OVATION TV PAINTS SUNDAYS COLORFUL WITH THE U.S. PREMIERE OF "PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR" STARTING OCTOBER 18

Popular UK Series Features Talented Artists at Work as They Paint Portraits of Such Actors and Authors as Hilary Mantel, John Hannah, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Julian Fellowes, Alan Cumming, Sir Ian McKellen and More

SANTA MONICA, CA - September 16, 2015 The paint will be flying and the pressure is on as talented artists from across the UK and Ireland vie to become Portrait Artist of the Year in the hit British competition series premiering in the US for the first time on Ovation TV, America's only arts network, on October 18. The network will air two seasons of the series in its Sunday "Ovation Spotlight" time slot, Sundays at 12 noon ET.

Portrait Artist of the Year is hosted by UK TV personalities Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner; an esteemed group of judges travel across the Europe in search of a new star in the art world. Each episode features a regional competition where artists are shortlisted and challenged to produce a portrait of one of three famous sitters. At the end of each round, the judges select an artist to go to the semifinal. The finalists will have their work displayed at the world-famous National Portrait Gallery in London and the winner will receive a ?10,000 commission to paint a portrait which will become part of the permanent collection at the British Library.

With judges and onlookers examining their every move, the artists face new challenges at each phase of the competition while painting such famous "sitters" as Sir Ian McKellen, Hilary Mantel, John Hannah, Sophie Turner, Simon Weston, Sophie Dahl, Maisie Williams, John Humphrys, Julian Fellowes, Richard Dawkins and Alan Cumming.

Each episode is 60 minutes long unless otherwise noted:

Season One Premiere - Sunday, October 18 at 12pm ET

Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner begin their search for the Portrait Artist of the Year in London, where artists are asked to paint stars such as actors Alison Steadman, Robert Lindsay and Juliet Stevenson.

Sunday, October 25 at 12pm ET

Frank Skinner, Joan Bakewell and the judges head to Glasgow as 21 competitors capture celebrity sitters including Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, actor John Hannah and Paralympian Michael Kerr.

Sunday, November 1 at 12pm ET

Frank Skinner and Joan Bakewell take the competition to Dublin where 21 artists hope to wow judges with portraits of actors Pauline McLynn, David Rawle and rapper Lethal Bizzle.

Sunday, November 8 at 12pm ET

The final tryout takes Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner to Wales where artists paint rugby player Gavin Henson, artist Lucian Freud's muse Sue Tilley and war veteran Simon Weston.

Sunday, November 15 at 12pm ET

The penultimate stage of the competition takes the four finalists to Paris where they have six hours to paint author and model Sophie Dahl.

Sunday, November 22 at 12pm ET (90 minutes)

The finalists unveil one last portrait before the judges enter tense discussions over the winner. The portrait artist of the year is awarded a commission to paint writer Hilary Mantel.

Sunday, November 29 at 12pm ET (30 minutes)

The winner of the first Portrait Artist of the Year competition visits Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel in her home; the final portrait is revealed.

Season Two Premiere - Sunday, December 6 at 12pm ET

Season two premiere. Frank Skinner and Joan Bakewell begin their hunt for the next Portrait Artist of the Year. The first episode sees artists paint sitters including English footballer Sol Campbell, broadcaster John Humphrys and Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams.

Sunday, December 13 at 12pm ET

More artists put their nerves and artistic flair to the test as they paint celebrities including Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, actress Ronni Ancona and barrister Helena Kennedy QC in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sunday, December 20 at 12pm ET

Artists in Scotland paint stars such as Spandau Ballet's guitarist Gary Kemp and actresses Daniela Nardini and Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty). An incredibly close heat means there's a twist in store.

Sunday, December 27 at 12pm ET

Frank Skinner, Joan Bakewell and the judges move the competition to Wales, where 12 gifted artists get just four hours to paint celebrities including athlete Non Evans, Paralympian Ade Adepitan and comedian Greg Davies.

Sunday, January 3 at 12pm ET

In London, 12 artists attempt to impress the judges by capturing celebrities including writer Jilly Cooper and actor Daniel Roche. One contestant uses tapestry to depict broadcaster Melvyn Bragg.

Sunday, January 10 at 12pm ET

Artists vie for the final place in the semi-final by painting singers Neil Hannon and Sharon Corr, as well as actor Colm Meaney in Dublin.

Sunday, January 17 at 12pm ET

The seven semi-finalists battle for a place in the final by painting a double portrait of Professor Richard Dawkins and the Reverend Sally Hitchiner.

Sunday, January 24 at 12pm ET (90 minutes)

It is crunch time as the three finalists get four nerve-wracking hours to paint actor Sir Ian McKellen. The portrait artist of the year is awarded a commission to paint actor Alan Cumming.

Sunday, January 31 at 12pm ET

The final episode follows the winning artist painting the multi award-winning actor Alan Cumming. After three days of painting, the final portrait is revealed at a special reception at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Portrait Artist of the Year is produced by Storyvault Films for Sky Arts and is distributed internationally by Zodiak Rights Limited.

For more information on Ovation TV's programming lineup, visit www.ovationtv.com.

About Ovation TV

Ovation is an independent television and digital media company dedicated to celebrating and supporting all forms of arts and culture. Ovation TV selectively curates and airs arts-related series, specials, documentaries and films. The network also offer viewers an exciting line up of original productions. Ovation TV is available to nearly 50M subscribers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV/AT&T U-verse, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Charter Communications, Bright House Networks, and many other providers, and is offered in both standard and high definition, as well as on VOD. In addition, Ovation champions artists through the Ovation Digital Arts network, a unique artist community dedicated to supporting and helping talented YouTube creators grow their brands and businesses. Through The Ovation Foundation, the company is committed to advocating for the arts, nationally and locally, and has provided more than $15M in contributions and in kind support to arts institutions and arts education. You can follow Ovation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and OvationTV.com.