Podcast Front Row

Critics Ben Luke and Aviva Dautch bring us all the news from The Venice Biennale. Following the death of the great Shakespearean actor Michael Pennington, we speak to former RSC Director Gregory Doran about his impact on the stage. A new small exhibition Elizabeth I: Queen and Court Is running in London. It includes rarely seen portraits of The Virgin Queen that are normally held in private collections. Historians Tracy Borman and Siobhan Clarke join Tom to talk about the crossover between portraits and propaganda for 16th century monarchs Hilary Mantel's controversial 2015 short story, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, has been adapted for stage at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. We speak to playwright Alexandra Wood about why she chose to re-tell this story now.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by journalist and podcaster Nick Hilton and writer and historian Catherine McCormack to review a selection of cultural items from this week:They'll look at The Sheep Detectives, starring Hugh Jackman, a live-action film in which a group of ovine sleuths attempt to solve the murder of their shepherd. Elizabeth Strout's latest novel, The Things We Never Say, about a Massachusetts school teacher dealing with major changes and crises in his lifeAnd a new exhibition: Kew in London is staging the largest ever presentation of outdoor artworks by Henry Moore; 30 of his sculptures among the glorious gardens.Presenter Tom Sutcliffe

Acclaimed author Siri Hustvedt on Ghost Stories, her memoir of her marriage to novelist, poet and filmmaker Paul Auster and her grief following his death in 2024. Following last night's live report on the controversies surrounding this year's Venice Biennale, we are joined by one of the curators of the Ukrainian Pavillion, to hear how a concrete sculpture of a deer rescued from the frontline of the conflict in Ukraine forms the centrepiece of their exhibit. As a new documentary - Salm Nan Daoine (Psalms of the People) explores how the Gaelic Psalm singing tradition is being kept alive in communities across Scotland and Ireland, singer and musician Rob MacNeacail talks about the history of the tradition and gives us a live demonstration in the studio. And as a major new project is launched by the National Theatre of Scotland to enable care-experienced people to tell authentic stories about their lives,, playwright Nicola McCartney is joined by the artistic director of The Big House, a London-based charity which empowers young care-experienced people through theatre to fulfil their potential through impactful stage productions. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Antony Gormley joins Samira Ahmed. The sculptor and artist is best known for landmarks such as Angel of the North or the beach figures of Another Place, in Liverpool. But Antony has also been exhibiting drawings since the 80s and with the publication of the book Drawing he tells Samira what this art means to him.After the Devil Wears Prada 2 topped the box office this week, BBC New Generation Thinker Dr. Sarah Smyth and author and critic Hanna Flint discuss how films depict women, work and romance.Following the resignation of the entire jury last week, we discuss the fraught politics of the Venice Biennale with Ed Behrens, editor of visual arts magazine Apollo.Bruce Dickinson joins Samira to talk about the new documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

As the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration prepares to open in London, we find out how illustrators are adapting to a changing world.Starting with a rare interview from Quentin Blake, we'll hear how this once undervalued side of the visual arts still creates the defining images of childhoods, whilst also now playing a central role in the visual language of the internet. Featuring voices working across illustration, including Posy Simmonds, Chris Riddell, Michael Rosen, Christoph Niemann, Lizzy Stewart, Benji Davies, Murugiah, Chie Kutsuwada and Jane Rosenberg and Olivia Ahmad. The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens 5th June. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by playwright Mark Ravenhill and academic and critic Maria Delgado to review:The first major UK exhibition of Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán at the National Gallery.A new Spanish language series adaptation of Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits on Amazon Prime video.Please Please Me by Tom Wright, a play about manager Brian Epstein and The Beatles at the Kiln Theatre in London.Plus Tom speaks to the winner of the prestigious Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, seen on the series Making of a Maestro. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Lucy Collingwood

From the rebellious spirit of The Jam in the 1970s to the soulful sound of The Style Council and mellow ballads as a solo artist, singer-songwriter Paul Weller is about to release Weller At The BBC Volume 2 - a series of session recordings of his classic hits and interpretations of other artists' songs. He .discusses his musical evolution and his influences. She's been rather overshadowed by fellow writers such as James Kelman and Alasdair Gray, but in her centenary year Scottish novelist Agnes Owens (who died in 2014) is being celebrated with two exhibitions, and the republication of out-of-print books with new introductions by contemporary writers. Owens' son and literary executor John Crosbie and novelist Kirstin Innes discuss her significance as a writer and her trademark tone. Writer Fran Kranz discusses his play Mass, in which the parents of a school shooter meet those of a victim, and which is currently running at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce launches the Children's Booker Prize and discusses some of the themes of his forthcoming Waterstones Children's Laureate Lecture - The Kids Are Not Alright- which calls for the reading of physical books to made a central part of childhood. Soap writer and aficionado Sharon Marshall on how long-running television dramas are employing bold storytelling techniques to retain and attract audiences.Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna on how her country's artworks have been targeted by the Russians.Poet, playwright, and musician Kae Tempest on his new novel, Having Spent Life Seeking, which centres on the character of Rothko as they search for a way to be at peace with who they feel themselves to be.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Front Row Production Team

The Devil Wears Prada 2 director David Frankel on why it was time to bring the old gang back together again. David Haig's new play Magic imagines the real life friendship between Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A new play Stage Kiss looks at what kissing on stage entails. Playwright Sarah Ruhl and actress Emma Fielding discuss how to do it well (and badly). And Luke Roberts, lecturer in Modern Poetry at KCL, pays tribute to J.H. Prynne, considered by many to be one of the most significant post-War English poets. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Critics Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney join Tom to review Half Man, Richard Gadd’s follow up to his hit Baby Reindeer. They also discuss Anne Hathaway as a faded pop star looking to make a comeback in supernatural thriller Mother Mary. Plus they assess Deborah Levy’s book My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein: a fiction. To celebrate Shakespeare's birthday, author and translator Daniel Hahn reveals the challenges of translating the Bard into different languages.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

A new biopic chronicles one of the 20th century’s biggest and most controversial music icons, but appears not to paint the whole picture about his life. We discuss Antoine Fuqua's Michael, which stars the pop legend Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar in the lead role. Stand and Deliver is a National Theatre of Scotland production which tells the story of a legendary industrial dispute. In 1981, workers at a Lee Jeans factory in Greenock, barricaded themselves inside for seven months in a protest against the proposed closure of the factory and the loss of 240 jobs. We hear from the play's writer, Frances Poet, and journalist Paul English, whose writing about the women's stories inspired the production. Director Mark Jenkin tells us about his unique approach to filmmaking, using a clockwork camera and recording sound months after the initial shoot, and about his latest film Rose of Nevada, a mysterious tale of a long-lost fishing boat which returns to a Cornish port decades after disappearing, which stars Callum Turner and George Mackay.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Primavera, a new film about Vivaldi tells the story of his composing for pupils of an institution for abandoned girls. We speak to the film's director Damiano Michieletto, better known as an award-winning opera director, about his film and about Vivaldi himself. The Music is Black is the inaugural exhibition at London’s new V&A East Museum and it celebrates 125 years of Black British music. Lead curator Jacqueline Springer joins us to discuss the show and wealth of music it showcases, from the early days of jazz via calypso, reggae, two-tone, pop and grime. Ben Lerner, the Pulitzer-nominated author of Leaving the Atocha Station and The Topeka School, discusses his latest novel Transcription; an exploration of loss, technology and fiction. The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in Oxford officially opens its doors next weekend. It combines seven academic faculties with performance spaces including the world’s first ‘Passivhaus’ concert hall, certifying its sustainability.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Director Charlotte Regan on her new BBC thriller, MintHave heterosexual male novelists stopped writing sex scenes? We discuss with writer Luke Kennard, author of Black Bag, and editor of the Erotic Review Lucy Roeber.Poet Laureate Simon Armitage plays live in studio with his band L.Y.R.Video game writer and critic Cara Ellison joins us to run through the highlights from the recent BAFTA Games Awards.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by reviewers Dreda Say Mitchell and Viv Groskop to consider Lena Dunham's controversial memoir - Famesick. A new adaptation of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - directed by Clint Dyer at London's Old Vic Theatre. And Dan Schitts Creek Levy has a new dark comedy series on Netflix; Big Mistakes

Scottish Ballet's Starstruck honours Gene Kelly's creative legacy and his passion for creating dance for the common man. His wife Patricia Ward Kelly tells us about this fusion of ballet, jazz, tap and tango danced to the music of Chopin, Ravel and Gerswhin. As the winner of the inaugural Sherborne Prize for Travel Writing is announced as Adam Weymouth for his book Lone Wolf, about a journey from Slovenia to Italy across the Alps, Adam joins us along with veteran writer Colin Thubron to discuss the art of travel writing. And as he receives an Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize and as his work goes on show at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London, photographer Joel Meyerowitz talks to us about his career - documenting everything from London in the swinging sixties to New York in the aftermath of 9/11. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Jack Savoretti sings a song from his latest album We Will Always Be The Way We Were, which is leading the race to top the charts this week. David Szalay's Booker Prize-wnnning novel Flesh is currently at the centre of a debate around inspiration and homage, as critics point to similarities between his novel and Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon. Literary critics Aled Maclean-Jones and Alex Clark discuss.Turner Prize-winning artist Veronica Ryan on her new show at the Whitechapel Gallery which brings together work that spans the many decades of her career.David Austin, Chief Executive of the British Board of Film Classification on creating a new AI tool to help with their work.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Mark Gatiss takes on the role he's always wanted to play, the lead in Brecht's Hitler satire The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. As the Government considers charging tourists to visit England's national museums, we discuss these proposals with TV executive and arts advocate Sir Peter Bazalgette, who’s been an advisor to the DCMS, and Alison Cole - Director, The Cultural Policy Unit think tank. As she releases her new collection of short stories and memoir pieces, The Great Good Places, Dame Margaret Drabble speaks to us about her extraordinary life and career. Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle has died. Her voice was heard in countless Bollywood films, often lip-synced by the most famous actresses of the day And she inspired UK band Cornershop's song Brimful of Asha. Joining us to discuss her life and glittering career is BBC presenter Nikki Bedi. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

On the review show this week: critics Muriel Zagha and Tahmima Anam review Francois Ozon's film The Stranger., based on the Albert Camus novel which has often been described as unfilmable.Amitav Ghosh's novel Ghost Eye, set in India and dealing with parallel timelines, multiple global locations, environmental catastrophe and a young girl with mysterious powers. Jim Jarmusch's latest film Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion award at Venice. Are our critics won over?Plus, is it ok for theatre audiences to take pictures at curtain calls? Following Lesley Manville's complaints on last week's Front Row, Tom Sutcliffe debates the issue with theatre critics David Benedict and Kate Maltby. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Oliver Jones

Writer and director John Morton, one of the team behind 2012 and W1A, on the new comedy Twenty Twenty Six, set in the run up to this year's football World Cup.Artist Lachlan Goudie's new book The Secrets of Painting explores the creative big bangs in art over the centuries which have given us artistic movements - from Giotto and Rembrandt's use of oil paint to Berthe Morisot's use of an outdoor easel and Jackson Pollock's use of materials intended for industrial use, Goudie tells us how he has undergone a series of experiments to inform his understanding of pioneering techniques. A new gig theatre production at The Mac in Belfast honours the Women's Coalition in Northern Ireland whose activism was an important force behind the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Writer Vittoria Cafolla joins us to tell us their story. And as we go on air, the winners of this year's Windham-Campbell Awards for writing are announced. Each recipient receives $175,000, and we'll hear from one of the winners, as well as the Director who heads up the judging panel. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Writer Daisy Goodwin on Victoria: A Queen Unbound. Was the marriage between Victoria and Albert as idyllic as it has been portrayed? Her new play explores the idea that Prince Albert exerted coercive control over Queen Victoria. Following the launch of the Official UK Christian & Gospel Singles Chart, we speak to the founder of the chart's partner organisation, O'Neil Dennis, and Mobo winning Christian rapper Guvna B, who's playing live in studio.Tayari Jones, Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction, discusses on her new novel, Kin.Ben Beaumont-Thomas reports on the cancellation of this year's Wireless festival following the row over Kanye West as the headlining artist. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer Harry Graham

100 years ago, inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated his new 'televisor' to the public for the first time. In this special edition of Front Row, Samira Ahmed and guests explore the origins of television in the UK, charting how those early experimental days set a template for this exciting new medium. Guests: TV producer and historian Professor John Wyver, whose new book Magic Rays of Light tells the story of the early days of TV Lisa Kerrigan, senior curator of TV at the BFI Francis Spufford, whose new novel Nonesuch is partly set in the BBC studio at Alexandra Palace in 1939 Joy Whitby, TV producer and creator of iconic programmes including Play School and JackanoryPresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Tim Bano

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by critics Tim Robey and Nancy Durrant to review:Robert Pattinson and Zendaya's new film The Drama about a young couple in the lead up to their wedding.Life of Pi author Yann Martel's novel Son of Nobody about a newly discovered classic text with the story partly told in footnotes.And from the creator of Mum and Him and Her, Stefan Golaszewski's new BBC drama series Babies which follows one couple's experience of pregnancy loss.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Lucy Collingwood

In venues around the UK and here on BBC Radio 4 and on BBC Sounds, it’s Live Comedy Day today – a celebration of live comedy and grassroots clubs. We’re joined by two of the cast of the new Saturday Night Live UK, Emma Sidi and Hammed Animashaun, and by Amanda Dwyer, who won the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow Comedy Festival this weekend, to discuss the stand-up landscape right now. Mink Stole is an icon of trash cinema and has appeared in every one of filmmaker John Waters’ features, from the infamous cult classic Pink Flamingos to mainstream hits Hairspray and Serial Mom. She talks about her long association with Waters and his ensemble of Dreamlanders, and about her show Idol Worship in which she and actor and drag queen Peaches Christ reflect on her career in front of an audience.And live from opening night at the V&A Dundee where Catwalk – The Art of The Fashion Show celebrates over a hundred years of spectacular fashion displays, from Frederick Worth to Vivienne Westwood and Versace, curator Kirsty Hassard talks us through the history of the runway. And we are also joined by curator Rachel Whitworth from the Bowes Museum in County Durham to discuss one of the modern day pioneers of the fashion show, Vivienne Westwood, as the exhibition Rebel, Storyteller, Visionary opens there. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Writer Robert Macfarlane on the world underground as a new documentary, Underland, inspired by his award-winning book of the same name is released in cinemas. The film explores how mankind has often explored some of the spaces miles beneath our feet.Dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard on creating a new work, Echoes of '78, which pairs the original dancers of a work created by German choreographer Pina Bausch with their younger selves.Singer Hak Baker and journalist Ludovic Hunter-Tilney on the evolving nature of the protest song plus a live performance from Hak of his song Windrush Baby.Translator and judge Sophie Hughes on the International Booker Prize shortlist 2026 which was announced today. The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin KingArtist Glen Baxter remembered.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Lesley Manville, on appearing in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at London's National TheatreArt In Space: As Nasa prepares to send people back to the Moon, former astronauts Helen Sharman and Cady Coleman talk us through the books & music they took with them into space. Do classicists underestimate how difficult it is to read Homer's Odyssey? Ahead of Christopher Nolan's new adaption, we'll discuss with Mary Beard and Professor Emily Wilson about reading and translating one of the oldest surviving works of literature. Should Russia be readmitted to The Venice Biennale? A public letter signed by dozens of MEPs is calling for EU funding to be suspended if Russia is allowed to participatePresenter: Samira Ahmed

