Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles host a competition in which amateur artists compete against one another. Each episode sees the contestants face two challenges, with a mentor to help guide the way, before a panel of judges scrutinise their work and send one of the artists home. In this episode the artists are taking on still life. The first challenge sees them facing a table laden with objects. The mentors, Diana Ali and Pascal Anson, demonstrate some handy tips. In the second challenge the artists have to tackle still life on a much larger scale. Half of them must tackle a set based on Vincent van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles painting, and the other half must interpret Roy Lichtenstein's Interior with Waterlilies. Wrestling with oil paint, sightlines and proportions, the artists set out to express their artistic personalities on canvas. At a private viewing the results are seen by members of the public, who can give their favourite artist an automatic pass through to the next round. Then it is up to the judges, Lachlan Goudie, Daphne Todd and Dr David Dibosa, to deliver their verdicts and decide which of them will be sent home.

Mariella Frostrup and the Rev Richard Coles are once more on hand to oversee the battle of the brushes, as the nine remaining amateur artists face their next challenges. In episode two, the amateur artists are on the English south coast to tackle landscapes, battling the elements in Hastings as they paint outdoors. Their first test is a tricky one, as they must accurately portray the straight lines and diminishing perspective of Hastings' newly refurbished pier. The next day there is a sea change, and it's four seasons in one day as the meteorological muses throw everything they have at the intrepid artists. This time they are on the pier itself as they face the shoreline to take on the landscape, architecture and beachfront that makes Hastings such an iconic town. Once again the mentors are on hand to help them navigate the challenge to capture perspective, composition and sense of place, but some artists are more receptive than others. The public panel is made up of Hastings locals, who vote to keep in their favourite for one more week, but it's up to the judges to decide who goes.

There are eight amateur artists still in the frame, and they take a walk on the wild side as the competition once again gets trickier. This time they're heading to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and are asked to paint animals. Capturing that spark of life while stood in front of a living, breathing wild creature is incredibly tricky, and mentors Pascal and Diana are on hand to help every step of the way. First up, they get in a flap as they face the flamingos, and the deceivingly simple form of these feisty birds trips some of our artists up. As ever, the judges don't spare anyone's blushes when they pass comment on the efforts. From graceful birds to lumbering animals, the easels move to the elephant enclosure, and the artists come face to face with these magnificent creatures. With the judges looking for the artists to convey a sense of life, the texture of the skin and the sheer size of the elephants, who will rise to the challenge and whose efforts will be more Dumbo than dramatic? The public panel vote to keep one artist in the competition, and the judges decide whose time in the competition is up. Mariella Frostrup and the Rev Richard Coles are the hosts.

With the competition hotting up, our seven remaining amateur artists head to the world-famous National Portrait Gallery in London and face two portraiture challenges as they fight for their place in next week's semi-final. Portraits are notoriously difficult as everyone can tell if the human face looks right or wrong, so there is nowhere to hide if they want to secure their place in the competition. They first have to produce a self-portrait that is not only a realistic representation but also conveys some of their character and emotions. For some, unsurprisingly, their main emotion appears to be fear, particularly as judge Daphne Todd OBE is a world-renowned portrait artist herself. The mentors, Pascal and Diana, are on hand to guide their teams and help keep the nerves under control. The pressure is then ramped up another few notches as they are presented with undoubtedly their hardest challenge so far. The artists are given just five hours to produce a portrait of a celebrity sitter, something that an established artist would take weeks, if not months, over. Pascal's team must paint the inimitable Angela Rippon OBE, and Diana's artists have to capture the indomitable Baroness Floella Benjamin. The tension in both rooms is palpable as the artists struggle to translate such familiar faces, and many very nearly crumble. Who will be saved by the public panel, and who will the judges take through to next week's semi-final? With Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles.

Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles host the semi-final of the amateur painting competition, and the five remaining artists are facing their toughest challenge yet - capturing the human body in movement. For two hours, a solo dancer spins, plies and pivots in front of the artists. Mentors Diana Ali and Pascal Anson are on hand to help, but all of the painters are pushed out of their comfort zone. For the second challenge, a troupe of ballerinas appear and perform selected extracts from Swan Lake. Even the judges admit that this is a challenge they wouldn't want to have to tackle. All five amateur artists step up to the plate and give it their best shot, with some stunning results at the end. But only four of them can make it through to the final. Who will the public viewing panel choose to go straight through, and who will the judges send home?

With the winning post in sight, the amateur artists have two nail-biting challenges remaining. With Mariella Frostrup and the Rev Richard Coles overseeing proceedings, it's the last chance for the finalists to impress the judges with everything they've learned throughout the series. The starting point is Queen's House, Greenwich, where there's 400 years of history and art to soak up in the magnificent surroundings. There is a surprise in store for the artists as they are given their first test. They have to paint a portrait, but their sitters are only revealed to them at the start of the challenge. Will all of the artists be happy with who they come face to face with? For the final challenge of the series, not only are the artists' skills put to the test but also their sea legs, with a trip on the Thames. They are faced with the magnificent view of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, practically unchanged since it inspired Italian master Canaletto over 250 years ago. If that wasn't enough to contend with, mentors Pascal Anson and Diana Ali take a step back to see who has absorbed their artistic advice and who will completely ignore it. Judges Daphne Todd, David Dibosa and Lachlan Goudie have the tricky task of deciding who will be the winner of the Big Painting Challenge 2017.

