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Private Notes
Another chance to see a rare film made with writer Doris Lessing, five years before her recent death at the age of 94. Alan Yentob meets this acerbic, forthright yet warm woman, winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for literature. Brought up in southern Africa, she took London by storm in 1950. She has believed in 'ban the bomb' and telepathy, been a Communist and a 'Free Woman', written realist novels and science fiction. She is perhaps most remembered for her raw and revealing Golden Notebook, which inspired and influenced a generation of women.
Alan Yentob investigates the extraordinary impact music can have on the human brain. He travels to meet Tony Cicoria, who was struck by lightning and suddenly developed an insatiable passion for the piano, and Matt Giordano, who can alleviate his severe Tourette's syndrome by drumming - both remarkable case studies from neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks's latest book, Musicophilia. Alan even has his own brain scanned - with surprising results.
Internationally-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, who has captured famous faces from Demi Moore through Yoko Ono to the Queen, is the subject of this intimate profile by her sister Barbara. Always controversial, the last 12 months have seen the American at the heart of two scandals - 15-year-old Disney star Miley Cyrus pictured in just a sheet, and the Queen in the infamous storming-out episode.
The musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic set off on a concert tour of Asia and, with remarkable frankness, talk about the hopes and regrets that come from a life on the road.
The players and their conductor, Sir Simon Rattle, offer their reflections on friendship and competition, the pressure to perform, the loss of technique with getting older, and that overwhelming sensation that keeps them coming back for more.
Alan Yentob visits Japan to find out more about the world of internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami. He travels to Tokyo and Kobe, delving into the social and political background of Murakami's literature. He also meets some of the reclusive writer's fans, critics, translators and even a talking cat, before Murakami gives a rare off-camera interview, explaining why privacy is essential to his work.
Alan Yentob travels to Los Angeles to meet acclaimed director, screenwriter and producer Werner Herzog. The pair discuss Herzog's career to date, including films such as Rescue Dawn, Grizzly Man and Fitzcarraldo - one of several projects that saw him working with eccentric actor Klaus Kinski. They also talk about what the future might hold for a man known to be uncompromising in his search for the truth.
Alan Yentob is joined by a distinguished list of contributors including Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes to pay tribute to Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella, director of films including The English Patient and Cold Mountain, who died suddenly in March aged 54. A Special tribute program added to the series 13 run.