On this week's review show, critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon and fashion historian and writer Amber Butchart join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss Riz Ahmed's new comedy series Bait, which follows a struggling actor who auditions for the role of James Bond and has to deal with the fallout. They give their verdicts on Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A in London, featuring the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli. And they review Two Prosecutors, the new film from Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, a bleak comedy following a prosecutor as he attempts to help a political prisoner during the Stalinist Purge of 1937. Plus, the ongoing story of the novel that was pulled by its publisher after allegations that it was partly written by AI. Tom talks to Alexandra Alter, the New York Times journalist who broke the story, and Anna Ganley from the Society of Authors. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Actor Forbes Masson on the National Theatre of Scotland's stage musical revival of cult sitcom The High Life in which he starred alongside Alan Cumming as air stewards working the commuter route between London and Scotland. The writers behind the hotly anticipated whodunnit novel The Ending Writes Itself - billed as being by Evelyn Clarke but in fact written by Cat Clarke and VE Schwab - talk about satirising the publishing industry and about the challenges and pleasures of writing collaboratively. And as The Coming of Age - a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London - explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, art historian Richard Cork and artist Clare Shenstone reflect on how older people have been represented in art and culture. Plus why is the V&A Dundee seeking a design team to makeover its galleries less than ten years since it opened? Architect and former editor of The Architects Journal Rory Olcayto explains. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

The much anticipated, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning medical drama The Pitt finally hits HBO max screens in the UK this week. Samira talks to lead actor Noah Wyle who plays Dr ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, about being back in a high octane emergency department drama decades after making his name as Dr Carter in ER.The Elizabethan composer John Dowland died 400 years ago this month. Next weekend there will be a celebratory Weekend of his music performed at London's Wigmore Hall. We speak with two musicians who will be celebrating Dowland's music: Counter tenor Iestyn Davies and lutenist Elizabeth Kenny.Does opera need to be telling new stories? The ENO’s former artistic director John Berry, and playwright Mark Ravenhill join us to discuss. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

The UK now has its own SNL, 50 years after the US original. But is it funny? Culture journalist Natalie Jamieson gives her verdict. As the BFI begins a season of boxing films, we explore why the sport has inspired so much influential cinema, with BFI curator Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka and boxing broadcaster Steve Bunce.Phil Dunster, best known for his role in Ted Lasso, discusses his new comedy Rooster.Folk trio Leveret improvise live in the Front Row studio.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Writer Alexander Larman and journalist Zoe Williams join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the film La Grazia - which was written and directed by The Great Beauty’s Paolo Sorrentino, and stars Toni Servillo as a fictional Italian President. They also review Summerfolk at the National Theatre in London. Brother and sister writers Moses and Nina Raine have adapted this version of Maxim Gorky’s play which centres around a privileged group of friends at a country retreat. Will Page, industry analyst and former Chief Economist for Spotify, discusses the impact of AI generated fake music as Sony Music requests the removal of more than 135,000 songs impersonating its artists on streaming services.Finally, Tom reviews The Tribe by Michael Arditti, an epic family drama which spans five decades and three continents.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

From bellringing to beekeeping - Author Helen Bain talks about the highly detailed research she conducted for the writing of her The Daffodil Days, inspired by Ted Hughes and Sylvia Pllath's year in North Tawton in Devon in 1962, and on why she has told the story in reverse, through the observations of the locals who came into contact with them at the time. Hue & Cry, who first made their name in the mid 80s and who won the Outstanding Contribution prize at last year's Scottish Music Awards, are back with a new single, a 16th studio album and a UK tour. We speak to brothers Pat & Greg Kane about their four decades in the music business, and about fusing acoustic and synth technologies and the duo perform one of their biggest hits in the Front Row studio. At the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1990s, American photographer Catherine Opie honoured members of the gay community with portraits inspired by court artist Hans Holbein. Since then she's become known as an all-American subversive for her groundbreaking depictions of queer America. A retrospective of her work - To Be Seen - which also features a new commission of a portrait of Sir Elton John and his family - has opened at the National Portrait Gallery in London and she joins us live to talk about it. Plus the Artistic Director of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, James Brining, and The Scotsman's theatre critic, Joyce McMillan, discuss the theatre's decision not to let critics from UK-wide media in to review the world premiere of the new stage production One Day, adapted from David Nicholls' bestselling book. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Anne Lister, the 19th century landowner and diarist, better known by her nickname, Gentleman Jack, has inspired folksongs, television dramas, and now a ballet. As Northern Ballet begin a UK tour of their new Gentleman Jack production, Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa explains how she translated Lister's diaries into dance.As K-Pop super band BTS are set to return with a new album on 20th March and a live streamed concert and a documentary on Netflix, we hear from Julie Yoonnyung Lee from the BBC Korean Service and music journalist Katie Hawthorne about their comeback. We’ll also hear what’s been popular in K-Pop during their absence - including Korean Trot music which is having a resurgence.New anthology, Banshee, aims to cast a feminist light on the female figures in Irish myths. Editor of the anthology, Ailbhe Malone, and one of the contributing writers, Salma El‑Wardany, discuss reimagining some of Ireland's oldest stories.And we remember the writer Len Deighton whose death was announced today. He was the author of The Ipcress File along with over thirty other novels, cookbooks, and graphic novels. Fellow crime writer Martin Edwards reflects on Len Deighton's influential career.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, performs her new song written for David Hare’s play Teeth 'n' Smiles.We bring you a roundup of the 2026 Academy Awards. Ryan Gosling discusses his new sci-fi adventure film Project Hail Mary.And a look at the BBC's new talk show format, The Claudia Winkleman Show, with Boyd Hilton, entertainment director at Heat Magazine, and Bea Ballard, executive producer on the Jonathan Ross show.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Art critic Ben Luke and writer Sarah Crompton join Samira Ahmed to review David Hockney’s first exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, which includes new works and a digitally created ninety-metre-long frieze which was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry. They also discuss Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, the author behind the award-winning bestseller Butter. And they review The Tasters, which tells the story of the women who were the food tasters for Adolf Hitler towards the end of World War II. Plus, BBC National Short Story Award judge Tahmima Anam talks about this year's competition and offers tips for writers.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Claire Bartleet

Actor James McAvoy who has starred in everything from Shameless to X Men talks about turning director for his debut feature, California Schemin'. The film, which is billed as being based on a true lie, tells the story of two young rappers from Dundee who pretended to be American in order to be taken seriously by the record industry - and ended up touring with Eminem in the 2000s. BBC One's new Sunday evening drama series The Other Bennet Sister tells the story of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Mary Bennet, often regarded as less remarkable than her sisters Jane and Elizabeth in Jane Austen's classic novel. Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell speaks about adapting Janice Hadlow's bestselling book which offers a new perspective on the much-loved book and stars Bridgerton's Ella Bruccoleri in the lead role, as well as Ruth Jones as  mother Mrs Bennet, with Richard E Grant as Mr Bennet. And 800 years on from his death, we are joined by art historian Joost Joustra and Franciscan Friar Brother Samuel to consider the cultural legacy of St Francis of Assisi. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson discusses his new novel, Howl.Musician Thea Gilmore talks about her latest project The Echo Line, where she creates music from anonymous messages. Thea also performs the song Silvie live, which is the second track from the project.A book containing 10,000 writers' names entitled Don't Steal This Book is being given out at the London Book Fair as a stand against AI using copyrighted material. Tom talks to bestselling author Philippa Gregory about the book and why her name is included in it. And we delve into the popular world of micro-dramas also known as vertical dramas which are a booming in East Asia. Episodes only last a few minutes and move at a breathtaking pace, all filmed in the portrait, phone-friendly format that gives the genre its name. We speak to UK based director Dan Lowenstein, and the BBC's Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon, to find out if vertical dramas have a future here too. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Lucy Collingwood

Cillian Murphy talks to Samira Ahmed about the return of Tommy in new film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. Timothee Chalamet's disparaging comments on opera and ballet have caused a stir. Matthew Hemley, editor of the stage, responds to what the Oscar nominee actually said.As London Book Fair begins, and new data suggests adult fiction sales are increasing, we ask why non-fiction seems to be in decline? Toby Mundy, director of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, and Bea Carvalho, Waterstones' Head of Books, discuss current trends.And Deepa Anappara, the Indian author behind the widely-praised Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, returns with an exploration of 19th century Tibet in new novel The Last of Earth.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Writer Rebecca Stott and Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin join Tom to discuss The Bride! Maggie Gyllenhaal's film about the bride of Frankenstein, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale.They also talk about the novel Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley which is based around a creative writing course and relationships with the lauded course leader.There’s going to be a new BBC TV documentary about reading and they want your stories about the book that changed your life. Maybe a book bought you love, transformed health or happiness or even saved a life? If you would like to tell your story please email: [email protected] director Seán Doran talks about a new Northern Literary Lands initiative, celebrating the literary legacy of eleven border counties in Ireland. With the new Samuel Beckett Biennale, several festivals and nine cross-border literary travel paths, the area is applying to become the world's first UNESCO Region of Literature. The German film Sound of Falling is the final item being reviewed. The award-winning film explores a home over a century which is haunted by family secrets.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Will Self dives in to his latest satirical novel in which he looks at the alienation of modern life, and takes a stab at middle-class life. He discusses how his experiences with cancer have impacted his writing, and his outlook. 75 years after the death of composer and performer Ivor Novello, we celebrate his life and works - from musicals to the talkies. Kirsty is joined by Novello specialist Ian McMillan-Davidson and conductor and composer Sir John Rutter. In 1976 a firebomb at Malone House in South Belfast destroyed almost the entire fashion and textile collection of the Ulster Museum. 50 years on, a new exhibition Ashes to Fashion showcases the story of its rebirth. Tonight, the winner of the Nero Gold Prize is crowned. Head judge and writer Nick Hornby shares what made the 2025 winner so special. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

Author Julia Quinn published The Duke and I, the first novel in her eight-part Bridgerton series, in 2000. Twenty years later the adaption of her books would become a television phenomenon. Julia reflects on the place of class, race, and sex in her Regency romances and why getting a call from one of television's most successful producers was such a transformative moment for the genre that she loves.With the government proposing an overnight visitor levy or ‘tourism tax’ in England, Nick talks to travel journalist Simon Calder and CEO of London’s Southbank Centre, Elaine Bedell. They discuss the potential impact of the levy and whether some of the revenue should be ringfenced for arts and culture.There's a new Rembrandt in town. Art historian Bendor Grosvenor on the newly attributed painting that's about to go on show at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power is a new exhibition at the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds. Curator Jack Gann discusses how attempts to understand the human body fused art and science.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Media journalist Al Horner discusses the latest twist in Warner Bros sale.Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter on the inner workings of the animation giant as it marks its 40th anniversary this year.100 years after his birth, and with a special BFI season underway, we assess the work of the Polish director Andrzej Wajda, with fellow director Agnieszka Holland and film writer Ian Christie. British painter Rose Wylie's Royal academy retrospective opened last week. Samira sat down to speak with her at the RA in the shadow of one of her enormous canvasses. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Art critic Louisa Buck and writer Chris Power giving their verdicts on Tracey Emin: a second life at Tate Modern. This landmark exhibition spans 40 years and includes famous works such as My Bed to recent paintings and bronzes which are on display for the first time.They will also be reviewing the Oscar nominated film Sirât - which tells the story of a father travelling the Moroccan desert with ravers in the hope of finding his missing daughter.And they discuss Bird Grove, a play which tells the story of Mary Ann Evans before she became George Eliot.Plus Tom interviews Linda Tolhurst, the National Theatre’s Stage Door Keeper who is receiving the Industry Recognition Award at the Olivier Awards this year.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Poet Laureate of the United States, Arthur Sze is one of the most admired poets of the past five decades influencing the work of Poet Laureates and Nobel Physicists. His work focusses on imagery from nature and he will talk about his latest collection and his first UK publication, Into The Hush.The Glasgow Film Festival opening film, Everybody to Kenmure Street tells the story of the community response to a dawn raid by Immigration Officers on Kenmure Street, a diverse community in the southside of Glasgow in May 2021. Director Felipe Bustos Sierra joins Kirsty.Artist Ilana Halperin on her exhibition 'What Is Us and What is Earth' that blends sculpture, drawing and photography to explore the connection between human life and geological time. Curator Susanna Beaumont will also join the discussison to talk about the exhibition, 'Earth Matters' that marks 300 years since the birth of James Hutton, the Edinburgh born geologist whose radical ideas gave us the first sense of deep time and changed how we see the Earth

The full scale invasion of Ukraine began four years ago today. Ukraine Unbroken is an evening of five new plays written in response to the war. David Edgar talks about his, Five Day War, which imagines the puppet government waiting to move in when Kviv falls, and the other dramas. Between the plays Ukrainian musician Mariia Petrovska sings and plays the bandura. She talks about her involvement and the bandura, the national instrument that was once banned. And Mariia plays and sings live in the studio.As Oscar-winning British cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins looks back at his career through his visual memoir Reflections: On Cinematography, he talks to Samira about his practical and inventive approach to working on many iconic films such as 1984, O Brother Where Art Thou, 1917, tackling sci fi on Bladerunner 2049 and Bond with Skyfall. The government has announced the introduction of new legisation to introduce monitoring by Ofcom of streaming services. Front Row explores the implcations of this.And we consider the novels selected for the International Booker Prize longlist, announced today with writer and head judge Natasha Brown. The books in contention are: The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay The Deserters by Mathias Énard, translated from French by Charlotte Mandell Small Comfort by Ia Genberg, translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre, translated from Italian by Antonella Lettieri The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, translated from Persian by Faridoun Farrokh The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin KingPresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May

