Is Portrait Artist of the Year coming back?
Portrait Artist of the Year (2013–present) on Sky Arts
The answer: Yes — returns in 3 days.
Next episode · S13E01 · "Lennie James, Sheridan Smith, Vanessa Williams" · on Sky Arts
12seasons
129episodes
3upcoming
8.0/ 10
About Portrait Artist of the Year
Portrait Artist of the Year is currently between seasons on Sky Arts. The most recent episode aired on December 10, 2025, and no return date has been announced.
The show is a competition that started in 2013, where artists from across Europe competed in regional portrait painting contests. Hosted by Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner, the series features judges Kathleen Soriano, Kate Bryan, and Tai Shan Schierenberg evaluating the artists' work. Finalists have their portraits displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the winner receives a £10,000 commission to create a portrait for the British Library.
The series is a documentary-style contest centered on portrait art, which has been broadcast over multiple seasons. It highlights the skills and creativity of contemporary portrait artists as they compete for recognition and a prestigious commission. The show has been on air since its debut in 2013 and has continued to feature new contestants and judges over the years. Its 60-minute episodes showcase the artistic process and the judges' evaluations.
Portrait Artist of the Year episode schedule
3 upcoming · 126 aired . Next episode: October 7, 2026.
Upcoming · 3
| Date | Ep. | Title |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2026 | S13·E1 | Lennie James, Sheridan Smith, Vanessa Williams |
| October 14, 2026 | S13·E2 | Louis Theroux, Anthony Scaramucci, Joanna Scanlan |
| October 21, 2026 | S13·E3 | Matt Weston, Dexter Fletcher, Nikita Gill |
Aired · 126
| Date | Ep. | Title |
|---|---|---|
| December 10, 2025 | S12·E12 | Best of 2025 |
| December 3, 2025 | S12·E11 | Winner's Film |
| December 3, 2025 | S12·E10 | Brian Cox |
| November 26, 2025 | S12·E9 | Mary Berry |
| November 19, 2025 | S12·E8 | Jack Rooke, Reece Clarke, Tim Peake |
| November 12, 2025 | S12·E7 | Jacob Collier, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Jack Dee |
| November 5, 2025 | S12·E6 | Shane Lynch, Gabby Logan, Beth Rigby |
| October 29, 2025 | S12·E5 | Melvin Odoom, Max Beesley, Emily Atack |
| October 22, 2025 | S12·E4 | Adjoa Andoh, Cat Burns, Clara Amfo |
| October 15, 2025 | S12·E3 | James May, Billy Porter, Emma Barnett |
| October 8, 2025 | S12·E2 | Si King, Elif Shafak, Joe Marler |
| October 1, 2025 | S12·E1 | Alex Jones, Yungblud, Kyla Harris |
| December 18, 2024 | S11·E12 | Best of 2024 |
| December 11, 2024 | S11·E11 | The Winner's Story |
| December 11, 2024 | S11·E10 | Lorraine Ashbourne & Andy Serkis |
| December 4, 2024 | S11·E9 | Joely Richardson |
| November 27, 2024 | S11·E8 | Rebecca Taylor, Emma Thynn, Dr Karan Rajan |
| November 20, 2024 | S11·E7 | Heather Mills, Kevin McCloud, Martha Kearney |
| November 13, 2024 | S11·E6 | Jill Scott, Jimi Famurewa, Lyall Hakaraia |
| November 6, 2024 | S11·E5 | Lucy Worsley, Ricky Hatton, Musa Motha |
| October 30, 2024 | S11·E4 | Rosie Jones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Andy Cole |
| October 23, 2024 | S11·E3 | Dan Snow, Layton Williams, Steven Frayne (Dynamo) |
