Sister Wendy Beckett, a cloistered nun with a mandate of self-denial who became a BBC documentary star almost by accident while in her 60s, died Wednesday in East Harling, England. She was 88.
She was living a hermit’s life in a windowless trailer at an English monastery, praying for hours upon hours and venturing outside only for Mass and to get books from a mobile library. That is until producer Nicholas Rossiter got Sister Wendy to talk about the paintings in Britain’s National Gallery for a 1991 BBC documentary. She and Moving Art were an instant hit.
The art historian followed up with Sister Wendy’s Odyssey the mext year, which built on her unlikely stardom. The miniseries in which she talked about museums in England and Scotland drew 3.5 million viewers. Audiences then and going forward were fascinated by her human tales that brought art to life — though critics were less kind.
She was living a hermit’s life in a windowless trailer at an English monastery, praying for hours upon hours and venturing outside only for Mass and to get books from a mobile library. That is until producer Nicholas Rossiter got Sister Wendy to talk about the paintings in Britain’s National Gallery for a 1991 BBC documentary. She and Moving Art were an instant hit.
The art historian followed up with Sister Wendy’s Odyssey the mext year, which built on her unlikely stardom. The miniseries in which she talked about museums in England and Scotland drew 3.5 million viewers. Audiences then and going forward were fascinated by her human tales that brought art to life — though critics were less kind.
- 12/27/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.