Extraordinary Portraits
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Extraordinary Portraits
President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Adebanji Alade, takes on the challenge of painting the whole Edwards family: six people from three generations.
Bill Bailey matches hospital porter Holly, who joined the NHS as a way of giving back to the service that saved her young daughter’s life, with award-winning painter Mark Draisey.
Bill Bailey matches end-of-life care nurse Jules, who is on a mission to make people’s last days as pleasant as possible, with magical realist painter Belinda Eaton.
Bill Bailey matches extraordinary NHS workers with some of the UK’s best artists. Acclaimed photographer Brock Elbank is paired with Scottish paramedic Araf.
Grace was a medical student when a man jumped from the top of a shopping centre and landed on her, causing life-changing injuries. Painting her is Jemisha Maadhavji.
Bill Bailey matches inspirational inner-city trauma surgeon Martin with passionate sculptor Nick Elphick, who creates a truly extraordinary portrait.
Series 2
Artist Laura Quinn Harris paints rapping teacher Christian, who went viral when 50 Cent shared a clip of him performing in front of a class.
Artist Amar Stewart explores his own heritage as he paints a portrait of Sikh powerlifter Karenjeet, whose success has challenged gender stereotypes in her community.
Painter Ross Muir depicts the strength and hope he sees in Jamie Dalgoutte, a young man who went through the care system and is now helping to build a future for himself and others.
Experimental artist Lo Lo celebrates the bravery of Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, a footballer who has come out as bisexual.
Bella Kotak transforms surf champion Charlotte into the main character of her own fairy tale. In this portrait, we see a beautiful friendship form and a magical work of art made.
Painter Stuart Pearson Wright is challenged to capture charity fundraiser Harriet's joy and love for her Shetlander heritage in a portrait that does the island proud, just as she did.
Series 1
Thomas Croft, the artist behind Portraits for NHS Heroes, meets Mark, a former Royal Marine who survived an explosion during a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2007.
Portrait artist Caroline Pool paints Alec Burrough, an 88-year-old dairy farmer from Devon who refuses to slow down.
Kelvin Okafor, a hyperreal artist who specialises in pencil portraits, meets and draws Catrin Pugh, a survivor of a bus crash that left her with burns across 96 per cent of her body.
Street artist Dale Grimshaw gets to know Patrick, who was famously photographed carrying an injured English Defence League member to safety during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020.
Photographer Christy Lee Rogers meets Cee Cee, a model with albinism, and helps her work through her struggles with self-belief by taking her on a breathtaking underwater photoshoot.
Artist Roxana Halls paints twin sisters who survived a crocodile attack in Mexico. In the process, we learn how their attitudes towards body image and family have been affected by the event.