| October 16, 2024 | S11·E2 | Cush Jumbo, Baaba Maal, Carly Paoli |
| October 9, 2024 | S11·E1 | Hannah Waddingham, Richard Madeley, Saskia Reeves |
| December 13, 2023 | S10·E11 | Best Of |
| December 6, 2023 | S10·E10 | The Winner's Story |
| December 6, 2023 | S10·E9 | Joan Bakewell |
| November 29, 2023 | S10·E8 | Emma Bunton |
| November 22, 2023 | S10·E7 | Joe Sugg, Daryl McCormack, Lenny Rush |
| November 15, 2023 | S10·E6 | Josh Widdicombe, Nicky Spence, Shirley Ballas |
Show 96 earlier episodes
| November 8, 2023 | S10·E5 | Nigel Havers, Mishal Husain, Vanessa Kingori |
| November 1, 2023 | S10·E4 | Sue Barker, Alan Titchmarsh, Philippa Perry |
| October 25, 2023 | S10·E3 | Rory Stewart, Ainsley Harriott, Rob Delaney |
| October 18, 2023 | S10·E2 | Jay Rayner, Nihal Arthanayake, Susanna Reid |
| October 11, 2023 | S10·E1 | Richard Curtis, Emma Freud, Fleur East |
| December 14, 2022 | S9·E11 | Best Of Portrait Artist Of The Year 2022 |
| December 7, 2022 | S9·E10 | Sir Lenny Henry |
| November 30, 2022 | S9·E9 | Jonathan Van-Tam |
| November 23, 2022 | S9·E8 | Rebecca Ferguson |
| November 16, 2022 | S9·E7 | Henning Wehn, Lemar, Candice Carty-Williams |
| November 9, 2022 | S9·E6 | Jim Carter, Benjamin Zephaniah, Ellie Simmonds |
| November 2, 2022 | S9·E5 | Dame Stella Rimington, Big Zuu, Alexis Ffrench |
| October 26, 2022 | S9·E4 | Bruno Tonioli, Yolanda Brown, Helen Sharman |
| October 19, 2022 | S9·E3 | Suggs, Miquita Oliver, Eve Muirhead |
| October 12, 2022 | S9·E2 | Lulu, Alex Brooker, Phil Manzanera |
| October 5, 2022 | S9·E1 | Elizabeth Day, Khadija Mellah, Nick Grimshaw |
| December 22, 2021 | S8·E12 | Best Of |
| December 22, 2021 | S8·E11 | Nicola Benedetti |
| December 15, 2021 | S8·E10 | Barry Humphries |
| December 8, 2021 | S8·E9 | Nick Mason |
| December 1, 2021 | S8·E8 | Ian Hislop, Emma Dabiri, Daniel Mays |
| November 24, 2021 | S8·E7 | Chris Packham, Arlene Phillips, Ali Jawad |
| November 17, 2021 | S8·E6 | David Olosuga, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Sergei Polunin |
| November 10, 2021 | S8·E5 | Kelly Macdonald, Hugh Skinner, Polly Walker |
| November 3, 2021 | S8·E4 | Celeste, Lydia West, Alastair Campbell |
| October 27, 2021 | S8·E3 | Alexa Chung, Nish Kumar, Philip Glenister |
| October 20, 2021 | S8·E2 | Gyles Brandreth, Karen Gibson, Sophie Cookson |
| October 13, 2021 | S8·E1 | Gabrielle, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Grace Neutral |
| December 16, 2020 | S7·E11 | Carlos Acosta |
| December 16, 2020 | S7·E10 | Eddie Izzard |
| December 9, 2020 | S7·E9 | Bernardine Evaristo |
| December 2, 2020 | S7·E8 | Kwame Kwei-Armah, Dame Katherine Grainger and Fred Sirieix |
| November 25, 2020 | S7·E7 | David Haig, Jordan Stephens and Jane Horrocks |
| November 18, 2020 | S7·E6 | Eddie Marsan, Sian Clifford and Paul Mescal |
| November 11, 2020 | S7·E5 | Robert Rinder, Katie Piper and Don Letts |
| November 4, 2020 | S7·E4 | Ray BLK, James Nesbitt and Pam Hogg |
| October 28, 2020 | S7·E3 | Deborah James, Eamonn Walker and Melanie Sykes |
| October 21, 2020 | S7·E2 | Trevor McDonald, Mirren Mack and the Vivienne |
| October 14, 2020 | S7·E1 | Ncuti Gatwa, Lady Glenconner, Fay Ripley |
| March 31, 2020 | S6·E11 | Portrait Artist of the Year 2020: Nile Rodgers |
| March 24, 2020 | S6·E10 | Lemn Sissay |
| March 17, 2020 | S6·E9 | Elaine Paige |
