BBC Maestro, in partnership with BBC Studios, announce brand new e-learning service
BBC Maestro will offer courses taught by the most experienced creators in the world through a series of digital tutorials.
BBC Maestro, in partnership with BBC Studios, announces a brand new e-learning service, where courses are taught by the most experienced creators in the world.
BBC Maestro offers never before granted access to the minds of some of the worlds’ greatest creative talents, who for the very first time are teaching their craft and their process through a series of very special digital tutorials. Whether you are a novice or an amateur enthusiast, BBC Maestro allows you to indulge in your area of passion from the comfort of your own home and learn from the experts.
Each course is beautifully filmed in 4K and offers several hours of content, broken down into 20 to 40 easily digested lessons accompanied by downloadable course notes filled with hints, tips and a breakdown of each Maestro’s course.
The service launches with four courses:
- Over 45 million albums sold, with 12 number ones, Ivor Novello winning song writer and musician Gary Barlow, teaches Songwriting
- 40 million books sold, 29 books written and the UK’s best-selling children’s author David Walliams, teaches Writing for Children
- Multi-award winning screenwriter and creator of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, Jed Mercurio, teaches Writing Drama for Television
- The Godfather of modern British gastronomy, and the first British
3 Michelin starred chef Marco Pierre White, teaches Delicious Food Cooked Simply
Beginning with Gary Barlow, David Walliams, Jed Mercurio, and Marco Pierre White, the service will quickly expand to cover a diverse range of subjects including;
Malorie Blackman - Writing for Young Adults
Heston Blumenthal – Ingenious Cooking At Home
Ozwald Boateng - Fashion Design – From the Blank Page to the Catwalk
Helena Bonham Carter – Acting
Julia Donaldson – Writing Children’s Picture Books
Peter Jones – Entrepreneurship
Sir Tim Rice – Performing and Writing Musical Theatre
Vineet Bhatia – Teaching Indian cuisine
Jancis Robinson – An Understanding of Wine
Each BBC Maestro’s course can be purchased for a one-off fee of £80.00. This allows the participants to watch and learn as frequently as they like in order to hone their skills.
Each course is personally crafted by the Maestro, as an intimate and informative experience that brings them directly into the lives of the participants. Their courses will not just be instructional but also motivational, filled with experiences that provide a combination of practical skills, insight, and inspiration.
The service is available at www.bbcmaestro.com
Gary Barlow says “I’ve been studying composition, songwriting and performance for the better part of 30 years. I’ve learnt a few things along the way; things that help the process, things that inspire the process. Hopefully this course will inspire you. Maybe you’re going to write something today that is going to change the course of your life forever.”
David Walliams says “The wonderful thing about being a writer is that you don’t need any qualifications to do it. Anyone can just start doing it. The problem is often knowing where to start. I’ve written 28 children’s books and along the way I’ve learnt a lot. I’ll be sharing everything I’ve learnt about writing stories for young readers during my course. I’ll help you turn your amazing ideas into a fully formed story.”
Jed Mercurio says “The great thing about being a writer is that anyone can do it. You just need an imagination and to know how to get started. You have the first one covered, and I’d like to help you with the second.”
Marco Pierre White says “It’s not about recipes. This is about food. The understanding of food. How to take something as simple as a potato and take it somewhere it’s never been before. It’s impossible to cook 3-star food at home without a team, but what I can do is impart that 3-star understanding and show you how to introduce it into your cooking at home.”
Malorie Blackman says “I’ve been a professional author for over thirty years and have written over 70 books to date which has given me a good handle on the art, craft and business of writing. In this course we’re going to explore all aspects of writing for young adults - from ideas to the completed, published book and everything in between. I’ll be sharing the practices that have worked for me, the ways of working that perhaps didn’t but which might work for you, the practical and the fantastical. This is a course for any and all aspiring children’s book writers.”
Julia Donaldson says “A picture book can be almost anything: an adventure story, a poem, a fable or just a glorious romp. But every word must count. In this course I hope to convey the art of writing something that will appeal to the ears and mind of the child listener and the adult who will read the story aloud - and also to the publisher!”
Stephen Davies, Managing Director of BBC Studios, Consumer Products & Licensing says “BBC Maestro offers the ultimate guides for anyone who has a dream or a passion that they’ve always wanted to perfect. Whether you want to write a best-selling book or TV series, become a songwriter, learn to act, cook like a Michelin-starred chef or become an entrepreneur, these lessons provide a rare opportunity for novices and experienced amateurs alike to hone their craft and learn from the very best in the world.”
For more press information:
IJPR
Ian Johnson, 07711 118019
Jeni Noel, 07825 293232
Biographies
Gary Barlow is one of Britain’s most successful songwriters and record producers. As part of pop group Take That, he has won eight BRIT Awards and sold over 45 million records. Aside from his achievements with Take That, he has also co-written and produced music for other renowned artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams.
