SATIRIST Armando Iannucci is to take on a new role, as guest editor of a four-part topical arts series on BBC2.
Iannucci, whose TV credits include political satires The Thick of It and Veep, will be seen on Artsnight, a weekly 30-minute arts and culture magazine show, to be aired following Newsnight every Friday in March.
Other guest editors will include actor Maxine Peake, journalist and author Lynn Barber, and Chris Dercon, director of Tate Modern.
It was part of a raft of new programme commissions, announced yesterday, with the aim of putting creativity and the arts "at the heart of the schedule."
It comes ahead of a major new partnership announcement between the BBC and UK-wide arts organisations to encourage creativity and participation in the arts.
The campaign, to be launched next week by the BBC and cultural movement What Next? is a year-long initiative.
The Corporation is supporting the campaign with a bigger commitment to arts programming in prime time, including Saturday night arts specials on BBC2 and other content across the BBC with seasons planned on dance, film, theatre and poetry.
BBC director general Tony Hall said: "I want to put arts centre stage at the BBC. I strongly believe that arts should be for everyone with more prime time arts content on the BBC."
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