Big Ballet


Big Ballet is a British documentary television programme produced by Rare Day and broadcast on Channel 4. The three-episode series was first broadcast on 6 February 2014. It followed Wayne Sleep and prima ballerina Monica Loughman as they worked with a troupe of amateur dancers to realise their dream of dancing Swan Lake.
The dancers, referred to in the show as "fat" or "real women", ranged from UK size 12 to 24: all of the dancers were significantly larger than the norm in classical ballet, however, the slimmer dancers would not be categorised as "plus size" usually.
Profiles as listed on the Channel 4 Big Ballet micro-site.
The programme also featured Matthew Bourne, Derek Deane, Patricia Doyle, David Plumpton, Tamara Rojo, David Nixon and the English National Ballet. It was predominantly filmed at the Northern Ballet with the final performance staged at St George's Hall, Bradford. in front of 1,500 people.
Adverts were placed and five hundred people replied. The advert read "Have you ever dreamt of being a ballet-dancer but feel your size holds you back? Have you ever imagined dancing on a big stage in front of an adoring crowd? We are looking for talented dancers aged 18-55 to take part in our new series about ballet. No previous ballet experience necessary. If you're interested to hear more, we'd love to talk to you!". The applicants were whittled down to a troupe of eighteen for the series.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal airdateViewers
from BARB