Gary’s last solo record SINCE I SAW YOU LAST sold more than 600,000 copies and was the ninth biggest-selling album that year. His new solo album is released later this year.
In more recent years, Gary has also turned his attention to the world of theatre, composing the score for the hugely successful production FINDING NEVERLAND, working alongside screenwriter Tim Firth to write the music and lyrics for musical THE GIRLS and also working alongside his Take That bandmates to produce THE BAND a record-breaking musical featuring the music of Take That.
David Walliams As a children's author, David Walliams has written 13 children’s novels, 2 junior novels, 9 picture books and 5 books of short stories for which he has received enormous critical and commercial success. It has led to David frequently being heralded as a modern-day Roald Dahl. Since the publication of his ground-breaking first novel, THE BOY IN THE DRESS (2008), David has seen unprecedented growth with global sales exceeding 40 million copies, and his books translated into 53 languages.
David closed the last three years as the UK’s biggest-selling author and his titles took three of the top ten overall bestselling books of 2019 as well as the three biggest-selling children’s books of the year.
To date this year, David’s titles have been number 1 in the children’s charts for an astonishing 28 weeks, and at the top of the overall bestseller charts for 9 weeks. The world beyond the books includes licensed product, TV adaptations, theatre productions and arena tours.
David is also one of Britain’s best-loved comedians, known for hits such as multi award-winning LITTLE BRITAIN and COME FLY WITH ME, as well as being a beloved judge on BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT. He has also had dramatic TV roles such as CAPTURING MARY, PARTNERS IN CRIME and MURDER MYSTERY and on stage in A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM for which he won the London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Comedy in 2013 and the What’s On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play in 2014. He will next be seen in the role of Losberne in TWIST, a modern version of OLIVER TWIST alongside Lena Headey and Michael Caine.
David is a trustee of Comic Relief, a charity he has personally raised £8.5m for, most notably swimming the English Channel in 2006 and the River Thames in 2011. David is also an Ambassador for the children’s charity, Make A Wish. Due to David’s generous support of Comic Relief and other charities he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Summer 2017 as part of the Queen’s birthday Honours.
Jed Mercurio’s latest series BODYGUARD and LINE OF DUTY have both topped the ratings for UK television drama. With other credits including seminal, ground breaking series such as: BODIES, CRITICAL, THE GRIMLEYS and CARDIAC ARREST to name but a few, Jed Mercurio’s work has achieved award wins/nominations at the Golden Globes, Emmys, BAFTAs, Royal Television Society, Broadcasting Press Guild and Writers’ Guild. Jed Mercurio is a former hospital physician and Royal Air Force pilot whose career took a rather interesting bank to the left when he saw an advert in the British Medical Journal asking if any doctors had an idea for a television drama.
Marco Pierre White is the man who single handedly made cooking sexy. Anthony Bourdain hailed him as ‘the original rock star chef who made history.’ Marco was the first British chef to win 3 Michelin Stars and the youngest chef to do so at just 33 years of age. The true Godfather of modern British cuisine has trained a team that reads like a who’s who of cooking including: Heston, Gordon Ramsay, James Martin, Phillip Howard, Eric Chavot, Bryn Williams, Matt Tebbutt, Robert Reid, Thierry Busset, Jason Atherton, Shannon Bennett, Curtis Stone and Mario Batali, to name but a few.
Marco’s acclaimed book, WHITE HEAT, is regarded as having influenced the careers of several Michelin starred and celebrity chefs, being described by one critic as ‘possibly the most influential recipe book of the last 20 years’.
Marco’s culinary genius was recognised by legendary French chef Michel Roux in the last interview he ever gave, shortly before he died. After Michel had been extremely blunt about other celebrity chefs he’d known, he was asked about Marco. His response says it all…
“To be a great chef, you have to be a gourmet. Marco Pierre White had the palate so, for me, he was and still is the greatest.”
Notes to Editors
Online digital classes and e-learning is a huge growth area and in 2020 this has increased exponentially. The global MOOC (“Mass Open Online Courses”) market size is expected to grow from $3.9 billion in 2018 to $20.8 billion by 2023.
The courses can be viewed on most devices with an internet connection and a web browser, such as mobile, tablet, laptops, and desktop computers.
BBC Maestro
BBC Maestro, operates under license from BBC Studios, but is an independent business which is not taxpayer funded in any way.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions, and programmes and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programmes made by the business are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, Doctor Who and Bluey. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2500 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Amazon and China Mobile, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment and international distribution for programme titles. To the BBC, BBC Studios contributes both cash dividends and funds for programme-making, supporting the licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.