Five Culture, the partnership between Five and Arts Council England, has commissioned an exclusive series of documentaries exploring the musical influences of four of the most successful artists in contemporary folk music, it was announced today (THURS).

Produced by the Proudfoot Company, My Music consists of four, hour-long programmes which, for the first time, gets under the skin of musicians; Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy and Athena.

The series launches on Five in the Spring and is the latest in the Five Culture initiative which sees Five and Arts Council England encourage viewers to engage in the arts.

Tom Ravenscroft, son of legendary Radio One DJ John Peel, narrates the programmes that focus on a separate artist in each episode. Meanwhile high profile contributors including Billy Bragg, Jennifer Saunders, Stewart Lee and Willy Russell comment on the artists and their contribution to popular culture.

Executive producer Michael Proudfoot has secured exclusive behind the scenes access to all artists – as well as in-depth interviews that reveal the highs, the lows, the history and aspirations of these influential musicians. Michael said: "We wanted to get under the creative skins of these artists. The songs they write and the music they make are products of the places in England that they live in, so the My Music documentaries are not just music shows, they are about the English landscape, or in Athena's case the Greek landscape.

"We wanted to show how music gets created, how songs are written and how it can be done these days without being part of a major record label, if you've got Garage Band on your Mac you can make a record."

Five Culture consultant, Kim Peat, said: "This series is superb. The quality of the music, the passion that is projected, the testimonies from so many people make it a joy to watch.

"My Music will not only give people within the scene a reason to celebrate what they love about modern folk music, but also introduce a new audience to a diverse and influential part of our culture."

Five Culture follows on from the successful three-year project, Fivearts Cities and is designed to encourage viewers to participate in the additional features planned alongside its forthcoming music projects.

Arts Council England Head of Broadcasting, Gill Johnson, said: "We're delighted that the relationship with Five – now in it's fifth successful year - has evolved to encompass an area of the arts that is supported so passionately and which reflects a diverse range of regional talent. We hope this series will inspire more young musicians and singers across the country."

The series is overseen by Five's Head of Factual, Ralph Lee.