The Pitmen Painters

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Arts Documentary hosted by Robson Green, published by ITV broadcasted as part of ITV Perspectives series in 2011 - English narration

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ITV Perspectives - The Pitmen Painters with Robson Green So far, the ITV Perspectives has fascinated us with the stories of L.S. Lowry and the Pre-Raphaelites. This week’s episode sees miner’s son Robson Green return to his Northumberland roots to explore the true story of the Ashington Group, a group of pitmen who organised their own art appreciation class and won acclaim for their own works. The Ashington Group were ordinary working men in the 1930s. They had spent years down the pits before they decided to organise an art appreciation class for themselves. Despite their lack of professional training, their works, which drew on their own lives, were bought by collectors and praised by connoisseurs. Actor Robson Green, himself the son of a Northumberland miner, tells their story by going back to his home town and its surrounding area to explore their background, which touches on his father's life as a miner from the same community. When his father died in 2009, Green realised he didn’t know much about his world. So his film is a distinctly intimate enquiry as he gains an insight into the lives of the suited and booted men who presented themselves at the YMCA in Ashington in Oct 1934. The documentary, directed by Oscar-winning film-maker Jon Blair, poses some interesting questions: what makes an artist? And can anyone paint? It’s sure to be unmissable.