Fifty years on from the death of painter LS Lowry, the BBC has made a documentary featuring recently discovered recordings made in the last years of his life. Recorded by Lowry fan Angela Barratt over a period of four years, the tapes have been lip-synced for the documentary, with Ian McKellen playing Lowry and Annabel Smith as Barratt. Art historian Verity Babbs and curator of the Lowry Collection, Claire Stewart, join Samira Ahmed to discuss the painter's life and legacy. Actress Neve Campbell shot to fame playing the lead role of Sidney Prescott in Scream in 1996. She went on to appear in five of the six sequels - and now returns for another battle with the Ghostface killer in Scream 7. Francis Spufford is the award-winning author of Golden Hill and Light Perpetual. His new novel, Nonesuch, tells the story of a young woman who must thwart an occult plot by time-traveling fascists during the chaos of the London Blitz.And Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw reacts to last night's BAFTAs, as well as the winner of the Berlin Film Festival's coveted Golden Bear Award. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Tim Bano

Poet, playwright and curator Inua Ellams and film critic Hanna Flint join Tom Sutcliffe for this week's reviews. Riding high after the huge success of the Wicked films, actor Cynthia Erivo returns to the London stage for a one-woman production of Bram Stoker's Dracula, in which she plays all the parts. Last summer was dubbed 'brat summer' by the press, with the word 'brat' entering the dictionary as an adjective - all in response to the pop album Brat by singer Charli XCX. In a new mockumentary, The Moment, Charli considers how to follow up on Brat, and how to deal with fame. And Kleber Mendonça Filho's new film The Secret Agent follows a man caught in the turmoil of the Brazilian military dictatorship. With four Oscar nominations and two BAFTA nominations, it's widely tipped to be one of the big winners in this year's awards season. Plus authors Hallie Rubenhold and Jason Sanford tell Tom about a new and troubling marketing scam aimed at authors which promise good reviews and then resort to threats when authors do not respond.Producer: Tim Bano

Director Mona Fastvold and actor Amanda Seyfried discuss their film The Testament of Ann Lee, a musical history about the life of the founder of The Shakers, a mystic who moved from Manchester to the United States in the 18th century and founded a religious community, and who advocated for celibacy, communal living, and gender equality.As a new production of George Bernard Shaw's St Joan opens, director Stewart Laing and theologian and art historian Ayla Lepine discuss how the 15th-century French religious martyr who led France to victory in the Hundred Years War against England but who was burned at the stake after being found guilty of heresy has influenced culture, and why her story is particularly relevant today.In her new book Fashioning the Crown, journalist and author Justine Picardie explores how the women of The Windsors have used clothing to communicate messaging to the public. She speaks about her research in the Royal Archives and about how symbolic royal dress has been over the past century.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

In 1986 Jim Cartwright's debut play, Road, was the theatrical sensation of the year and its reputation has only grown in the decades that have followed. As a new production to mark its 40th anniversary opens at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Jim Cartwright joins Front Row to reflect on why the play has had such an enduring impact.How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun. So exclaimed Van Gogh in a letter. Now an exhibition, 'Yellow: Beyond Van Gogh's Colour', at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam explores why the artist and his contemporaries loved yellow so much. Art historians Martin Bailey and Kirsty Sinclair Dootson discuss the significance of yellow in art, and the long history of the colour.American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir on her new Oscar-nominated documentary, The Perfect Neighbour, which looks at a 2023 shooting incident in Florida when white female, Susan Louise Lorincz, fatally shot her black female neighbour, Ajike Owens.Dr Jasmine Allen, Director of the Stained Glass Museum, on the nation's favourite stained glass window at Carlisle Cathedral.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Baz Luhrman's newest film is recently rediscovered footage showing Elvis Presley, live in concert at the height of his fame. We speak with Baz about his continuing love for The King.75 years of The Archers; Emma Freud and Archer's editor Jeremy Howe discuss the world's longest running soap opera and how the programme has dealt with the attack on George Grundy.London's Royal Court Theatre is famous for productions that caused stir – Look Back in Anger, Saved, Blasted, The Rocky Horror Show. Its work may still be angry, but the theatre is no longer young, and its new director, David Byrne, has recently announced its 70th Anniversary Season. He talks to Samira Ahmed about his vision for this ‘writers’ theatre’, and its latest production, which might cause a stir, too - The Shitheads.Peter Bradshaw reports from the Berlin Film Festival - what's good, what's not-so-good, and what's making headlines.Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Anne Brontë biographer Samantha Ellis and writer Stephanie Merritt join Tom to discuss Emerald Fennell's racy adaptation of Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie.They also review Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne's BBC adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies.After a 35 year campaign, the South Bank Centre has secured Grade II listing. Former Artistic Director Jude Kelly and architecture historian Barnabas Calder talk about whether we're learning to love Brutalism.Finally, Samantha, Stephanie and Tom have read James Meek's book Your Life Without Me, which is concerned with the competing claims of the old and the new, in both architecture and life. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

LIsa McGee on her fresh spin on the murder mystery genre How To Get to Heaven from Belfast, and on the impact of the Derry Girls phenomenon. At this month's Grammy Awards, Olivia Dean, Lola Young and FKA Twigs - all alumni of The Brit School in Croydon - walked off with prizes. We speak to the school's Principal, Stuart Worden, about how the school prepares students for a career in the music industry. And as the world premiere of The Great Wave, a new opera inspired by Hokusai's iconic print, takes place, composer Dai Fujikura talks to us about the man behind the art, and writer Fi Leith discusses the cultural love affair between Scotland and Japan. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

The creator of Yes Minister - Jonathan Lynn - on his new play I’m Sorry Prime Minister. Griff Rhys Jones plays Jim Hacker, the octogenarian former Prime Minister. Clive Francis plays civil servant Sir Humphrey in this elegiac comedy which draws the saga to a close.Inside Aardman is a new exhibition opening at the Young V&A this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the creative company who have brought plasticine stop-motion animation to a global stage in the form of Wallace and Gromit. Tom is joined by stop-motion animator and director Joseph Wallace and Jez Stewart, curator of animation for the BFI National Archive to discuss the exhibition and the state of stop-motion animation today. And director Amy Berg talks about her archive rich documentary It's Never Over about the late singer Jeff Buckley.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Hollywood star Kristen Stewart talks about her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, which is a searing portrait of childhood abuse and redemption that’s based on the life story of author Lidia Yuknavitch.Seurat and the Sea is a new exhibition opening at London’s Courtauld Gallery. It features 26 paintings and sketches - many of which haven’t been seen together since they were created - that show the pointillist painter’s love for depicting the coast of northern France.Bad Bunny has made headlines in the last week for his outspoken political comments following his victory at the Grammys, as well as his historical performance at last weekend’s Super Bowl. Radio 1xtra’ s Fee Mak explains what it is about Bad Bunny’s music that makes him Spotify’s most streamed artist in the world.Here There are Blueberries is a play inspired by the discovery of an album of snaps of workers relaxing and enjoying time off. But these are the staff of Auschwitz. Writer and director Moises Kaufman explains why and how he and co-writer Amanda Gronich created their extraordinary and timely drama. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May

Tom is joined by reviewers Tristram Fane Saunders and Natalie Jamieson to discuss... Mark (The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time) Haddon's autobiography Leaving Home. The dark comedy film Twinless about two men who lost their respective twin brothers and develop a growing friendship after meeting in a support group. And Mackenzie Crook's new TV series Small Prophets, which stars Michael Palin. Also Saturday Night Live has announced its UK line-up, and the return of The Muppets. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Folk musician Martin Carthy speaks about his long career and about his recent decision to retire from live performance following a diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer's Disease; As a major retrospective of the work of Gwen John goes on display at National Museum Cardiff, the exhibition's curator Lucy Wood and historian of visual culture Becca Voelcker discuss this formidable and fascinating modernist. 77-year-old curator Alison Luchs of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC has gone viral with her social media videos in which she speaks to Gen Z in their own language. She speaks to Front Row about slaying as an online phenomenon. And ENO's new Music Director Designate, German conductor André de Ridder, speaks to us about his plans for the opera company and about the forthcoming production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht, a piece which he has described as frighteningly relevant. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Jared Bush, head of Walt Disney Animation Studios, on his record-breaking film Zootropolis 2.Alex Tadros, owner of Mars Tapes, the last cassette shop in the UK, and culture writer Sian Pattenden on the resurgence of the cassette tape.Oliver Royds, co-founder and joint CEO of Troubadour Theatres, on his company's plans to create London's biggest theatre venue in Greenwich.Debris Stevenson on her new play My Brother's a Genius, and how rap battles helped her to co-create the RSC's new production of Cyrano de Bergerac which will be heading to London's West End.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Author Rachel Rachel Joyce and musician Passenger discuss the new musical based on Rachel's hit book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation has been republished after 25 years as a Penguin Classic. Samira Ahmed talks to the author about the impact of the book.Emily Itami and comedian Iszi Lawrence review the British Museum's new exhibition Samurai.Critic Tim Robey on the work of Catherine O'Hara, following news of her death.

Tom Sutcliffe and guests Viv Groskop and Dorian Lynskey, review Bradley Cooper's film Is This Thing On? - about a marriage in crisis and a comedian on the rise. Guess How Much I Love You? is the new play by Luke Norris at London's Royal Court Theatre, which deals with starting a family, enduring love and impossible choices And George Saunders' new book, Vigil, set in the living world and the world of the dead and the in-between. Also how successful is British soft power in China?Presenter Tom Sutcliffe

John Carter Cash on how the lives of his famous parents - Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - have inspired a stage musical which tells the story of the couple's long love story but also tackles addiction head on. As a long-lost portrait of poet Robert Burns by the acclaimed artist Henry Raeburn goes on display, art historian Bendor Grosvenor and art journalist Melanie Gerlis discuss how experts go about attributing a painting to a great artist. While technology can show us detail far beyond the paint on the canvas, will human expertise and discernment always be necessary in cases such as this? And author Benjamin Wood talks about his atmospheric novel Seascraper, which centres the story of a young shrimper in a coastal town in the north of England who dreams of becoming a folk singer, and which has won the Nero prize for fiction. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Michael Sheen on the first production of his newly-formed Welsh National Theatre, Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play Our Town seen through a Welsh lens. Film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reacts to the Bafta nominations announced today and how they compare with last week's Oscar's list. 100 years since Laurel and Hardy united for their first film, Neil Brand discusses the comedy duo with film historian Pamela Hutchinson.And writer Patrick Charnley discusses his Cornwall-set novel This My Second Life, which came out of his experience being clinically dead for forty minutes, and his subsequent recovery from a life changing brain injury.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Lucy Collingwood

Richard Linklater speaks to Samira Ahmed about his new film Nouvelle Vague.Robbie Williams has beaten the Beatles' record for the most UK album chart number ones - we ask former Spotify exec Will Page how he's done it.Daughters of Donbas is a musical project, created by Ukrainian musicians to bring the world’s attention to the kidnapping by Russian authorities of Ukrainian children. Samira speaks with two of its members - Marichka and Liza – about what they hope it could achieveWhy is there a wave of children’s authors turning to writing fiction for adults? We talk to Francesca Simon MBE - bestselling author of the Horrid Henry Books and now the Welsh-myth inspired Salka - as well as Liz Flanagan who has written her first historical novel for older readers, When We Were Divided.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Harry Graham

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and novelist Lawrence Norfolk to review:Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook's redundancy revenge thriller No Other Choice.Julian Barnes' Departure(s) which he's said will be his last book.Oliver Hermanus' film The History of Sound starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor in a folk music love story.And they discuss the Oscar nominations which were announced today.And the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have announced that they will be investing £1.5 billion in cultural organisations, but is it enough and is it going to the right place. Georgia Luckhurst, news editor with Art Professional magazine, is on to discuss.

Actor Claire Foy on her role as a grieving academic who finds solace in falconry in the film adaptation of Helen Macdonald's award-winning memoir H Is For Hawk. As it goes on display for a period of three months, Chris Cassells of the National Library of Scotland, Ashleigh Hibbins of Perth Museum and playwright and poet Liz Lochhead discuss the cultural significance of the last letter of Mary Queen of Scots, written hours before her execution in 1587. Two of the creative team behind Trolleydarity, a National Theatre of Scotland-backed project which transports hospital patients and staff on multi-sensory micro-adventures talk about their innovative approach to taking art and theatre into NHS settings. And as the Music Venue Trust publishes a report about the fragile ecology of small music venues around the UK, we hear whether there might be hope on the horizon. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Comedian John Bishop on how his life story inspired Bradley Cooper's new movie, Is This Thing On? starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern. Hull Truck Theatre has just won the Innovation prize at the Stage Awards for their new training scheme for GPs. Associate Director Tom Saunders and GP Dr Eman Shamsaee discuss why drama classes are helping doctors treat patients.Writer Jamila Gavin on winning the Children's Fiction category of the Nero Book Awards with her World War One-set novel My Soul, A Shining Tree.Poet Karen Solie discusses scooping this year's TS Eliot Prize - at £25,000 it's the biggest prize in the British poetry world.Presenter: NIck Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Artist Beryl Cook would have been 100 this year - famed for her cheeky paintings of large ladies and people having fun, there's a new exhibition opening in Plymouth. Cole Escola is the man behind the stage musical sensation, Oh Mary, which has been hailed in some circles at The Next Hamilton.Washington National Opera is leaving their base for more than half a century. They have cited a slump in ticket sales since Donald Trump became chair of the Trump Kennedy Center in America's capital, as well as shattered donor confidence.The Voice of Hind Rajab is a harrowing film from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, based around a real emergency call from a 5 year old Palestinian girl under fire in Gaza. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver Jones

In the Front Row review programme, author Emily Itami and critic Tim Robey assess the steamy Canadian drama Heated Rivalry, which has caused a sensation in North America. Also, The British Museum's new exhibition Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans, and Jose Ando's novel about racial and sexual identity in Japan, Jackson Alone.Are contemporary art prizes favouring identity politics over artistic quality? Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones and artist/editor Veronica Simpson are on to discuss.Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Sir Ian McKellen talks about performing Laurie Slade's one-man play Equinox - about an older man wrestling with his past and conflicting desires - at the inaugural Out in the Hills LGBTI+ culture festival at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. One of the world's most renowned and influential choreographers Wayne McGregor on his book We Are Movement, an exploration of physical intelligence which also asks what it means to be human in the age of AI. Ahead of a European farewell tour, country and Americana legend Emmylou Harris discusses her incredible six-decade career in music.And UK Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy on the first ever UK Town of Culture competition Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

The boyband Blue perform one of the biggest early hits - One Love - and talk to Tom Sutcliffe about celebrating 25 years together with new album Reflections and a major tour. Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie discusses his film about an ambitious 1950s table tennis player. Timothee Chalamet won a Best Actor Golden Globe for the title role this week.It’s 40 years since Poems on the Underground was launched and a new collection is being released to mark the anniversary.And Claire Malcolm tells Tom about plans for the new Centre for Writing and Publishing in Newcastle.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Lucy Collingwood

Screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Benjamin Button, Dune) on his West End stage adaptation of High Noon 50 years since her death, we ask whether Agatha Christie is still the preeminent crime writer Emmy-winning guitarist Tommy Emmanuel plays live Archaeologists in Wales have discovered a previously unknown Roman villa in Port Talbot - we speak with the leader of the team working on the sitePresenter Samira Ahmed

Jessie Buckley talks to Tom Sutcliffe about her role in the historical drama Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's book which explores the origins of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Journalist Bidisha Mamata and writer Mark Ravenhill join Tom to review Hamnet.They also discuss award-winning author Bryan Washington's Palaver, which focuses on an estranged mother and son who attempt to reconcile in Tokyo.And they offer their verdict on Sheridan Smith's starring role in a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind, alongside Romesh Ranganathan in his West End stage debut.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

American Ira Sachs' latest film is Peter Hujar's Day, which brings to life the transcripts from an unused 1974 interview that photographer Peter Hujar did with his friend, the nonfiction writer Linda Rosenkrantz. Ira shares what he's learned about the artist through the project.French pianist RIOPY first taught himself to play piano while growing up in a cult. After running away he was able to pursue a career in music, culminating in an album that topped the classical charts for years. His new album Be Love sees the artist sing for the first time.As Front Row continues it's exploration of UK literacy as part the Year of Reading 2026, we discuss how we can all become better readers to gain a deeper understanding of and more pleasure from books. We're joined by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, who is Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, and Ann Morgan, a writer, editor, and critic best known for her exploration of global literature.We also talk to Arts critic Hannah McGill about the change in the format of the BBC 1 show, the Traitors.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Gillian Wheelan

We hear from award-winning writer Dennis Kelly, the man behind Matilda the Musical and comedy show Pulling. In his new BBC One series Waiting for the Out he goes behind bars to tell the story of a man who teaches a philosophy class in prison. How do you choose the books you read? The Department of Education has launched the National Year of Reading and continuing Front Row's look at the subject of reading, today we’re looking at the evolution of book clubs. Nick is joined by Guinevere de La Mare, creator of Silent Book Clubs, and Dr. Nicola Wilson whose book Recommended explores the story of Britain's first celebrity book club.The death of distinguished British theatre director Frank Dunlop has been announced today. Dunlop established the Young Vic theatre and directed the first full production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Theatre critic Michael Coveney explores Dunlop’s career.Often cited as a trailblazer Victoria Wood was one of the first women to write and star in a television comedy show, but the path she’s beaten appears difficult to find and women are still in the minority when it comes to sitcom writing. Dr. Laura Minor, a BBC New Generation Thinker and Senior Lecturer in Television Studies at the University of Salford, and comedian Alexandra Haddow discuss. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

As the tenth anniversary of David Bowie’s death approaches, Alexander Larman - author of Lazarus: The Second Coming of David Bowie – and Jonathan Stiasny – director of the documentary Bowie: The Final Act - join Tom to discuss David Bowie’s legacy and his less successful, low-profile period.The National Year of Reading 2026 is a government campaign to address declining literacy, and we're running a series of items on the state of modern literacy. Today, we're discussing reading and the brain, with neuroscietist, Dr Maryanne Wolf and journalist Jo Glanville.A giant of Iranian cinema, director Bahram Beyzai, died on Boxing Day aged 87. We take a look back at his career and impact with Dr Saeed Talajooy, a scholar of Persian Literature and Culture, who's also a fan of Beyzai's work.Goblin Band, a London-based folk group, are live in studio to sing a wassail celebrating Twelfth Night. They'll chat to Tom about the draw of folk music in modern times and exactly what a wassail is.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

As Scottish indie pop legends Belle & Sebastian prepare to celebrate 30 years of musicmaking, they look back at what got them here. Plus they help ring in the new year with a Rabbie Burns classic. Jamaica’s former Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison reflects on her recent residency at Ellisland Farmhouse, where Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne. Award-winning Scottish poet and spoken word artist Michael Mullen brought their debut collection Goonie in to the world this June. Now they share a poem written specially for Front Row, about the joys of Hogmanay. Kirsty celebrates the life of Scottish comedian and impressionist Stanley Baxter, who passed away earlier this month aged 99. His productions became staples of Christmas and New Year television, as broadcaster and cultural historian Matthew Sweet discusses with actor Juliet Cadzow.

Director Joachim Trier on his latest film Sentimental Value, which is nominated for eight Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Director. We take a look at the late Brigitte Bardot's three most important films, with critic Muriel Zhaga Writer John Lloyd on the 42nd anniversary release of The Meaning of Liff, the book he co-wrote with Douglas Adams. Ahead of a memorial concert for the late great pianist Alfred Brendel, Samira is joined by his son, the cellist Adrian Brendel, and the pianist Dame Imogen Cooper.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver Jones

In 1776, the Founding Fathers of America signed the Declaration of Independence, embarking on a new experiment in how to build a nation.On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, Tom Sutcliffe and guests explore the founding fathers – and mothers – of American culture: the key figures who shaped American literature, music, visual art, and theatre and created a distinctively American voice.With the literary historian Sarah Churchwell, the art historian Erin Pauwels, the musicologist Glenda Goodman, the music critic Kevin Legendre, and the theatre historian Heather Nathans and critic Matt Wolf. Producer: Eliane Glaser

Scott Bryan and Rhianna Dhillon join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss sports drama Marty Supreme which stars Timothée Chalamet as a table tennis hustler who dreams of becoming a world champion in 1950s New York. They also discuss Stephen Sondheim’s fairytale production Into the Woods which is at London’s Bridge Theatre. Plus they review Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier’s film which stars Stellan Skarsgård as a film director trying to mend his family through the camera. Finally, classicist and writer Natalie Haynes gives her verdict on the growing trend for Immersive Exhibitions about the Ancient World. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

As a new adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus begins on Sky, actor Will Sharpe speaks to Front Row about he researched the role of Mozart, and music historian Flora Willson and Music Director of the Dunedin Consort John Butt discuss how recent research helps us better understand the man and his music. Baroness Margaret Hodge - whose review into Arts Council England was published this week - tells us about her findings and recommendations. And with just a week to go until Christmas, broadcaster Bex Lindsay delivers her recommendations of books for children this festive season. The books discussed were: How To Grow A Reindeer’ written by Rachel Morrisroe, illustrated by Steven Lenton Robin by Sarah Ann Juckes Elle McNicoll’s Role Model Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Jane Austen is often seen as an isolated genius who appeared from nowhere, or she is treated with a simplistic cult-like reverance which overlooks the complexities of her work. In this special edition of Front Row, exactly 250 years after Austen's birth, we take a close critical eye to a writer who innovated the novel as a form and revolutionised a literary style rarely seen before.Fellow novelists Tessa Hadley and Kamila Shamsie join Samira, alongside academics Professor John Mullan and Dr. Sophie Coulombeau, to deeply delve into the texts themselves, revealing a witty writer herself steeped in the literature of her day, discussing how she contsantly evolved her craft and why her status has fluctuated with trends across the last two centuries.With readings by Dame Harriet WalterPresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Hollywood giant Rob Reiner was found dead alongside his wife Michele at their Los Angeles Home this morning. Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin joins to discuss the life and career of the famed director of such classics as This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.Roland Gift, the lead singer of the hit 80s band Fine Young Cannibals, is live in session, playing one of the group's biggest hits and talking about the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album.It's pantomime season once again, but what do modern audiences actually want from the panto, and how do we balance modern sensitivities with frivolity and fun? We hear from theatre producer Emily Wood, currently putting on numerous pantos across the country, and actor Abdullah Afzal, who's the founder of the Muslim Panto Theatre company. Actor and Wrexham FC Director Humphrey Kerr talks about co-writing and starring in Sherlock Holmes & the 12 Days of ChristmasFollowing news that best-selling author Joanna Trollope has died at the age 82, we've dug into the BBC archive to find a 2010 interview with Joanna.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Film producer Jason Solomons and literary journalist Suzi Feay join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the contemporary thriller Lurker which shows what happens when the line between popstar and fan gets blurred.They also talk about The Pelican Child a short story collection by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Joy Williams.And the film Ella McCay is reviewed; a political comedy-drama that follows an idealistic woman juggling being state governor with a complicated family life. Tom also speaks to the film’s director James L. Brooks, whose Oscar-winning work includes Terms of Endearment and As Good as It Gets. Brooks also co-created the Simpsons. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Actress June Squibb on her lead role in Scarlett Johansson's debut feature Eleanor the Great, in which a woman in her 90s moves back from Florida to Manhattan and forms a friendship with a young journalism student - the film explores themes of grief, the Holocaust, truth and lies. Jenny Colgan pays tribute to her fellow bestselling novelist Sophie Kinsella, whose death was announced today. From the daring heist on the Louvre in Paris in October to the theft of Matisse artworks from Brazil's second-largest library just this week, we discuss 2025's spate of museum heists with investigative journalist Riah Pryor and with Sunna Altnoder of UNESCO, who have recently opened a Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects.Artist Michael Fullerton discusses the symbolism in his portraits of asylum seekers, painted during his time working in the kitchen of a hotel in Carlisle, and which are on display at Edinburgh's City Art Centre until March.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Tonight, the winner of the 2025 Turner Prize will be announced in Bradford, this year’s City of Culture. Joining Nick to discuss the runners and riders is arts journalist at the Yorkshire Post, Yvette Huddleston. The death of the photographer Martin Parr was announced over the weekend. His reputation was established with his colourful1980s seaside holiday pictures. To remember his life and legacy, we hear from photographer Stephen McCoy who currently has a show at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol.Egyptian Queen Nefertiti is rumoured to have been one of the most desirable women in the ancient world but could things turn ugly over the location of the bust of Nefertiti? With the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, there have been renewed calls for it to be returned to Egypt from the Berlin’s Neues Museum where it’s currently on display. Heba Abd el Gawad, Senior Curator of Anthropology at London’s Horniman Museum, and Professor Sebastian Conrad, who has written extensively on Nefertiti, discuss the issues. Punchdrunk is a theatre company that has been pushing at the boundaries of theatre for over two decades. It pioneered fully immersive experiences, creating worlds where audiences become active participants rather than passive spectators. Their latest show is Lander 23, a live-action video game, set on a distant planet where a previous crew has mysteriously vanished. Nick paid a visit to the company’s home in Woolwich, London. Arts journalist Yvette Huddleston reflects on Bradford’s year in the spotlight. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Kate Winslet speaks to Samira Ahmed about her directorial debut, Goodbye June. With a screenplay written by her son Joe Anders, the film portrays complex family dynamics colliding with the surreal realities of palliative care.With talks around a possible peace deal in Ukraine ongoing, we discuss whether the country has effectively used arts and culture to further the national cause. We hear from conductor and founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra Keri-Lynn Wilson, and visual artist Pavlo Makov.Entertainment journalist Al Horner joins from Los Angeles to talk about the latest twist in the on-going battle between Netflix and Paramount to takeover the famed film studio Warner Bros. He also walks us through the winners and snubs from today's Golden Globe nominations.Filmmaker Noah Baumbach, best known for co-writing the blockbuster Barbie movie with his wife Greta Gerwig, talks about his new film Jay Kelly, which stars George Clooney as one of Hollywood's most famous stars who is struggling to figure out who loves him when the cameras stop rolling. And we remember the life and career of the acclaimed architect Frank Gehry.

Tom and guests Arifa Akbar and Nick Hilton consider Paddington The Musical. It's the latest step for a beloved British institution... How does he work on stage? Is the bear believable? Are the songs memorable?Iranian director Jafar Panahi's latest film has won the Palme d'Or. It Was Just An Accident, straddles a difficult gap between political commentary and a lightly comic look at revenge. He had to make this film in secret and has just been sentenced - in absentia - to a prison sentence by the Iranian authorities for propaganda activities against the country.In The War Between the Land and the Sea, the latest offshoot of the Whoniverse, Russell Tovey plays a humble admin assistant who is promoted to humanity's Ambassador when the Sea Devils return and decide that humans need to be taught respect for their watery world. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

John Rutter on his first purely orchestral album in almost 60 years, which also marks the composer and conductor's 80th birthday. Novelist Sean Lusk on the extraordinary - and scandalous - life of 18th-century aristocrat Mary Wortley Montagu, which is told in A Woman of Opinion, which won Fiction of the Year at last month's Saltire Awards. Recently, a number of actors have said they would prefer not to have to work with intimacy coordinators on set. We raise their concerns with Ita O'Brien, an intimacy coordinator who also trains others for the role, and Creative Director of Synchronicity Films, Claire Mundell. Also, as work gets underway at Edinburgh's first new concert hall in 100 years, we hear why it's needed, and about the challenges of building in a historic city centre site. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has been transformed into a piece of hip hop dance at London’s Sadler's Wells East, and a Bollywood infused song and dance extravaganza for the big screen. We hear from the creatives behind the new versions, Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha and choreographer Dannielle Rhimes Lecointe. Beyond the Visual is the first of its kind in the UK - an exhibition co-curated by visually impaired artists. Held at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, the exhibition encourages visitors to touch the displays, listen to audio descriptions, and does much to make sure it truly is art for all, and all the senses. Joining Nick in the studio are artist and co-curator of the exhibition, Dr. Aaron McPeake and Dr. Clare O’Dowd the research curator at the Henry Moore Institute.A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike has been announced as the winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. The 2005 winner of the prize, A Short History of Tractors in Ukraniain, by the late author Marina Lewycka was declared the winner of winners over the last twenty five years of the prize. To investigate what makes a funny novel, Nick is joined by critic and Wodehouse fan Tristram Fane Saunders and three-time Wodehouse Prize nominee Lissa Evans.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

A celebration of the life and work of one of Britain’s greatest modern playwrights, Sir Tom Stoppard, who died at the weekend. He was 88. We hear from theatre critic Michael Billington, actress Emma Fielding, director Patrick Marber, biographer Hermione Lee, and literary critic Tristram Fane Saunders.

