James R | On 10, Apr 2022

BBC Four is telling the story behind RKO Pictures in a new documentary series this month – and it’ll be presenting a string of films from the studio to go with it.

RKO Pictures was one of the Big Five major film studios of the Hollywood Golden Age. This landmark six-part series, presented by Edward Asner, will reveal the behind the scenes stories of the studio. Titled The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood, it features interviews with stars including Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Robert Mitchum, Lucille Ball and Jean Simmons.

It will begin on Thursday 21st April and marks the first time the documentary has been shown on the BBC in more than a decade. To accompany the series, audiences will be able to watch a selection of RKO films that will be scheduled to air on BBC Four and will be available on iPlayer.

The films, which will also begin from 21st April, include King Kong, Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, The Outlaw, Top Hat, The Gay Divorce, Bringing Up Baby, My Favourite Wife, Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Suspicion, Angel Face, Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie and The Thing From Another World.

The result is the first of a string of film seasons on BBC Four to accompany ground-breaking documentaries surfaced from the archive. Later this year, BBC Four will be programming seasons with complementary documentaries that commemorate Hollywood Women, Black History Month and the Best of British cinema.

Add to Watchlist