Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts with a vibrant new line-up of sitters
Series 12 to feature Brian Cox, Mary Berry, Yungblud, and more – starting 1 October
Britain’s best-loved televised art competition returns this autumn with a fresh canvas of talent and cultural icons. Portrait Artist of the Year is back on Sky Arts and NOW from 1 October, promising another season of fast-paced creativity, unexpected emotional moments, and brushes with greatness.
Now in its twelfth year, the series has become a staple of the UK’s cultural calendar – part reality show, part public art class, and part national treasure. The set-up is familiar but still exhilarating: each week, a group of emerging artists has just four hours to capture a celebrity sitter on canvas, live. At stake? A prestigious £10,000 commission and the title of Portrait Artist of the Year 2025.
This year’s roll call of sitters reads like a who’s who of modern Britain, spanning politics, pop, performance, and science. Among them: Succession’s Brian Cox (final), national treasure Dame Mary Berry (semi-final), astronaut Tim Peake, Yungblud, Billy Porter, Adjoa Andoh, and broadcaster Beth Rigby. From Jack Dee to Clara Amfo, Gabby Logan to Elif Shafak, the line-up reflects a Britain where the cultural fabric is stitched together by voices from every sphere.
Guiding viewers once again is actor and presenter Stephen Mangan, alongside the returning panel of expert judges: artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, curator Kathleen Soriano, and gallerist Kate Bryan.
But this year’s commission carries particular weight. The winning artist will paint Hannah Fry – mathematician, broadcaster, and advocate for science accessibility – for the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy. The portrait will mark the 80th anniversary of the first women elected to the Society, adding a layer of historical and symbolic depth to an already coveted commission.
“Even after twelve series, we’re continually inspired by the extraordinary skill on display,” says Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts. “This series continues to fly the flag for the arts and celebrate creativity at its best.”
Produced by Storyvault Films, Portrait Artist of the Year continues to draw in a wide and devoted audience — from lifelong painters to armchair critics — offering a rare space where visual art meets live television, and where portraiture still carries emotional power in a digital age.
Catch new episodes weekly from 1 October on Sky Arts (Freeview Channel 36) and NOW.
Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
