Three new Arena films and an extraordinary range of films from the Arena archive are coming to the BBC across November and December.

The unique life and talent of Caroline Aherne is celebrated this Christmas in a new Arena film Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen, featuring unseen photographs and contributions from a cast of her lifelong friends and colleagues, including Steve Coogan, John Thomson, Craig Cash, Sue Johnston and producer Andy Harries.

Mad About The Boy: the Noel Coward Story examines the man who would become one of the most celebrated actors, playwrights and songwriters of his generation, told in his own words, music and extraordinary home movies. Narrated by Alan Cumming with Rupert Everett as the voice of Noel Coward the film features appearances from Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Harold Pinter, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball.

Being Kae Tempest will go out on BBC Two on November 29 featuring rare, intimate insights into Kae’s life throughout a period of profound personal and artistic change.

To celebrate the release of these new films the BBC is bolstering the Arena archive available for audiences. Voted in Broadcast magazine as one of the top 50 most influential programmes of all time, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four will make available over 50 films from this BAFTA-winning arts series, many unseen for decades.

Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor for Arena at BBC Arts says: “The Arena archive is a treasure house of the best in creative documentary over nearly five decades and continues to be extraordinary. This year so far has been exceptional, with films that range from The Stones and Brian Jones to The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld and with more on Kae Tempest, Caroline Aherne and Noel Coward coming up. I am delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate these classics alongside some wonderful new films.”

The range of the BBC’s Arena archive is demonstrated in the breadth of subjects it's been willing to tackle over the years, from Colm Tóibín, Anne Enright and others exploring James Joyce’s Ulysses to looking at the king of rock’n’roll through his dietary habits in The Burger and the King, Arena has explored the world of art, music, film and culture with fresh, challenging eyes.

Delving deeper into the archive, BBC Four will resurface 1976 classic Peter Shaffer, Dire Straits from 1980 and Louise Brooks, the latter unrepeated since its premiere in February 1986. As well as more recent classics, such as Oscar nominated and BAFTA winning I Am Not Your Negro, based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript, and Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle showcasing Winehouse's performance at the Other Voices festival shortly after the Back to Black album release.

The collection includes the BAFTA winning Many Lives of Richard Attenborough, celebrating the life and career of Richard Attenborough including touching footage of him visiting his childhood and reminiscing with his brothers, and the BAFTA and RTS winning docudrama Wisconsin Death Trip directed by James Marsh. The season will give viewers the opportunity to view again No Direction Home: Bob Dylan by Martin Scorsese and in the 60th anniversary year of Doctor Who, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes.

The Arenas brought back will include favourites that have been delighting television audiences since their production such as Ken Dodd's Happiness, Screen Goddesses and The Everly Brothers: Songs Of Innocence And Experience as well as unearthed treasures, including several films not transmitted on the BBC since their initial release including Billy, How Did You Do It? which is unseen since 1992 and Have you Seen the Mona Lisa? from 1981.

The full list of Arenas available now or to be made available shortly:

According to Beryl
African Apocalypse
All the World's a Screen - Shakespeare on Film
Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle
Armistead Maupin is a Man I Dreamt Up
Bergman: A Year in the Life
Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano - planned
Billy, How Did You Do It?
Buddy Holly
Chelsea Hotel
Cindy Sherman #untitled
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes
Desert Island Discs
Dire Straits
Dylan Thomas: From Grave to Cradle
Edward Hopper
Everything is Connected - George Eliot's Life
Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues
Have You Seen the Mona Lisa?
I Am Not Your Negro
Into the Limelight - Tribute bands
James Joyce's Ulysses
Ken Dodd's Happiness
Louise Brooks
Masters of the Canvas
Miller Meets Mandela
My Way
Night Moves
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Oooh Er Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story
Paris is Burning
Peter Shaffer
Rudies Come Back: The Rise and Rise of 2-tone
Screen Goddesses
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus
Six Days in September
Tales of Rock n' Roll: Peggy Sue
Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll: Heartbreak Hotel
The Brian Epstein Story
The Burger and the King
The Changin’ Times of Ike White
The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert
The Everly Brothers: Songs of Innocence and Experience
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough
The Orson Welles Story
Tony Bennett's New York
Voices from the Island
Wisconsin Death Trip