Peter Sellers: Hollywood and Home Movies
Ronni Ancona, Peter Lydon, Sarah Sellers
Internationally renowned for his performances in The Goon Show, The Pink Panther film series, Dr Strangelove and many more, Peter Sellers remained an enigma during his life and beyond. A descendent of the famous 18th-century Sephardi Jewish boxer Daniel Mendoza via his music hall actress mother Peg, he obsessively filmed his private life, leaving hundreds of hours of footage which was discovered after his death in 1980. The BBC Arena documentary Peter Sellers: As He Filmed It, available to ticketholders, is a synthesis of that wealth of material, creating an intimate biography of a complex man.
This unique online conversation sees film critic and broadcaster Jason Solomons joined by Peter’s daughter Sarah Sellers, comedian and The Big Impression star Ronni Ancona and Peter Lydon, director of the Bafta-nominated Arena film.
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Part of BBC Arena at Jewish Book Week & in association with UK Jewish Film
Ronni Ancona is an actor, comedian, impressionist, writer and has worked extensively in TV, film and theatre for over 20 years. She first became known for her work on the BAFTA winning Big Impression series for which she won the British Comedy Award for Best Actress and the prestigious Variety Club Award. She also starred in BAFTA-winning ITV series “The Sketch Show” and in the BAFTA-winning “Last Tango In Halifax”
She has a film and production company with Sally Phillips.
Peter Lydon is the director of the BBC Arena “Peter Sellers As He Filmed It” from 2002. The film is a distillation of his BAFTA nominated 3 part biography “The Peter Sellers Story” broadcast in 1995. Peter moves between documentaries, TV drama and commercials - from films about Radio Caroline and Frank Lloyd Wright to classics like Shameless, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Poirot. In the world of commercials he is known for working with big names like Al Pacino, Mads Mickelson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jose Mourinho. He has written and directed several award-winning short films including Dating Eliza that picked up 8 major awards around the world. He’s also a cartoonist but that’s other story!
Sarah Sellers was born in 1957 and is the second child of Peter Sellers and Australian actress Anne Howe, Peter’s first wife. Sarah is an antique dealer, specialising in dolls and teddy bears, and has been a collector for over 40 years. She currently lives and works near Brighton.
Jason Solomons is one of the UK’s best-known presenters and film critics.
He hosts the popular Seen Any Good Films Lately? podcast, has his own music and culture show on Totally Wired Radio, and reviews films for LBC radio and BBC arts show Front Row. Jason is film correspondent for The New European and UK critic for TheWrap.com. On TV, he covers the BAFTAs and the Oscars for BBC News and is a regular commentator on Sky News and ITV’s GMB.
Jason curates the Cinedrome at Green Man Festival and, following best-seller Woody Allen: Film by Film, is currently finishing his latest book, Movies: A Love Story