Nancy Durrant and Michael Donkor join Tom Sutcliffe to review Richard Linklater’s Broadway break up film Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, whose former writing partner Richard Rodgers had just made Oklahoma with Oscar Hammerstein. They also discuss Tate Britain’s exhibition about how the lives of Turner and Constable were entwined. And they talk about Pillion, a surprising award-winning romantic drama starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, adapted from Adam Mars-Jones’ novel Box Hill.Plus entertainment journalist Al Horner on potential buyers for the Warner Discovery entertainment conglomerate, and why the sale is significant.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Dan Houser, lead writer of Grand Theft Auto, on his debut dystopian novel A Better Paradise, about a video game which goes wrong. Renowned director Katie Mitchell on why she is stepping back from opera due to a culture of misogyny. And we hear how Native American artists and musicians are responding to environmental concerns, with artist Neal Ambrose-Smith and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Raven Chacon. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Actor Sydney Sweeney on her role in the boxing biopic Christie. Olivia Laing, author of The Silver Book, and Adrian Wootton discuss Italian film director and writer Pier Paulo Pasolini exactly fifty years after his controversial film Salò and horrific murder.Rising countertenor star Hugh Cutting performs live.The Scottish Government's review of Creative Scotland. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Show creators Matt and Ross Duffer talk to Samira Ahmed about the final season of Stranger Things.So how much of the success of a Booker winner comes from the editing? We hear from Hannah Westland and Juliet Mabey, two publishers who have been particularly successful in producing Booker winning books. It's BBC Scam Safe week – a week of special programming to help keep you aware in the rapidly changing world of hustles and grifts. We focus on a very modern scam, AI generated biographies sold online. We hear from Adam Buxton, the subject of two of these memoirs, and Professor Ryan Abbott, specialist in artificial intelligence and intellectual property at Keystone Law.Jimmy Cliff has passed away at the age of 81. Music broadcaster and critic Kevin Le Gendre assesses his legacy.

Louisa Buck and Robbie Collin join Tom Sutcliffe to review the TV adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel The Death of Bunny Munro with Matt Smith playing a chaotic door to door beauty salesman They've visited artist Bridget Riley’s Learning to See exhibition at Turner Contemporary in Margate. And they discuss Marion Cotillard in the fairytale, fantasy drama The Ice Tower. Plus, Tom talks to the winner of this year's BBC New Comedy Award, Eli Hart. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, previous winners include Alan Carr and Lucy Beaumont while past runners-up include Peter Kay and Sarah Millican.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Actor Joel Edgerton on his role as an itinerant lumberjack in 1900s Idaho, in Clint Bentley's Train Dreams, an adaptation of a novel by Denis Johnson which is being tipped for Oscar success.The Harris in Preston and Poole Museum in Dorset recently threw their doors open after multi million pound refurbishment projects. We hear how these museums have been transformed and how local communities are responding to their reopening. Photographer Craig Easton tells us about his project An Extremely Un-get-atable Place in which he reflects on the time writer George Orwell spent on the island of Jura in the 1940s. And from South Georgia in the South Atlantic, artist Michael Visocchi joins us to talk about the physical and emotional demands of installing a permanent sculpture to over 100,000 whales slaughtered by the whaling industry. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Screenwriter Vince Gilligan is the creative mind behind the multi-awardwinning television dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His latest offering is Pluribus - a post-apocalyptic science fiction tale where it's up to the only miserable human being on earth to save the world.The news that Durham's Lumiere festival is coming to an end has led to a political row in the North East. Helen Marriage, Artistic Director of Artichoke, the arts organisation behind the event, on creating Lumiere and why this year's edition could be the final one.Cherie Federico, Director of the York-based Aesthetica Short Film Festival, and Philip Illson, Artistic Director of the London Short Film Festival discuss how short films are rising up the cultural agenda.Reselling tickets to live events for a profit is to be banned by the government. Annabella Coldrick, CEO of the Music Managers Forum started the FanFair campaign back in 2016 to take a stand against profiteering in the secondary ticketing market. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Actors Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste discuss their production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Director Jon M Chu reveals the influence of watching The Wizard of Oz , as a boy growing up. And how he cast his very own Wicked: For Good. Samira is joined by food writers Diana Henry and Nikkitha Bakshani - who also happens to be an award winning novelist - to talk about the art of great food writing. And dynamic pricing in theatre - is it more (or less) fair for market forces to decide how high ticket prices can rise.Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Tom and guests review The Hunger Games... now a stage play at a brand new theatre in London's Canary Wharf. The new film Nuremberg, starring Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring, tells the story of the psychiatrist who was recruited to analyse Hitler's second-in-command at the 1946 war crimes trial. The new BBC TV series Wild Cherry, about a scandal in a private girls' school and the relationships between mothers and daughters as well as toxic secrets and lies that ripple throughout their community. And Alan Cumming talks to Tom about his inaugural season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Actor Fiona Shaw discusses her latest film Park Avenue, director Gaby Dellal's 'tense and witty drama about mother-daughter relationships set in New York. Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay talks to us about her new film Die My Love, a portrait of postpartum psychosis starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. 50 years on from the band's first gig, music writer Jon Savage and photographer Dennis Morris discuss the impact and influence of punk pioneers Sex Pistols. We also hear about the transformation of a historic and sacred well by artist Joanna Kessel. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Do Vermeer's paintings contain hidden religious symbolism? Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon argues that the enigmatic painter's membership of a radical Christian group has been long overlooked.Writer John Updike became a sensation when is candid and controversial novel Rabbit, Run was published in 1960. Now his posthumously published letters shine a new light on his work and relationships with the women in his life - from his mother and mother-in-law to lovers and wives. We discuss this legacy with James Schiff, the man who edited them, as well as his successor Gish Jen and literary critic Suzi Feay. Director Edgar Wright is on to discuss new dystopian action thriller The Running Man.And to mark Commemoration Day, a reading of The Mother by May Herschel Clark, from a new collection of women's World War One poetry.

Samira Ahmed presents live from Old Billingsgate in London, where the announcement of the winner of the 2025 Booker Prize is taking place.The novels on the shortlist: Flesh by David Szalay, The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller, The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits, Audition by Katie Kitamura, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, and Flashlight by Susan Choi.As well as speaking to the winner, Samira talks to some of the judges including actor Sarah Jessica Parker and Chair of judges novelist Roddy Doyle. Plus Penelope Lively, the only writer to have won both the Booker Prize and the Carnegie Medal for children’s books, talks about the transformative power of literature for children. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Claire Bartleet

The six authors shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize discuss their novels ahead of tonight's ceremony, which is broadcast live on Radio 4 at 9.30pm in a special extra edition of Front Row.Andrew Miller on The Land in Winter Kiran Desai on The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny David Szalay on Flesh Katie Kitamura on Audition Susan Choi on Flashlight Ben Markovits on The Rest of Our LivesPresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Timothy Prosser

On this week's Front Row review, we discuss a new production of Othello with David Harewood as the Moor and Toby Jones as Iago. Tom speaks with Daniel Day Lewis about his return to the big screen in a film directed by his son Ronan: Anemone. And The Choral; a new film written by Alan Bennett, directed by Nicholas Hytner and with a stellar cast, how good is it?Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Benedict Cumberbatch speaks to Kate Molleson about the new film adaptation of Max Porter's Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, an exploration of loss and berievement.On Tuesday night, the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 was announced. They join Kate to dicuss their work, and the significance of taking home the prize. 100 years ago, one of the best viola players of her generation – Rebecca Clarke – gave a sold-out concert at London’s Wigmore Hall. All of the music on the programme she had written herself. A new album of her works and a series of events will mark the centenery. Tenor Nicholas Phan and writer and broadcaster Leah Broad discuss.And composer and songwriter Anna Appleby reflects on the music of Catalan star Rosalia, whose fusion of pop and monumental classical sounds is making waves in the music industry.

Riz Ahmed is one of his generation’s great British actors. He starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler, before landing roles in big budget films from Jason Bourne to Rogue One. For his latest role, Ahmed has teamed up with director David McKenzie to play a man who works as a broker between whistleblowers and the companies who want their secrets returned. As Shiv in Succession, the scheming daughter of the Logan Roy dynasty, Sarah Snook was an integral part of one of the most critically acclaimed TV ensembles of recent years. But Snook has gone back to the small screen- in All Her Fault, Snook plays Marisa Irvine, a mother who faces her worst nightmare when her four year old son goes missing. Between 1970 and 1984, BBC1’s experimental drama strand Play for Today created what is now regarded as classic British drama. It helped launch the careers of many celebrated writers, directors and actors including Helen Mirren, Alison Steadman, Ray Winstone and more. Play for Today has now been revived, with four new dramas being broadcast in the coming weeks by Channel 5. We hear from Paul Testar, the commissioner of the new Play for Today strand; Tom May who made Play for Today the subject of his PhD and Margaret Matheson, a producer of the strand in the 1970s. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Zadie Smith talks about the art of the essay, as she publishes a non-fiction collection, Dead and Alive. Brenda Blethyn discusses her new film Dragonfly, for which she's just been nominated for Best Joint Performance at the British Independent Film Awards along with her co-star Andrea Riseborough. In the last of Front Row's interviews with the authors shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Samira talks to Andrew Miller about his novel The Land in Winter, set in the Big Freeze of I962-3. Film scholar Ian Christie discusses the work of the experimental British documentary filmmaker Peter Watkins, who has died at the age of 90. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Tahmima Anam and Tristram Fane Saunders join Tom Sutcliffe to review The Eleventh Hour, a collection of five short stories from Salman Rushdie in his first return to fiction since he was attacked in 2022. Director of Poor Things and The Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos brings more strangeness to cinema screens with Bugonia, a thriller with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. And Alan Hollinghurst's Booker Prize-winning novel The Line of Beauty is adapted for the stage by Jack Holden. Plus they discuss censorship in Eastern Europe as the board of the Belgrade International Festival of Theatre blocks director Milo Rau from bringing his work about the Gisele Pelicot trial to the festival. Producer: Tim Bano

Live from Derry. As the climax of the current series approaches, actors Dearbháile McKinney and Martin McCann, two of the cast of hit police series Blue Lights, talk about their roles. Writer John Morton talks to us about his play Denouement, a darkly comic tale set in the run-up to apocalyptic events in 2048 and which is receiving its world premiere at the Belfast International Arts Festival. And as Europe's largest Halloween Festival opens in Derry, writer Jan Carson and Kate Byrne, who teaches literature at Ulster University, discuss why writing about the supernatural is proving so popular with readers today and give their recommendations for the best horror writing past and present. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

In tribute to Prunella Scales, whose death was announced today, Front Row rebroadcasts an interview with the Fawlty Towers star from 2012, recorded on the eve of her 80th birthday. Samira talks to two documentary makers who gained extraordinary access to world leaders for their films. Tommy Gulliksen followed Nato Chief Jens Stoltenberg for his film Facing War, and Petra Costa followed several Brazilian Presidents for her films Apocalypse in the Tropics and The Edge of Democracy. Annemarie Jacir talks about her historical epic feature film, Palestine 36. And we hear from the two joint winners of this year's Forward Prize for Poetry, Best Collection: Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen SoliePresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May

Actor Reese Witherspoon on why she's teamed up with thriller writer Harlan Coben to write a novel called Gone Before Goodbye, about a struck-off army surgeon who uncovers a global conspiracy. Colin Farrell discusses his new film Ballad of a Small Player, about a gambler on the verge of losing everything, which is directed by Oscar winner Edward Berger. What is the best amount of time to look at a work of art? Professor Jennifer Roberts from Harvard University has the answer. Today University Academic Richard Taylor was awarded substantial damages after a court ruled the portrayal of him in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of a Richard III's remains did have a defamatory meaning. We talk to Richard about his win.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Tom Sutcliffe and guests review the Bruce Springsteen film, Deliver Me From Nowhere, which tells the story of his recording of the album Nebraska Also there's a new book from the late Harper Lee: The Land of Sweet Forever, comprising newly discovered short stories and previously-published essays and magazine pieces. Is it a posthumous intellectual property trawl or does it offer an insight that can increase our appreciation of her undisputed masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird. And Nick Payne's new play, The Unbelievers has opened at London's Royal Court Theatre. It stars Nicola Walker in the lead role as a mother trying to cope with the disappearance of her 12 year old son. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Reviewers: Christina Newland and Sarfraz Manzoor

Bestselling thriller writer John Grisham on his latest book, The Widow, in which a smalltown lawyer from Virginia finds himself accused of a serious crime after he develops a professional relationship with a wealthy woman who may not be all that she seems. We hear from writer-director Kelly Reichardt and from actor Josh O'Connor who plays an art thief in her latest film The Mastermind. Dutch art historian and detective Arthur Brand gives an update on the real-life robbery of France's crown jewels from The Louvre in Paris at the weekend, and tells us about the broader spate of museum thefts across Europe right now. And as arts organisations come together in Glasgow for a State of the Nation culture summit, we ask why now, and what might it achieve? Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Comedy giant Steve Martin on making new bluegrass music with pioneering banjo player Alison Brown with their new album, Safe, Sensible, and Sane. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta on her cinematic retelling of Ibsen's classic play, Hedda Gabbler.Sharon Heal, Director of the Museums Association on British industrial heritage emerging from the cultural shadows.Senior curator at the Horniman Museum, Heba Abd el Gawad, and Egyptologist Dr Campbell Price on the enduring influence of Egyptology on culture.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Cathy Tyson stars in the Leicester Curve Theatre production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee. She talks about the demanding, drunken role of Martha.Jewellery expert Joanna Hardy discusses the robbery of France's Crown Jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris. As AI becomes an increasingly powerful tool, we speak to two artists who are experimenting with technology in music production, Todd Rundgren and Holly Herndon. And Samira talks to the Booker shortisted author David Szalay about his novel, Flesh. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Guillermo Del Toro talks about his new Frankenstein film and our critics deliver their verdict. Julia Roberts plays a college professor whose career becomes entangled in campus sexual politics, in Luca Guadanino's After The Hunt. Hollie McNish's poetry collection Virgin unpicks the meaning of the word and the man-made concept beneath it.Presenter Samira Ahmed Reviewers: Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Lindsay Johns

Singer songwriter Richard Ashcroft - former frontman of The Verve - talks about the material on his new album Lovin You, and about supporting Oasis on their reunion tour this summer. A play without a script which questions the impact of AI on our lives and celebrates the ingenuity of human actors: Writer Nathan Ellis and actor Roisin Gallagher join us live to talk about Instructions, which is being performed next week at the Belfast International Arts Festival. As an exhibition of work by the daredevil pilot and photographer Alfred Buckham goes on show at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, we hear about his incredible career from curator Louise Pearson and the presenter of Take Four Books and Scotland from the Sky, James Crawford. And Scotland's National Librarian Amina Shah joins us to reflect on a report into a controversy around the Library's centenary exhibition, which has been concluded this week. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Sam Ryder talks to Samira about his career, gaining Eurovision success with Space Man and he performs the song Armour live, a track from his forthcoming album Heartland.With chart topping songs and a global smash hit animated film, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans talk about creating the phenomenon that is KPop Demon Hunters.The Pulitzer prize winning African American writer Hilton Als and biographer Miranda Seymour discuss author Jean Rhys.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Claire Bartleet

Pianist Lang Lang's 2019 album Piano Book was one of the best selling classical albums that year, with over a billion streams and counting. He’s now followed it up with Piano Book 2, an eclectic selection of 32 short works from both classical and contemporary composers. He came into the studio to talk to us about the album and to play for us.Diane Keaton passed away on Saturday, at the age of 79. She spoke to Front Row in 2017, where she discussed her philosophy around style and fashion. The Booker Prize 2025 is just a month or so away, and we’re talking to all the nominees. Today it's the turn of author Ben Markovits, and his novel The Rest of Our Lives.Rare books are going missing across Europe in what's been described as Europe’s largest book heist since War World Two. Nina Nazarova from BBC Russian has been investigating the story. The third film in the Tron series, Tron Ares, is out now. Guardian writer Steve Rose is on to discuss the prescience of the original, which depicted a new world of cyberspace and big tech.

