Stephen Frears: Director for Hire
imagine… profiles acclaimed British director Stephen Frears. Despite decades of success across both cinema and television, Frears likes to fly under the radar, subscribing to Billy Wilder's maxim, ‘The best director is the one you don't see'. He has helmed an array of critically acclaimed films - My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen and Philomena, to name just a few. Some say he's notoriously grumpy, others that he's mischievous and misunderstood. Now for the first time, Frears opens up about his life and career. What drives this 81-year-old, who has over 70 productions to his name across cinema and television?
The programme follows Frears as he embarks on his latest project in Vienna – a new drama series for HBO starring Hugh Grant and Kate Winslet. Alan Yentob spends time with him in the city where The Third Man was filmed, following in the footsteps of Orson Welles's character Harry Lime on the famous Ferris wheel and down the sewers.
With contributions from Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Hugh Grant, John Malkovich, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Hanif Kureishi, Christopher Hampton and film critic Ellen E Jones.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked!
Get all the behind-the-scenes drama, tears and laughter of RuPaul's Drag Race as the queens anxiously await their fates backstage every week after the runway critiques.
RuPaul's Drag Race
RuPaul's Drag Race is a Primetime Emmy Award winning American reality competition television series, hosted by five time Emmy Award Winning Host and international Drag superstar RuPaul. The show features drag queen contestants competing in weekly challenges such as photo shoots, comedy performances and stomping the runway in the hopes of avoiding the bottom two - where they will have to lip sync for their lives.
Going Dutch
In Going Dutch a decorated, hard-ass colonel is tasked with running the least important U.S. Army base in the world, located in the tulip-hugging, wine-chugging Netherlands.
