LONDON.- Following the success of its debut series, the second series of Treasures of the British Library, in which five famous faces take their own personal tour of the British Library’s fascinating collections, will be broadcast on Sky Arts from this September.

Featuring actor Andrew Scott, violinist Nicola Benedetti, writer Hanif Kureishi, actor Jim Carter and presenter Fiona Bruce, Treasures of the British Library will follow one celebrity per episode as they each discover six items from the British Library’s extraordinary collections.

Treasures of the British Library will take viewers on an absorbing, surprising and often poignant journey through history. From a handwritten Beethoven violin concerto score and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre manuscript, to the seminal 1978 Rock against Racism poster and audio recordings of George Harrison, this series will once again remind the viewer of the important role the British Library plays in preserving our collective heritage to provide inspiration for future generations, as seen through the eyes of a group of celebrated cultural figures. The series features moments such as Andrew Scott reading from the first quarto of Hamlet, following his renowned turn as the Prince of Denmark on the stage last year, and violinist Nicola Benedetti playing from a handwritten score of Beethoven’s violin concerto.

Each episode ends with an item from the celebrity’s personal archive being donated to the British Library’s permanent collection.

Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library said: “We are thrilled to be working once again with Sky Arts and Nutshell TV on this second series of Treasures of the British Library. Every episode reveals more about the astonishing variety of items held in our collections – from audio recordings of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst to Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis. These items resonate in different ways with the thousands of researchers and visitors that come through the British Library’s doors each year, and each episode brings that journey to life.”

A selection of items featured in the series will be on display in the free Sir John Ritblat Treasures of the British Library Gallery and online at British Library Treasures, which is freely accessible across the world.

Treasures of the British Library will be broadcast on Sky Arts at 21.00 from 11 September for five consecutive weeks and will also be available on Sky TV On Demand.

The series was produced by Nutshell TV and the episodes will be broadcast in the following order: Fiona Bruce, Hanif Kureishi, Andrew Scott, Nicola Benedetti and Jim Carter.