Professor Mary Beard’s BBC Two topical arts programmes examine the world of culture in today’s society, foregrounding Mary’s trademark wit, intellectual rigour, and probing curiosity.

I have been integral in shaping various iterations of this series – the original studio show format ‘Front Row Late’ featured lively panel discussions with imaginative and playful VTs, where Mary visited historical re-enactments, interviewed Mark Carney at the Bank of England, and ventured to Margate to explore the after-effects of cultural regeneration.

In ‘Lockdown Culture’, we quickly devised a format to continue the show remotely from Mary’s study, setting the tone for much of the BBC’s pandemic content. With an incredible calibre of guests including Margaret Atwood, Emma Thompson, Antony Gormley, Emilia Clarke, Helen Mirren and Martin Scorsese, the show became a barometer for cultural life under Covid.

Post-pandemic, ‘Inside Culture’ took what we’d learnt into the outside world – each episode exploring it’s own theme - including why we laugh, how we read, and whether we should act our age.