Transmits 9pm, 29th December on BBC TWO

"Filmmaker Clare Beavan gets at the heart of Callas's artistic tragedy and the mystery behind it. She beautifully corrals rare performance and interview clips, so we're drawn into the dying fall of Callas's career, when the voice that had made her the world's most beloved soprano deserted her." Radio Times

New to prestigious arts strand Arena, Maria Callas: The Final Act focuses on the great classical diva of modern times: known around the world for her beauty and fiery temper as much as her voice. She was a cover star with a thirst for the high-life and the looks of a supermodel. She dominated opera until disaster struck – she fell in love with Aristotle Onassis, and when he left her for Jackie Kennedy her life fell apart.

But this tragic legend of Maria Callas isn’t true: Callas was nobody’s victim. She was defiant, exacting – a woman who blazed a trail for female artists of today. But there was one thing that mattered more to her than anything – her astonishing, life-changing voice. It was gradually failing her. And she knew it.

At her peak in the 1950s Callas averaged 50 appearances a year. But between 1959 and 1963 she sang in public only 28 times. She cancelled performances, earning her an (undeserved) reputation as an erratic diva. This film is, in part, a detective story: what was it that made Maria Callas lose her voice?

This film is also a celebration of Callas - her brilliance, originality and determination to be the greatest opera singer alive. A stellar cast of experts and admirers uncover the truth about her and the gift of her extraordinary voice. Her impact on classical music was revolutionary, bringing forgotten roles into the limelight and making them her own: magnificent, indomitable heroines. Callas is the artist who reminded the world what opera is for.

Producer/Director: Clare Beavan

Producer: Tom Watkinson

Production Designer: Alison Dominitz

Film Editor: David G Hill

Executive Producers: Neil Crombie and Joe Evans