's musical tastes and influences. Featured are interviews with many of the artists whose songs were in Lennon's jukebox.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • George Michael: I'm Your Man
    7.8/10(5)
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    #15 - George Michael: I'm Your Man

    Season 30 Episode 9

    Aired 11/17/2006

    Melvyn Bragg interviews George Michael regarding Michael's return to touring on the "25 Live" tour, as well as George Michael performs in the studio rehearsing songs for the tour.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Talking Heads
    7.6/10(8)
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    #16 - Talking Heads

    Season 3 Episode 4

    Aired 12/23/1979

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Velvet Underground
    7.6/10(11)
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    #17 - Velvet Underground

    Season 9 Episode 23

    Aired 4/27/1986

    The South Bank Show’s Velvet Underground documentary contains interviews with Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Moe Tucker, Nico, Andy Warhol and lots of early Velvet performance footage.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Sting
    7.6/10(6)
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    #18 - Sting

    Season 19 Episode 12

    Aired 4/14/1996

    This report brings you back in 1996, when Sting records "Mercury falling". You will see Sting in his home of lake house, talking about the writting process, see him recording the varied tracks of the album and heard them as working versions... a superb moment...

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • A Time There was ... (Benjamin Britten)
    7.4/10(33)
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    #19 - A Time There was ... (Benjamin Britten)

    Season 3 Episode 9

    Aired 4/6/1980

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Björk
    7.2/10(7)
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    #20 - Björk

    Season 21 Episode 4

    Aired 11/9/1997

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Ingmar Bergman at 60
    7.1/10(11)
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    #21 - Ingmar Bergman at 60

    Season 1 Episode 22

    Aired 7/8/1978

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Maggi Hambling
    7.0/10(26)
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    #22 - Maggi Hambling

    Season 20 Episode 11

    Aired 1/12/1997

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Noel Coward
    6.9/10(8)
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    #23 - Noel Coward

    Season 15 Episode 21

    Aired 3/1/1992

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Werner Herzog
    6.8/10(31)
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    #24 - Werner Herzog

    Season 5 Episode 25

    Aired 5/16/1982

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Jimi Hendrix
    6.8/10(5)
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    #25 - Jimi Hendrix

    Season 13 Episode 3

    Aired 10/1/1989

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0

Best Episodes Summary

"Ian McKellen" is the best rated episode of "The South Bank Show". It scored 9.4/10 based on 30 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 6/29/2004. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "David Lean: a Life in Film".