Mariella Frostrup and Reverend Richard Coles have been polishing up on their Pollocks and reviewing their Rembrandts as they return for The Big Painting Challenge. Ten amateur painters, all with bags of enthusiasm and lashings of potential, arrive in Glasgow for the start of a six-week artistic boot camp. They will be working with professional mentors Diana Ali and Pascal Anson, who are there to tutor and test them in equal measure. The first genre the artists face is still life, and the task sees them painting objects they have each brought from home. Can they transfer a 3D object convincingly on to a 2D canvas? This is followed by a masterclass, a specially designed teaching moment to help both artists and anyone at home trying to improve their painting skills on volume and tone. The next challenge is a supersized still life. At a distillery, the artists must reproduce the large-scale and very shiny stills and fermenters used in the production of whisky and gin. Once completed, their works are displayed to the public, who give their favourite artist a pass to the next round. Judges Lachlan Goudie and Daphne Todd then deliver their verdicts on the amateurs' artistic endeavours and decide which of them will be sent home.

Mariella Frostrup and Reverend Richard Coles travel to the Cotswolds for the second episode of the amateur painting competition. Nine painters continue in the artistic boot camp, which this week sees them working with their professional mentors Diana Ali and Pascal Anson to conquer paint-handling techniques to depict nature in all its glory. The first task sees the artists try to capture the form and character of dogs Herbert and Nutmeg. Once the task is complete, the mentors continue their tutelage with masterclasses that have the artists painting with bark, moss, leaves and even underpants before moving on to the final challenge. They need to capture the majesty of the Acer Glade. For some this means painting outside for the very first time. Will they be able to cope with the changing light conditions? Once completed, the canvases are viewed by members of the public, who give their favourite painter a pass straight through to the following week. The others must await the verdict the judges, Daphne Todd and award-winning landscape artist Fraser Scarfe, to see who is sent home.

Eight artists are still in the competition, and this week they must conquer portraiture. To celebrate the RAF centenary the artistic travelling circus has moved to RAF Hendon. The first task our painters are confronted with are the youthful faces of two RAF cadets. Thankfully their mentors, Diana Ali and Pascal Anson, are on hand to help them with the all-important sense of proportion. If they get that wrong they will have no chance of creating a likeness. This week's masterclasses are full of helpful tips on capturing expression and new ways of mark making and blocking to improve their compositions. With the arrival of judges Lachlan Goudie and Daphne Todd comes the second challenge. This time our budding Picassos have to deal with the other end of the age spectrum. They must capture the wisdom and spirit of our two sitters, both of whom are veterans of the RAF, and who have over 180 years between them. The artists' efforts are put in front of ex-RAF personnel and members of the public, who choose their favourite to send through to next week. The rest are at the mercy of our judges, who will be dispatching someone from the competition. Overseeing proceedings, providing words of encouragement and a shoulder to cry on, as always, are Mariella Frostrup and Reverend Richard Coles.

The magnificent seven amateur artists are confronted with the tail end of a hurricane as they set up their easels on the bonnie but windy banks of Loch Lomond. Their challenge is to paint water and the many colours it reflects. With the wind howling, in the first task they must try to mix the perfect colours to capture a boat and its stormy reflections in the turbulent water. Mentors Diana Ali and Pascal Anson, as always, are on hand with hints and tips, which some of the artists choose to ignore at their peril. The masterclasses this week are all about mixing colours. Armed with just the primary paints, our mentors have two techniques to help the artists see and mix colour more accurately. For the main challenge, the painters move to a full, panoramic view of the loch, which is useful as that is exactly what the judges want to see on canvas. Can they capture the ever-changing colours of the sky, land and water, which at times disappear from view all together? No one said it would be easy. At a viewing, the results are seen by members of the public, who decide on their favourite artist to be catapulted to the semi-final. The rest must await the verdict of the judges, Lachlan Goudie and Daphne Todd OBE. Hosted by Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles, the search for the winner of the Big Painting Challenge 2018 starts to heat up.

Mariella Frostrup and Reverend Richard Coles present the semi-final. Housed in Glasgow's world-famous Kelvin Hall, the six remaining artists face the toughest theme of all - movement. In the first task, they must try to capture the action of an endurance runner and world record-breaking cyclist. As always, Diana Ali and Pascal Anson are on hand with some tricks of the trade to help the artists capture the human figure in motion. This is followed up with two masterclasses designed to find solutions to the problem of capturing a moving object in paint. The final challenge takes place in the gymnasium. The two groups have to depict the dynamic movement of a floor gymnast or the graceful elegance of an athlete on the beam. The pressure builds as there are only four places in the final, so winning the public vote is even more important, as the formidable judges, Lachlan Goudie and Daphne Todd OBE, send two painters home. Who will fall at the final hurdle?

It is the final, and the four remaining artists travel to the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, to battle it out for the title. The first task requires them to take a good, hard look at themselves as they take on self-portraits. As always, Diana Ali and Pascal Anson are on hand with moral support and tips, advice and useful critiques to continue to improve the painters' work. They want their artists' paintings to really take on personality and character, not just to create a likeness. To bolster the finalists, a little added support is provided with the surprise arrival of family members to help critique their portraits. Following the task the painters are given individual masterclasses to help them work on areas the mentors think could make a difference in the final challenge. They involve painting with decorator rollers, eating and then painting cake, painting blindfolded and painting with dance movements. Each of these makes the artists think about new ways of connecting with their canvas. The final day dawns and the artists face the ultimate challenge. For the first time they are allowed to choose any subject they want. They have three hours to use everything they have been taught over the last six weeks to create a painting that will decide the winner of the Big Painting Challenge 2018.