Messenger Documentary to air on Sky Arts

The story of Plymouth’s iconic sculpture, Messenger is set to be told in a documentary narrated by Dawn French which is to air on Sky Arts next Tuesday 24 August at 07:00pm.

Messenger, the largest cast bronze sculpture in the UK created by Joseph Hillier, took pride of place outside Theatre Royal Plymouth in 2019. The journey of her creation and the reaction she has generated since has been documented by Mother Goose Films which will now be aired on Sky Arts.

Adrian Vinken, Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Plymouth said: ‘It’s the tale of how a major piece of public art polarised the city of Plymouth sparking controversy and creativity in equal measure. The film captures the early inspiration behind what became the largest cast bronze sculpture in the UK and the subsequent noisy and spirited public debate and objections it provoked. The story follows the remarkable process of Messenger’s creation from modern digital design and pattern-cutting technology to a 6000-year-old lost wax casting process in a forge in rural Wales, and then to its final triumphant arrival into Plymouth from the Atlantic Ocean.’’