BBC2 has unveiled plans for Saturday-night poetry, as part of wider arts and culture plans for the channel at the weekend. The plans include a poetry night on 1 October, ahead of National Poetry Day, which will feature a live performance by Kate Tempest; and a new twist on WH Auden and Benjamin Britten’s Night Mail, with a documentary featuring Sabrina Mahfouz, Michael Symmons Roberts, Liz Berry, Andrew McMillan, Imtiaz Dharker and Sean O’Brien interpreting the human stories they see on a train from London to Glasgow. Poems from Jackie Kay, Lemn Sissay and Ian Duhig will also feature between programmes on the poetry night.

Patrick Holland, the editor of BBC2, said arts were central to the channel’s mission. “I want BBC2 to be the most creative channel on TV,” he said. “It is a place where the audience comes to find out about the world. It doesn’t shy away from complexity, it revels in specialism and detail, but it also speaks to broader audiences.”

IMAGE: THE BRITISH POSTAL MUSEUM & ARCHIVE