Alexander Larman and Susannah Clapp join Tom to discuss I Swear, a film which tells the life story of John Davidson MBE who was diagnosed with Tourette's age 15.They also talk about Thomas Pynchon's new novel Shadow Ticket.Booker shortlisted novelist Tibor Fischer assesses the Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai who has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.As the complete works of Seamus Heaney is published, Owen McDonnell reads the previously unpublished poem Swallow.Plus, Tom and guests discuss Susan Sarandon’s UK debut on stage in Tracy Letts’ play, Mary Page Marlowe.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Actor Tamsin Greig discusses her role in Sally Wainwright's latest drama series, Riot Women, in which a group of middle-aged women in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, form a band of anarchist rock musicians. Booker Prize-shortlisted author Susan Choi tells us about her sprawling historical epic, Flashlight, set against the backdrop of the shared history of America, Japan and Korea. Conservation specialist Will Palin on the historic refurbishment of a series of magnificent murals by the great artist William Hogarth, which have just gone on display to the public for the first time at Bart's Hospital in London. And one hundred years since its invention, we discuss the history and cultural significance of the analogue photobooth. How did this new technology make photography more democratic and influence major artists? Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Artist Marina Abramović on the world premiere of her largest-scale performance artwork - Balkan Erotic Epic - at Aviva Studios in Manchester. BBC Culture reporter Noor Nanji on the Riyadh Comedy Festival which has divided the comedy world.Poets Max Wallis and Dr Anna Percy on poetry and mental health as their new poetry magazine, The Aftershock Review, makes an impressive debut.Clare Wood, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the British Ceramics Biennial on the festival's new international selection of artists' films centred on clay.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Film director Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker. She discusses her new film A House of Dynamite, which also looks at war, with Samira Booker-winner Kiran Desai has been nominated for her new novel - 2 decades in the writing; The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. Islam Issa and Ben Luke join Samira to discuss 'what are the humanities for and where are they headed'? And we pay tribute to Dame Jilly Cooper who has died at the age of 88. We speak to writer and journalist Daisy Buchanan about the Queen of the BonkbusterPresenter Samira Ahmed

The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie talks to Tom Sutcliffe about making his biographical drama about the life of mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr. Tom is also joined by critics Boyd Hilton and Natalie Jamieson to review Safdie’s film – which stars wrestler turned actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Emily Blunt. They also discuss a major retrospective of photographer Lee Miller at Tate Britain. Plus they talk about Ben Elton’s autobiography What Have I Done?Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Steve Coogan on his new spoof documentary series. in which his alter ego Alan Partridge returns from some time in Saudia Arabia to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time: mental health. In the first of our interviews with writers shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize, American novelist Katie Kitamura discusses her book Audition, a story told through the first person voice of an unnamed actor, which explores the roles we play in public and private. As Black History Month begins, and as a blue plaque is unveiled to Winifred Atwell, the first ever black artist to top the UK singles chart, journalist and broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald and musician and researcher Uchenna Ngwe reflect on the life and career of this remarkable musician whose achievements have been largely forgotten. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Tom Sutcliffe hosts the ceremony for the 2025 BBC National Short Story Award and Young Writers Award live from BBC Broadcasting House. Judges William Boyd, Lucy Caldwell, Ross Raisin and Joseph Coehlo discuss what makes a great short story. This is the 20th anniversary of the BBC National Short Story Award and you can hear all the shortlisted stories on BBC Sounds. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Actor Matthew McConaughey talks with Samira about The Lost Bus; a nerve shredding film based on a true story about a school bus driver who rescued 22 children and their teacher from raging wildfires in California Rising British actor Harris Dickinson talks about his debut film as a director; Urchin. It explores homelessness on London’s streets, being in the running to play James Bond and his up-coming role as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' new Beatles biopic out next year. Author of The Rachel Incident and host of Sentimental Garbage podcast Caroline O'Donoghue discusses her new YA novel Skipshock, and why women are turning to time travel fiction. Joining her is the author of The Principle of Moments and numerous Doctor Who novelizations, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage pays tribute to Leeds-born, poet, playwright and translator Tony HarrisonPresenter: Samira Ahmed

Leonardo DiCaprio and director Paul Thomas Anderson tell Tom about their new film One Battle After Another. Our reviewers tonight are film critic Tim Robey and theatre critic Sarah Crompton. They also review The Land of the Living, David Lan's new play for the National Theatre, directed by Stephen Daldry and starring Juliet Stevenson .And Patricia Lockwood's latest novel Will There Ever Be Another You? Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Eliane Glaser

Will & Grace star Eric McCormack tells us about his latest screen role – in the new BBC One thriller series Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue. McCormack plays one of nine people who survive a plane crash in the Mexican jungle, and aren't aware that a murderer might be lurking in their midst. We hear the true story of a bear who was adopted from a Highland wildlife park in the 70s and became a star of stage and screen, caddying for Bob Hope on the golf course and playing a cameo role in a Bond film. The much-loved Hercules the Bear is brought back to life in a theatre production which is touring Scotland this month. Countertenor David James and music journalist Andrew Mellor discuss the music of one of the most popular of contemporary composers, Arvo Pärt, who has just turned 90 and whose birthday celebrations include the release of a number of CDs and concerts in London and Oxford. And we pay tribute to Italian cinema legend Claudia Cardinale, who has died at the age of 87. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Peaky Blinders' screenwriter Stephen Knight on his new TV series, House of Guinness.Indhu Rubasingham talks about her vision as the new Artistic Director for the National Theatre and her first production there - BacchaeArt critic Waldemar Januszczak has been to see the Turner Prize Exhibition for us, which this year is in Bradford. We find out what he makes of it. Former Booker winner Roddy Doyle on the 6 books shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Johnny Carson, David Letterman and Jay Leno made the late night talk wildly popular viewing for American audiences for decades, but those days are fading fast thanks to declining ratings and ad revenue. Now, with two of today's biggest late night shows are in trouble after offending President Trump, we speak to the New York Times chief TV critic, James Poniewozik after the future of these show.This weekend the sculptor Martin Jennings was announced as the designer of the statue at the new national memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth in London’s St James Park. In his first broadcast interview since being appointed by Norman Foster Associates, Martin Jennings tells us how he is approaching the task. Today marks the autumn equinox, and according to viewing data, it’s a time when many of us seek out cosy romantic comedy films to watch. Screenwriters and sisters Nora and Delia Ephron made some of the most loved, often set in autumn - When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, all three starring Meg Ryan. Delia Ephron tells us what it was about autumn in NY that made such an irresistible setting.It’s been 10 years since Shamima Begum and her friends left the UK for Syria, having been indoctrinated online by the Islamic State group. While press coverage at the time focused on the horrors of the group, a new fiction film, Brides, seeks to put out a more sympathetic portrayal about similar teenage girls who made that journey. Director Nadia Falls is on to discuss.

A special edition of Front Row live from the Contains Strong Language Festival, the BBC's annual celebration of poetry, performance and the spoken word. With live music from Antony Szmierek.Jeremy Dyson on his new Radio 4 drama High Cockalorum which spins a new tale out of a visit to Yorkshire made by Hollywood legend James Mason.Poet Emma Conally-Barklem and Kristina Diprose, one of the writers for the Wandering Imaginations project at the Brontë Parsonage, discuss the Brontë sisters as a source of poetic and literary inspiration.Edward Hogan on his shortlisted story, Little Green Man, for this year's BBC National Short Story Award.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

In our weekly review show, Kirsty Wark is joined by writer and critic Hannah McGill and writer and journalist Alan Taylor to discuss What Can We Know, the latest novel from Booker Prize winning writer Ian McEwan, an epic story set in a largely underwater Britain a hundred years in the future which touches on themes including climate change and great poetry. They also give their verdicts on Frances Poet's Small Acts of Love, a musical theatre production inspired by relationships formed across the Atlantic between victims of the Lockerbie disaster in December 1988. The production - a collaboration between the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow and the National Theatre of Scotland, and with songs by Deacon Blue's Ricky Ross, is the opening production in the newly refurbished 'Citz', a theatre which has played an important role in the city and also in the careers of the likes of Rupert Everett, Glenda Jackson and Miriam Margolyes, and which has just reopened after a major revamp. They also review The Girlfriend, a new psychological thriller from Amazon Prime, which stars Robin Wright as a possessive mother whose life begins to unravel when her son brings home a new partner she suspects is not all she seems. We also bring you the latest in our series of interviews with authors shortlisted for this year's BBC National Short Story Award, Colwill Brown. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

As news has broken of the death of Robert Redford aged 89, Front Row looks back over his astonishing career, from roles in iconic films such as All The President's Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to his environmental activism and his support for independent films through the Sundance Film Festival.Mark Ronson talks about his new memoir, Night People, reflecting on his rise from DJ to superstar producer behind hits such as Uptown Funk and Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album. Caoilinn Hughes talks to Tom about being shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award for her story Two Hands.And we explore Picasso's fascination with theatre and performance via a new exhibition at Tate Modern called Theatre Picasso. Artist Wu Tsang and curator Natalia Sidlina are in the studio to discuss Picasso in a new light. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Robert Plant on his journey from Led Zeppelin to his latest album of folk songs. Creator of V for Vendetta and Watchmen, Alan Moore is probably the world's most acclaimed writer of comic books, a medium he now eschews. Moving into novels, he has explored his hometown Northampton in widely praised work like Jerusalem, but his latest - The Great When - is an otherworldly exploration of literary London, inspired by the psychogeography of Iain SInclair and horror writing of Arthur Machen. From Seurat to Van Gogh, we mark a new exhibition at the National Gallery with a dive into the entrancing light and pontillist glow of the neo-impressionists. Co-curator Julien Domercq and art expert Anthea Callen are on to discuss. With the National Short Story Awards approaching, we speak to shortlisted author Emily Abdeni-Holman about her entry, Yair.

Writer Jenny McCartney and journalist and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the David Bowie Centre at the V&A East Storehouse in London – the new home for the Bowie archive, where visitors can book one-on-one time with items. They also discuss the film Spinal Tap II- the sequel to the cult 1984 mockumentary about a heavy metal band. Plus Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans – the follow up to her best-selling family autobiography Wild Swans. And we’ll be revealing the shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Award.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

As the Downton Abbey franchise comes to an end after fifteen years, with the cinema release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale this Friday, we discuss the enduring appeal of the upstairs-downstairs class-based period drama with the chatelaine of the 'real Downton', Highclere Castle, the Countess of Carnarvon, and with Caroline Frost of The Radio Times. Suede frontman Brett Anderson talks to us about the 21st century anxieties which have informed the renowned indie-rock band's new album, Antidepressants. Two medical professionals who've turned a razor-sharp scalpel to writing informed by their careers in the NHS: Adam Kay, the junior doctor-turned writer of the bestselling memoir This Is Going to Hurt, discusses writing his debut novel, A Particularly Nasty Case, a murder-mystery set in the corridors of a busy hospital. And nurse and playwright Uma Nada-Rajah talks about her tragicomic production Black Hole Sign which is set in an A+E department and which opens in Scotland this weekend.Plus we hear about a new initiative - launched today - which aims to develop filmmaking skills in children as young as 3 years old. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have created some of comedy's most beloved characters, including Birds of a Feather's Sharon and Tracey, and The New Statesman's Alan B'Stard. As their play Dr Freud Will See You Now Mrs Hitler comes to London, they discuss alternate histories, the limits of comedy, and how they still make each other laugh. Medea remains one of the most complex and terrifying characters in mythology, and Natalie Haynes's new novel No Friend to this House reimagines the story of the sorceress from Colchis. She discusses depictions of Medea with theatre director Carrie Cracknell. As the National Gallery launches an architectural competition to build a new wing, funded by two huge donations from charitable foundations, art curator and critic Kate Bryan joins Tom to discuss what the building might hold, how the National Gallery might be able to attract new audiences, and the place of art in today's world. And the award-winning pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason joins Front Row to talk about her upcoming concerts, her album Fantasie and gives us a special performance. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Maxine Peake talks about starring in the Nottingham Playhouse's new show The Last Stand of Mary Whitehouse, which explores the life of the 60s conservative campaigner whose views on sexuality and morality always kept her in the news.The National Library of Scotland is celebrating its centenary with an exhibition showcasing books nominated by the public. But the Library has found itself making headlines for not including one gender critical book, The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht. We speak to one of the book's editors Lucy Hunter Blackburn.Crooked Cross by Sally Carson was published in 1934 and has recently been republished by Persephone Books. The novel explores six months in the life of a Bavarian family during the rise of Hitler. We ask publisher Francesca Beauman and historian Lara Feigel why the novel needs to be read today. Marisha Wallace discusses her new concert album Live in London, on which she sings hits from Oklahoma, Guys & Dolls, Dreamgirls and Cabaret while telling how a young farm girl from the American south should become a big star on the West End.

