In 2013, director Francis Whately delivered David Bowie: Five Years, which highlighted the five most important years of David Bowie's career. Four years later, Whately will share a follow-up to the film with a new documentary titled David Bowie: The Last Five Years.
In January 2017, the new documentary will come to BBC to showcase the last years of Bowie's legendary career. The film will air a year after his death, and will focus on his final albums The Last Days and Blackstar. This new documentary will also touch on the musical Lazarus, which was one of the last things Bowie worked on before his death in January 2016. Similar to Whatley's previous documentary about Bowie, this new film will also feature plenty of unseen footage, unheard interviews and recordings.
To accompany the showing of David Bowie: The Last Five Years, BBC Four will also show Bowie at the BBC—a compilation of rare footage throughout his career as captured by the BBC. The footage will range from his very first performance in 1964 leading up to his last performances before his death. BBC Radio 2 will broadcast Life on Mars while BBC Radio 6 Music allow listeners and fans to vote for what they believe is Bowie's best album. A listening party will be held for the winning vote. On what would have been his 70th birthday, the BBC—as well as Bowie fans around the world—plan to take this time to reminisce and celebrate his legacy in a special way, rather than make the upcoming anniversary of his passing a somber moment.
