Lloyd Webber to present the art of the Pre-Raphaelites

Lord Lloyd-Webber will present an ITV documentary about the art of the Pre-Raphaelites later this year.

The impresario moved to ITV after a long stint on the BBC where he featured in a series of shows searching for new musical stars.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Pre-Raphaelites will look at the work of the group of artists and poets who scandalised 19th-century England.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has collected Pre-Raphaelite art since the 1960s and showed work from his collection in a special show at the Royal Academy in London in 2003.

The Pre-Raphaelites’ turbulent private lives and artistic controversies inspired the 2009 BBC drama Desperate Romantics. The new show is part of a series of documentaries on ITV1 called Perspectives.

Other shows include Hugh Laurie: Down by The River, which follows the actor as he records a blues album in New Orleans.

ITV’s Jo Clinton-Davis said: “Hugh Laurie’s passion for New Orleans and the legendary blues is palpable and we are thrilled to be working with him and Sprout Pictures on this unique documentary.”

Actor Sir Ian McKellen will front a documentary about the life and work of LS Lowry, and miner’s son Robson Green will examine the story of the Pitmen Painters - a group of miners in Ashington, Northumberland, who taught themselves to paint and saw their work exhibited around the world.