| March 10, 2020 | S6·E8 | Deborah Findlay, Wunmi Mosaku and Omid Djalili |
| March 3, 2020 | S6·E7 | Ken Stott, Mike Leigh, Lydia Leonard |
| February 25, 2020 | S6·E6 | Ricky Wilson, Adrian Dunbar and Zawe Ashton |
| February 18, 2020 | S6·E5 | John Cooper Clarke, Fearne Cotton and Haydn Gwynne |
| February 11, 2020 | S6·E4 | Asim Chaudhry, Russell Tovey and Doreen Mantle |
| February 4, 2020 | S6·E3 | Len Goodman, Tinie Tempah and Harriet Walter |
| January 28, 2020 | S6·E2 | Trevor Nelson, Noel Clarke and Ashley Roberts |
| January 21, 2020 | S6·E1 | Asa Butterfield, Micky Flanagan, Anjli Mohindra |
| April 16, 2019 | S5·E11 | Winner's Film Tom Jones |
| April 16, 2019 | S5·E10 | Final - Laura Linney |
| April 9, 2019 | S5·E9 | Courtney Pine |
| April 2, 2019 | S5·E8 | Jodie Comer, Daniel Lismore, Nick Moran |
| March 26, 2019 | S5·E7 | Angela Griffin, Gina McKee, Jamael Westman |
| March 19, 2019 | S5·E6 | Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Adrian Lester, Nitin Sawhney |
| March 12, 2019 | S5·E5 | Georgina Campbell, Mark Gatiss, Tanni Grey-Thompson |
| March 5, 2019 | S5·E4 | Anna Chancellor, Stephen Graham, Beverley Knight |
| February 26, 2019 | S5·E3 | Eddie Hall, Jodie Kidd, James Purefoy |
| February 19, 2019 | S5·E2 | David Gandy, Anne Reid, Ashley Walters |
| February 12, 2019 | S5·E1 | Matthew Goode, Geraldine James, Andi Oliver |
| March 20, 2018 | S4·E11 | Kim Cattrall |
| March 20, 2018 | S4·E10 | Emeli Sande |
| March 13, 2018 | S4·E9 | Lily Cole, Simon Callow |
| March 6, 2018 | S4·E8 | Meera Syal, Derek Jacobi, Kirsty Wark |
| February 27, 2018 | S4·E7 | Michael Ball, Robert Bathurst, Anita Rani |
| February 20, 2018 | S4·E6 | Kenneth Cranham, Claire Skinner, Sope Dirisu |
| February 13, 2018 | S4·E5 | Elizabeth McGovern, Fiona Shaw, Kadeena Cox |
| February 6, 2018 | S4·E4 | Rachel Hunter, Stefanie Martini, Conleth Hil |
| January 30, 2018 | S4·E3 | Ross Kemp, Freddie Fox, Vicky McClure |
| January 23, 2018 | S4·E2 | Noel Fielding, Reggie Yates, Daphne Selfe |
| January 16, 2018 | S4·E1 | David Tennant, Michaela Coel, James Morrison |
| March 14, 2017 | S3·E9 | Episode 9 |
| March 14, 2017 | S3·E8 | Episode 8 |
| March 7, 2017 | S3·E7 | Episode 7 |
| February 28, 2017 | S3·E6 | Episode 6 |
| February 21, 2017 | S3·E5 | Episode 5 |
| February 14, 2017 | S3·E4 | Episode 4 |
| February 7, 2017 | S3·E3 | Episode 3 |
| January 31, 2017 | S3·E2 | Episode 2 |
| January 24, 2017 | S3·E1 | Episode 1 |
| December 30, 2014 | S2·E9 | Alan Cumming |
| December 23, 2014 | S2·E8 | Sir Ian McKellen |
| December 16, 2014 | S2·E7 | Richard Dawkins, Sally Hitchiner |
| December 9, 2014 | S2·E6 | Neil Hannon, Sharon Corr, Colm Meaney |
| December 2, 2014 | S2·E5 | Jilly Cooper, Daniel Roche, Melvyn Bragg |
| November 25, 2014 | S2·E4 | Non Evans, Ade Adepitan, Greg Davies |
| November 18, 2014 | S2·E3 | Gary Kemp, Daniela Nardini, Ashley Jensen |
| November 11, 2014 | S2·E2 | Julian Fellowes, Ronni Ancona, Helena Kennedy QC |
| November 4, 2014 | S2·E1 | Sol Campbell, John Humphrys, Maisie Williams |
| December 10, 2013 | S1·E6 | National Portrait Gallery |
| December 3, 2013 | S1·E5 | Paris |
| November 26, 2013 | S1·E4 | Cardiff |
| November 19, 2013 | S1·E3 | Dublin |
| November 12, 2013 | S1·E2 | Glasgow |
| November 5, 2013 | S1·E1 | London |
