THE FINAL ACT: CHANNEL 4 CHART THE LIFE AND CAREER OF DAVID BOWIE FOR NEW DOCUMENTARY

Ten years on from the release of his final album , David Bowie: The Final Act (w/t) (1x90’) will chart the extraordinary final creative chapter of one of music’s most iconic and inventive artists. 

From Rogan Productions, the team behind Freddie Mercury: The Final Act and ABBA: Against the Odds, this feature documentary explores how Bowie, ever the master of reinvention, transformed his confrontation with mortality into his final artistic statement. 

The 1990s were a turbulent period for Bowie. Once hailed as the chameleon of pop, he found himself at odds with a changing industry: critics were scathing, and Bowie’s star seemed on the wane himself worried that he was no longer the draw he once was. Yet out of that creative turbulence came a bold resurgence.

Refusing to rest on past glories, Bowie pushed forward: conquering Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, confronting his roots in suburban South London, foreseeing the internet age, and ultimately producing Blackstar, his final masterpiece. 

Featuring rare interviews with those who knew and worked alongside Bowie as well as famous fans and figures who have been inspired by his artistry, the film will uncover the strategic brilliance behind Bowie’s artistic resurrection and the inexhaustible extraordinary creativity that defined his final decade act. 

Directed by Jonathan Stiasny (Drive to Survive, Cops Like Us) and produced by Emmy and Rose d’Or winner Dan Hall (ABBA: Against the Odds, Freddie Mercury: The Final Act), this landmark documentary captures the magic of an artist who turned mortality into a masterpiece. Executive Producers are James Rogan and Jan Younghusband for Rogan. 

David Bowie: The Final Act is made by award-winning Rogan Productions for Channel 4 and is a co-production with WDR / BR / ARTE, DR and NTR in association with Dogwoof, who are handling international sales. 

Jonathan Stiasny, director says: “The traditional music documentary celebrates triumph. What fascinated me most when making this film was how Bowie’s final chapter wasn’t an ending, it was a resurrection. He transformed failure into triumph, silence into revelation, and ultimately, death into art.” 

Shaminder Nahal, Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4 says: “Bowie was one of those rare artists whose imagination never dimmed. This film reveals how, when faced with the end, he found ways to push boundaries and create something transcendent.” 

Transmission details will be announced in due course.