Mary Beard to present new show about history of nudity

Historian and broadcaster Mary Beard is hoping to challenge attitudes with a new factual series about nudity. 

BBC Two have commissioned the University of Cambridge classics professor to present a two-part series that's been described as a “singular exploration of the role of nakedness” in society.

In The Nude Uncovered, Beard will follow the history of naked human bodies in art and their impact on society's idea of beauty and gender politics. 

The 2019 show was announced during the Edinburgh television festival, where executives from BBC Two explained that “Mary will take in a huge range of images; reinterpreting star artworks like Manet’s Olympia and Michelangelo’s David while shining a light on the hidden corners of image making.” The channel further promised that the programe would challenge attitudes to nudity and nakedness.

Beard's last outing was on two episodes of the channel's rebooted version of Civilisations, in which she looked at the origins of the selfie. She was, however, cut from the US edits of the programme, causing Beard to Tweet: "cant help think that a slightly creaky old lady with long grey hair isnt ideal for US TV?? [sic]"