Exclusive: Tapes reveal artist reminiscing about his life in interviews recorded in last four years of his life
Fifteen years ago, Sir Ian McKellen was among the leading arts figures who criticised the Tate for not showing its collection of paintings by LS Lowry in its London galleries and questioned whether the “matchstick men painter” had been sidelined as too northern and provincial.
Now, 50 years after Lowry’s death, McKellen is to star in a BBC documentary that will reveal a trove of previously unheard audio tapes recorded with Lowry in the 1970s during his final four years of life.
The interview is the longest the artist ever gave and was recorded in his living room, his “private sanctuary”. The tapes are said to reveal Lowry’s authentic voice, which McKellen will lip-sync on screen.
The Lancashire-born actor described the role as a “unique privilege”.
