Portrait Artist of The Year

In this first heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: actors Asa Butterfield and Anjli Mohindra and comedian Micky Flanagan.

In this second heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: DJ and presenter Trevor Nelson; Former PussyCatDoll Ashley Roberts and actor and director Noel Clarke.

In this third heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: ballroom dancer and former Strictly judge Len Goodman; musician and entrepreneur Tinie Tempah and actor Dame Harriet Walter.

In this fourth heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: comedian Asim Chaudhry, and actors Doreen Mantle and Russell Tovey.

In this fifth heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: actor Haydn Gwynne, presenter Fearne Cotton and performance poet John Cooper Clarke.

In this sixth heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: actors Zawe Ashton and Adrian Dunbar and Kaiser Chiefs front man Ricky Wilson.

In this seventh heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: director Mike Leigh and actors Ken Stott and Lydia Leonard.

In this eighth heat, 9 artists are challenged to create a portrait of one of 3 celebrities: actors Deborah Findlay and Wunmi Mosaku and actor and comedian Omid Djalili.

For the semi-final of Portrait Artist of the Year 2020, a stunning backdrop - adorned with lush velvet and festoon lights - frames our celebrity sitter, the First Lady of musical theatre, Elaine Paige. The artists are given a brief to reference the set - but which three will make it through to the final?

Artists have four hours to create their portraits, and the hallowed halls of the National Portrait Gallery provide a fitting backdrop for their final sitter, renowned poet, Lemn Sissay.

In this final programme, the winner embarks on a 10,000 pound commission to create a portrait of music legend, Nile Rodgers.

In this year's celebrity special of Portrait Artist of the Year 6 new celebrity artists are invited to take up the challenge. Actors Mark Gatiss, Fenella Woolgar and James Fleet are joined by presenters Anneke Rice and Sophie Morgan, and comedian Jenny Éclair.