Critics William Lee Adams and Laura Barton join Samira to review the new album from Irish popstar CMAT which reflects on her home country, the sexist comments she has received, as well as Jamie Oliver and Teslas. More than a decade after the US version of sitcom The Office ended, it gets a spin-off called The Paper, set in a local newspaper office in Ohio. And Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones lead the cast of a new gay romance film called On Swift Horses, set in fifties California. London's Southbank Centre will be covered in dance for 3 nights, when We Should Have Never Walked On The Moon takes over The Royal Festival Hall and The Queen Elizabeth Hall. Visitors will witness dance in new spaces, by Ballet Rambert and (LA)HORDE. Samira speaks with dancers, choreographers, organisers and directors about what will happen and what it all means.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Tim Bano

Canadian rock and pop legend Bryan Adams on his new studio album – Roll With The Punches. He talks to Kirsty Wark about the inspiration for his lyrics, creating music with old gear, AI, and – surprisingly – duetting with Luciano Pavarotti.Folk singer Emily Portman was left in disbelief this summer when an AI-generated album was released under her name without her permission. Dr Hayleigh Bosser and Emily discuss artificial intelligence and the rights of musicians. With the Venice Film Festival in full flow, journalist Hannah Strong gives a glimpse behind the scenes at some of the hits – and the political undercurrents – on the Lido this year. And Damian Barr shares the true story behind his latest novel The Two Roberts, an exploration of the lives of Ayrshire artists and lovers Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin talks to Nick Ahad about his award winning and record-breaking adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee's seminal American novel about racial injustice and childhood innocence. This play is about to tour around the UK, with Richard Coyle returning to his West End role of Atticus Finch. Sorkin also hints at what we can expect to see in his follow-up The Social Network, the Oscar winning film based on the creation of Facebook.Nick visits Bradford Live, the newly restored building in the centre of Bradford. For two decades the building lay derelict after being a hub of public entertainment in the city from the 1930s. Lee Craven, the founding director of Bradford Live, the organisation that led the renovations, and Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, the leader of Bradford Council discuss the work involved in the restoration and the significance of the building in Bradford's cultural and economic landscape.80s pop star Toyah on her life, career, new found fame during lockdown and her new greatest hits package Chameleon, which celebrates her 45 years in music.Raymond Antrobus discusses his prose memoir, The Quiet Ear, about growing up between worlds: Jamaican and British, deaf and hearing, sign and spoken language, and becoming the award-winning poet whose work explores all these experiences.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

The subtitle of Sebastian Faulks' latest book is Ten Essays in Place of a Memoir. Fires Which Burned Brightly tells of his childhood, schooldays, drinking, mental stress, his parents' lives, family, being a touring author and much more. British ambient pop trio St Etienne play live in the studio, to mark their final release - International - three and a half decades after they began. With the return of Mitchell and Webb to our screens, we discuss the resurgence of the TV sketch show with Channel 4's Comedy commissioner Charlie Perkins and writer, Joel Morris And we try to fathom out the extraordinary popularity of Germany's most successful film ever; Das Kanu des Manitu!Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Medieval English Literature lecturer Dr Eleanor Parker join Samira Ahmed to discuss the BBC’s historical epic King and Conqueror starring James Norton. They’ve also read Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper, and watched Young Mothers by the award-winning filmmakers the Dardenne Brothers. Plus Samira talks to artistic director Seán Doran about the Arts Over Borders project FrielDays, which over the course of five years will celebrate work of dramatist Brian Friel by staging all 29 of his plays either side of the Irish border.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Claire Bartleet

Theatre producer Nica Burns, who has run the Edinburgh Comedy Awards since 1984, and judge Ashley Davies discuss the acts shortlisted for this year's prize, the most prestigious annual award for comedy in the UK, which has previously been won by the likes of Steve Coogan, Jenny Eclair, The League of Gentlemen and Tim Minchin. The founder of theatre company Complicité, Simon McBurney, who himself won that award back in 1985, joins us in the studio to talk about Figures In Extinction, a collaboration with Nederlands Dans Theater and acclaimed choreographer Crystal Pite, which addresses urgent questions about climate change. Writer and performer Edgar Jacques of Teater Cego in Brazil and actor and stand-up comedian Jasmine Thien discuss their theatre productions - Another Sight and I Dream In Colour - which draw on their experiences of blindness. And ahead of a performance at the Edinburgh International Festival, indigenous Australian didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton performs live in the Front Row studio. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Tom Hiddleston on becoming a dancing accountant in new Stephen King inspired film, The Life of Chuck. Sir Anish Kapoor on making a protest artwork in the North Sea with Greenpeace. A report from Bradford as artist Luke Jerram works with local communities to create a giant ball of yarn for new work, A Good Yarn, which celebrates the region's textile heritage. Michael Frayn's play Noises Off is a landmark of British theatre which relies on showing the two sides - on stage and off stage - of a theatre production for its powerful comedic punch. Artistic director Paul Robinson discusses the challenge of presenting the play in the round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

As the National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest transfers to the West End with Stephen Fry taking the role of Lady Bracknell, but do older actresses lose out when men are cast in women’s roles? Nikolai Foster, Artistic Director of the Leicester Curve Theatre and Nicky Clark, founder of the Acting Your Age Campaign discuss. The bestselling author of Yellowface, R.K. Kuang, discusses her new novel Katabasis.Director Daniels Evans talks about his production of Born With Teeth which sees actors Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel reimagine the relationship of Marlowe and Shakespeare.And we hear archive of the late actor Terence Stamp, one of the defining cinematic figures of his generation talking about working with Federico Fellini.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Ruth Watts

A revival of Brigadoon at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre; is it Scottish cultural cringe or a tartan triumph? The Bitter Water of the Lake by Italian novelist Giulia Caminito, tells a story about poverty and anger from the point of view of a young woman in Rome in the noughties Norwegian film Love, directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, is part of The Oslo Trilogy - Dreams Love and Sex. Taiwanese TV series Zero Day has been accused of scaremongering about a potential invasion by China. We speak with showrunner Cheng Hsin-Mei.Tom is joined by Robbie Collin and Arifa Akbar.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Scottish Ballet's new production Mary, Queen of Scots is a punk inspired production which tells the story of the ill-fated queen through the imagination and memories of her cousin, Elizabeth I, who authorised her execution. And a Fringe production Mary Queen of Rock portrays Mary as a rock star in a world in which rock and roll is banned. We discuss why her story continues to inspire so many productions today. Eva Victor, star of Sorry, Baby, the opening film of this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, talks about her darkly comic treatment of the aftermath of a sexual assault. Theatre critics Fergus Morgan and Neil Cooper talk us through some of the highlights of this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe - from Eat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates X), a one-woman show by Liverpudlian actor and director Jade Franks in which she tells the story of being a misfit at Cambridge University to Lost Lear, a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear told through the eyes of a woman with dementia. Show discussed: She's Behind You by Johnny McKnight at The TraverseEat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates X) by Jade Franks at The PleasanceWindblown by Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy at The Queen's HallLost Lear by Dan Colley at The TraverseRed Like Fruit by Hannah Moscovitch at The TraverseClub NVRLND at Assembly Checkpoint Philosophy of the World at Summerhall Plus a live performance from musician Hamish Hawk, who is paying tribute to the late great poet and eccentric Ivor Cutler at this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival, complete with Cutler's own harmonium.

Norwich Castle has reopened to the public after a major revamp. Historian Alice Loxton joins Tom to discuss what has been done to bring the 900 year old site up to 21st century tourist expectationsAt 21 years old, Aigul Akhmetshina was the youngest singer to perform Carmen at the Royal Opera House. She'd already come a long way from home, a rural village in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan.Award winning director Adrian Noble talks about directing The Gathered Leaves – a play about turning 75 – an age which Noble himself has just reached. The former RSC Artistic Director also talks about how theatre can secure it's future in an age of TikTok and microdramas.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Peter Sellers was a comic genius who changed British comedy forever. With this year marking his centenary, Samira is joined by Dick Fiddy, curator of an new season of his films at the BFI, and comedy historian Robert Ross to discuss his films and legacy.The Edinburgh International Book Festival got underway at the weekend. The theme is repair, but the festival has to navigate a fractious cultural landscape. Festival director Jenny Niven speaks to Samira. A new novel from Nicola Barker is always an event. Her latest, Tony Interruptor, is set in a world that some Front Row listeners will recognise. That of live performance and what can happen when a member of the audience stands up and disrupts it. The BAFTA Award-winning composer Jessica Curry talks about her new album of choral works, Shielding Songs. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Noah Hawley talks about creating Alien: Earth which is the first ever TV series based on the blockbuster Alien films created by Ridley Scott. Film critic Rhianna Dhillon and poet and editor Tristram Fane Saunders join Tom Sutcliffe to review the series. They also review Celine Song's new romantic comedy-drama Materialists starring Dakota Johnson as a New York Matchmaker. And John Burnside's final collection of poetry, The Empire of Forgetting. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

A special edition of the programme recorded in front of an audience at the Edinburgh Festivals earlier this week. Emmy and Olivier Award-winning actor Brian Cox discusses his role as the ghost of economist Adam Smith in James Graham's satirical play Make It Happen. The National Theatre of Scotland production at the Edinburgh International Festival chronicles the rise and downfall (in 2008) of the world's biggest bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and also features an actor playing the role of the bank's former chief executive, Fred Goodwin, and an onstage chorus. We're joined by Zainab Johnson - a black female Muslim comedian from Harlem whose show Toxically Optimistic is her debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and by comedian, Taskmaster star and the voice of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle Desiree Burch, whose show The Golden Wrath tackles themes including death, menopause, spirituality and nationality. Plus music from leading trumpeter Jay Phelps, whose show Miles at the Fringe reflects on the legacy of the bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, and from The Bengsons, an Obie-winning husband and wife indie folk duo whose production Ohio is a celebratory true story about losing faith and finding hope in the darkest of places and is produced by the team behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Tom Sutcliffe speaks to Sean Hayes, best known for his role as Jack in Will and Grace. Now he's playing pianist Oscar Levant in Broadway hit Good Night Oscar, which has just opened at the Barbican in London.Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Symphony No 5 under massive pressure, having been denounced by Stalin the year before during the great purge of 1936. The success of Symphony No 5 saved his career, and now it's being performed from memory by the Aurora Orchestra for the BBC Proms. Nicholas Collon, Conductor of the Aurora Orchestra and Professor Marina Frolovo-Walker discuss.K-Pop Demon Hunters has just become the most successful animation ever on Netflix, and the show’s music, by a fictional band, has made it to number one in charts both sides of the Atlantic. The BBC's Julie Yoonnyung Lee tells us about the surprising trend of 2025.Two playwrights on the Edinburgh fringe are putting white supremacy under the spotlight: Priyanka Shetty’s #Charlottesville, and Gabriel Jason Dean’s play Rift. Both draw on the personal experiences of their writers. Priyanka and Gabriel join us on the line from Edinburgh.

Freakier Friday is an update on the 2003 hit body-swap movie, and it features the return of the original stars - Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan. Samira, with film critic Larushka Ivan-Zedah and Jesse Green, the chief New York Times' theatre critic, look at the legacy and impact of the book on which the films were based. Auction house Sotheby's is returning a set of sacred jewels believed to be linked to the Buddha's remains, to India - William Dalrymple joins Front Row to discuss the gems' remarkable history. The BFI is launching a season of films starring an Italian screen icon. Sophia Loren: Hollywood Style, Neapolitan Spirit. Now 90 years old, she has 7 decades of film work under her belt. How and why did she become such an astonishing global cinema titan. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by reviewers Ekow Eshun and Hanna Flint to discuss Liam Neeson in a sequel to the beloved Naked Gun comedy film series, new Amazon Prime action TV series The Assassin which stars Keeley Hawes as a hitwoman, a new covers album from Paul Weller called Find El Dorado and the long-awaited Ray of Light remix album Veronica Electronica, from Madonna. Plus, conductor Sofi Jeannin talks to Tom about preparing to conduct John Tavener's eight-hour piece The Veil of the Temple, involving several choirs and orchestras, which opens the Edinburgh International Festival on August 2nd. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Artist Andy Goldsworthy on his retrospective exhibition, which spans a five decade career. Best known for his work in the landscape, this exhibition sees the artist create dramatic large scale works for the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh - including an avenue of oak branches, a room of reeds suspended from the ceiling, and a room full of stones gathered from graveyards in Galloway, as well as films and photography of his ephemeral works made with ice and snow. New on the auction of a masterpiece of modernist architecture in the Scottish Borders. A coalition of heritage organisations has formed to save and restore the dilapidated Bernat Klein Studio, where the celebrated textile designer and his wife Margaret produced work for international design houses. But were they successful at the sale earlier today? We hear from two novelists whose books centre on motherhood and adoption: Yrsa Dailey Ward and Claire Adam. And we pay tribute to Sylvia Young, whose Theatre School in central London helped to launch the careers of generations of performers - including Billie Piper, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa and Nicholas Hoult, and whose death was announced today. Presenter: KIrsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Motherland writer Helen Serafinowicz on putting Wayne and Coleen Rooney at the heart of her debut play - The Legend of Rooney's Ring - which has just opened at the Royal Court in Liverpool.Literary critic Alex Clark examines the Booker Prize longlist which was announced today.Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash Aw Universality by Natasha Brown One Boat by Jonathan Buckley Flashlight by Susan Choi The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Audition by Katie Kitamura The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller Endling by Maria Reva Flesh by David Szalay Seascraper by Benjamin Wood Misinterpretation by Ledia XhogaThis month the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford presented the final stage in its £6.8 million redevelopment with the opening of its new Sound and Vision Galleries. The museum's director, Jo Quinton-Tulloch discusses how the redevelopment has changed what the museum now offers.The artist William Kentridge, known for his charcoal drawings, animations, and films, is presenting his first major sculpture show in the UK - The Pull Of Gravity at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Jo Sperryn-Jones, a Fine Art assistant professor and sculptor reviews.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Richard Stilgoe pays tribute to the great American humorist and songwriter Tom Lehrer, who has died at the age of 97. Samira discusses newly released and previously unheard songs by Nick Drake. Petra Volpe talks about her acclaimed film Late Shift, which tells the story of nurse's night shift in a Swiss hospital. Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Tom is joined by poet and writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes and dance critic Lyndsey Winship to review the latest big screen to stage musical adaptation Burlesque the Musical, Matthias Glasner's German-language family drama Dying, and Disney Plus series Washington Black based on the hit book by Esi Edugyan.Plus, as the UK government announces an overhaul of water regulation, an installation at the Folkestone Triennial called Ministry of Sewers allows people to air their grievances about the state of the country's waterways. Co-creator Daniel Fernandez Pascual joins Tom to discuss.And what is UNESCO? Following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the UN organisation, journalist Mara Hvistendahl explains what the organisation does, and what this news means for its future. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

A new stage production that's been inspired by the writer's own experience as an inmate. Academy Award winning playwright and director Terry George served a sentence in Long Kesh jail near Lisburn in the 1970s and his time there - when a number of successful and unsuccessful escape attempts were made. These inspire The Tunnel, a play which is being staged in Ireland for the first time, at the Lyric Theatre Belfast. Neil McCormick pays tribute to co-founder of Black Sabbath and 'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne, discussing his musical legacy, and his final concert which raised £140 million for charity.Composer Jay Capperauld tells us about the 19th century Austrian composer Anton Bruckner's fascination with death and death masks, which has inspired his own work Bruckner's Skull, which is being performed at The Proms this Friday. And what can museums and galleries do to curb the accidental damage being done to priceless artworks by visitors who want to take selfies? Melanie Gerlis of The Art Newspaper and Robert Read, Head of Art and Private Clients at Hiscox Insurance discuss. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Jimmy McGovern on his challenging new BBC drama, Unforgivable, about a convicted child abuser.The Fantastic Four changed comics forever in 1961 by making superheroes more human, but on screen the team has struggled. Now Marvel is rebooting their First Family for the third time. Author and journalist Hannah Strong and journalist and co-host of the Fade to Black film podcast Amon Warmann reveal if they've finally stuck the landing.Why is a 30-year-old dystopian novel by a forgotten Belgian author this year’s surprise publishing sensation? The book’s translator Ros Schwartz and Award-winning novelist Sophie Mackintosh discuss I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman

Samira talks to Mark Gatiss about his new detective series, Bookish. Playwright Suzie Miller discusses her new courtroom drama Inter Alia, about a Crown Court Judge facing a family crisis. We explore the impact of President Trump's cuts to US public media and consider the legacy of British cinema of the 80s.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Simon Richardson

Tom Sutcliffe with reviewers Bidisha and Caroline Frost discuss the TV adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the cringe comedy film Friendship, starring Paul Rudd, and the wedding comedy Till The Stars Come Down, which has transferred from The National to London's West End. Also the latest advance in AI; beyond the uncanny valley

As a new exhibition of Ikea textiles opens, we discuss the impact of Scandinavian design concepts on our homes, with curator Anna Sandberg Falk of the Ikea Museum in Sweden and designer Anna Campbell Jones. Bestselling author John Niven talks about his latest novel The Fathers, an exploration of contemporary fatherhood and masculinity which is set in Glasgow. And we hear how social media influencers are shaking up the world of art criticism. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Former footballer Edgar Davids and artist Paul Pfeiffer on creating a new work for the Manchester International Festival. As four new twenty minute operas are premiered at the Buxton International Festival, Helen Goodman, artistic manager at the festival, and Hannah Ellis Ryan, artistic director of theatre company, HER Productions, discuss how short plays and operas can lead the way for change.Jo Callaghan has an AI detective at the centre of her Kat and Lock crime fiction series. Ajay Chowdhury uses digital technology in his crime fiction. They discuss the impact developments in the tech world are having on their genre.Presented by Nick Ahad Produced by Ekene Akalawu

We mark Bastille Day with a dive into President Macron’s cultural policy for France. And we revisit the dark heart of filmmaking with two people who were there during the making of Apocalypse Now and Fitzcarraldo. Documentaries made about both films have been re-released - Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse, about Apocalypse Now is in cinemas, and Burden of Dreams about Fitzcarraldo is streaming. Kasim Ali on his new novel about young British Pakistani men and gang culture. And Errolyn Wallen on composing for the First Night of the Proms.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Nancy Durrant and Boyd Hilton join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss Moisturizer, the second album from the female English indie rock duo Wet Leg. Their self-titled debut reached number one on the UK charts. They also assess Modigliani – Three Days on the Wing of Madness, directed by Hollywood star Johnny Depp. The film is Depp's first since 1997 and it covers 72 hours in the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, played by Riccardo Scamarcio. Plus they have been to see More than Human at the Design Museum in London - an exhibition which explores how how to design with, and better understand, the living world. Finally, as part of our occasional Bugbears series, the comedian, broadcaster and events producer Hatty Ashdown makes the case for supporting live comedy.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Bestselling novelist Kate Mosse - much of whose historical fiction is set in medieval France - reacts to the news that the Bayeux Tapestry is to go on display at the British Museum in London next year. Comedian and actor Kat Sadler on her BAFTA-winning sitcom Such Brave Girls, which is set in a dysfunctional single parent family.Sitar virtuoso Nishat Khan tells us about his debut opera Taj Mahal which is being performed at Grange Park Opera this week. And artist Lindsey Mendick whose work often focuses on powerful historic women, tells us about Wicked Game, her installation at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, which commemorates a historic visit by Elizabeth I 450 years ago and which takes the form of a fragmented chess board. Presenter: Nihal Arthanayake Producer: Mark Crossan

Superman is back on the big screen for the first time in nearly a decade, we speak with director James Gunn. We preview a season of films at the BFI, starring pioneering black film star Dorothy Dandridge. Best known for Carmen Jones, (her performance made her the first African American to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar) she died aged just 42 Cartoonist and illustrator Gerald Scarfe on Hercules, the newest Disney stage musical, inspired by his drawingsPresenter Samira Ahmed

Author Raynor Winn is accused of fabricating parts of her memoir The Salt Path, which she denies. We ask Alexandra Pringle, former Editor in Chief at Bloomsbury, how publishers respond when a book's authenticity is called into question. Oasis are performing together for the first time in 16 years, kicking off in Cardiff at the weekend. Music journalist Ted Kessler was there. Sadler's Well has team up with Pete Townshend to turn Quadrophenia into A Mod Ballet. Director Rob Ashford talks about bringing this story, complete with stylish suits designed by Paul Smith, to a new generation.It's the 80th anniversary of An Inspector Calls. Critic Michael Billington and cultural Historian Irene Lofthouse discuss J. B. Priestley's cultural legacy.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Graham

Tom is joined by reviewers Kate Maltby and Stephanie Merritt to discuss Laura Wade's adaptation for the RSC of Somerset Maugham's comedy The Constant Wife. Also Wendy Erskine's Belfast -set novel; The Benefactors. A polyphonic telling of a teenage girl's assault and its aftermath. And Rebecca Lenkiewicz's directorial debut Hot Milk. Based on Deborah Levy's novel, it stars Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey. And we discuss the impact on music festivals and live broadcasts of last weekend's Glastonbury incident

As the jury in the trial of music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs delivers its verdicts, author and cultural critic Mikki Kendall discusses how Americans will react. On the eve of the 40th anniversary of its release, The Independent's chief film critic Clarisse Loughrey and Dan O'Brien of the University of Essex discuss Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale's influential film Back to the Future.Egyptian artist Wael Shawky talks about his operatic films which reframe Middle Eastern history from an Arab perspective. And we bring you news of the Grand Egyptian Museum a vast, state-of-the-art space close to the Pyramids in Giza, which is home to 100,000 artefacts. 60% of the museum is now open to the public, but the official opening ceremony this week has been postponed due to tensions between Israel and Iran.Also, we hear about a new collection, Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority, from the editor Karen McCarthy Woolf and the featured poet Nick Makoha, who will be talking about his own collection The New Carthaginians at this year's Ledbury Poetry Festival.Presenter: Nihal Arthanayake Producer: Mark Crossan

Comedian and poet Tim Key on writing and starring in The Ballad of Wallis Island which has become one of the surprise film hits of the year.Novelists Saima Mir and Marcia Hutchinson on setting their stories in Bradford.Playwright Ntombizodwa Nyoni on reimagining the 5th Pan African Congress which took place in Manchester in 1945 for her new play, Liberation.As the Japanese art form, Manga, makes its presence felt at this year's Bradford Literature Festival, writer and comic specialist Paul Gravett who has curated the exhibition, Make Mine Manga, and Manga artist, Eira Richards, discuss the visual vocabulary of this distinctive art genre.Presented by Nick Ahad Produced by Ekene Akalawu

British director Gareth Edwards talks to Samira Ahmed about how his love of the films of Steven Spielberg inspired his new film Jurassic Park Rebirth, the latest chapter in the blockbuster dinosaur film franchise. He also talks about the making of his film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is gaining even more acclaim after the huge success of the hit prequel series Andor.The EU has brought in new anti-terror laws aimed at stopping groups like so-called Islamic State from profiting from the trade of antiquities. But art dealers are worried the new red tape will hit their legitimate trade too. Art world analyst Ivan Macquisten and investigative journalist Riah Pryor discuss the situation. Lena Dunham’s latest series Too Much is a Rom-Com, inspired by her own life, moving to London and unexpectedly finding love with an indie musician, Luis Felber. The Oscar-winning film and TV composer Lalo Schifrin died recently. He wrote hundreds of theme tunes and scores including Bullit, Enter The Dragon, THX 1138 and Dirty Harry. Also on TV: Starsky and Hutch, Planet of the Apes. His most famous work came in 1966 with the theme tune for Mission: Impossible. Neil Brand pays tributePresenter Samira Ahmed Producer Harry Graham

Charlotte Mullins and Katja Hoyer are with Tom Sutcliffe to review The Royal Academy of Arts' Kiefer/Van Gogh exhibition, Nell Stevens novel The Original, and German language film From Hilde, with Love. And Sarfraz Manzoor is on to discuss a new Bruce Springsteen compilation – Tracks II: The Lost AlbumsPresenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

UK Culture Secretary LIsa Nandy talks us through the Government's new Creative Industries Sector Plan which aims to unlock growth and opportunity in culture, media and sport.Last week 27-year-old Scottish author Margaret McDonald become the youngest ever winner of the Carnegie medal for children's writing, for her debut novel Glasgow Boys, a book which explores mental health, trauma, inequality and identity through the friendship between two boys who have grown up in foster care. Margaret joins us live in the studio. We hear from the creators of a stage production (How To Win Against History) and a film (Madfabulous) based on the life of the so-called 'Dancing Marquess' Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, a flamboyant Victorian aristocrat who inherited a vast fortune, squandered it and died at the age of 29. And the current Marquess of Anglesey talks about how his family views their ancestor. And artist Michael Visocchi talks about his monumental sculpture, Commensalis, which tells the story of the whale. Part of his sculpture can be seen in Dundee this weekend before it departs for the island of South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean later in the summer.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Billy Porter, famous for his Broadway roles in such shows as Kinky Boots and Grease, and onscreen in Pose and Cinderella is making his directorial debut in theatre with This Bitter Earth. Jesse is an introspective Black playwright and when Neil, Jesse’s boyfriend, who is a white Black Lives Matter activist, accuses him of political apathy, their passions and priorities collide. Playwright Harrison David Rivers and Billy Porter talk to Samira Ahmed about their production.Glastonbury festival kicks off this week, and the line-up includes its now familiar mix of famous veteran rock stars, chart-topping solo artists and headline-making bands. But music festivals are still struggling in the wake of Covid, and are facing numerous challenges. Former Spotify Exec Will Page and journalist Jude Rogers are on to discuss.The Art Fund's Museum of the Year prize is being announced on Thursday, and we've been speaking to all the finalists. Today it's the turn of Compton Verney Art Gallery, situated in a grand Georgian house in the Warwickshire countryside. Samira was taken on a tour by CEO Geraldine Collinge and guide Christine Cluley.And we pay tribute to Clovis Salmon, who is credited with being the UK's first black documentary filmmaker. Sandi Hudson-Frances, artist and fellow filmmaker, and Ros Griffiths, organiser of Brixton's Big Caribbean Lunch and curator of new public art project Windrush Untold Stories, share their personal memories of him.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer: Claire Bartleet

Samira talks to legendary Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose latest film F1 stars Brad Pitt as a racing car driver. Alistair McGowan and Dr Caroline Potter celebrate the extraordinary music and life of the French composer Erik Satie, whose centenary is marked on Radio 3 on Saturday. Alistair's play about Satie, called Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, is broadcast on Radio 4 on July 1st. Nick Ahad visits Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, shortlisted for this year's Museum of the Year. Caroline Norbury, Chief Exec of Creative UK, reacts to the government's launch of their Creative Industries Sector Plan. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi talk to tom Sutcliffe about directing Pixar's latest film Elio, about a lonely boy who wants to make contact with aliens. The film is then reviewed by film producer and critic Jason Solomons and art critic and writer Hettie Judah. Tom and guests also discuss a major retrospective of the work of painter Jenny Saville at London's National Portrait Gallery, and The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey.Jenny Saville is also the guest on this week's edition of This Cultural Life. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

On the opening night of the Glasgow Jazz Festival, Mercury Prize-shortlisted pianist Fergus McCreadie performs from his forthcoming album The Shieling live in the Front Row studio. Writer and Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen talks about his debut novel Muckle Flugga – a story of love and family set on a remote Scottish island – and reads from the poem he has written for Independent Bookshop Week. In the latest of our features on the institutions shortlisted for Museum of the Year, we speak to two of the team behind Perth Museum, a state-of-the art space created in the former City Hall, which opened last year and is home to the Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of monarchy and kingdom.And Jamie Lloyd's production of Evita at the London Palladium has got people talking, as Rachel Zegler's showstopper moment is performed on the exterior balcony of the theatre and beamed into the auditorium. Variety's London critic David Benedict discusses the use of live streaming in the theatre. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

RuPaul's Drag Race producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato join Nick Ahad to talk about their career making making television and movies, ahead of being guests of honour at this year's Sheffield DocFest.Radio 3 presenter Tom Service discusses the life and legacy of Alfred Brendel who was a celebrated author, poet and pianist.Caroline Norbury, the CEO of Creative UK, Stephanie Sirr, the Chief Executive of Nottingham Playhouse, and Sienna Rodgers, the Deputy Editor of parliamentary magazine The House, discuss how the arts will be affected by the recent spending review.The theme of this year's Liverpool Biennial is ‘bedrock’. The inspiration is the sandstone which spans the city region and is found in its distinctive architecture. 'Bedrock' is also a metaphor for the social foundations of Liverpool and the people, places and values that ground the city. From the cornucopia of work by 30 artists from all over the world, shown in galleries and venues all over the city, the art critic Laura Robertson chooses three highlights.Producer: Ekene Akalawu Presenter: Nick Ahad

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland tell Tom Sutcliffe about their new film, 28 Years Later; a whole new take on the story which stars Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It's the follow up to their post-apocalyptic fast-paced, gory zombie movies 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. The Rage virus escaped a medical research laboratory and - nearly three decades later - one group of survivors has learned how to exist among the infected. Tom speaks with James Frey, once described as America’s Most Notorious Author, about Next To Heaven – his new novel brimming with sex, murder and millionaires.Front Row is talking to all the finalists in this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year prize, and today we’re off to Belfast to hear from the Golden Thread Gallery. Founded the year after the Good Friday Agreement, the gallery seeks to promote the work of contemporary Northern Irish artists – as well as leading creators from across the world.Radio 4 has announced today the names of 6 researchers who will be working with the network as part of scheme run with the Arts and Humanities Research Council called New Generation Thinkers … The aim is to put research on the radio. Several hundred academics across the UK applied and Drs Laura Minor and Sarah Smyth have been chosen to work with Front Row over the coming year.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Professor John Mullan and writer Lucy O’Brien join Tom to review More, Pulp's first album in nearly 24 years. They also discuss exhibitions by the 20th century British artists Edward Burra and Ithell Colquhoun which are running in parallel at Tate Britain. Plus they give their verdict on Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, inspired by actual experiences of Laura Piani, who is making her directorial debut with this film.Tom also talks to Visual Art Curator Sim Panaser and artist Abi Palmer, about Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff - one of the finalists in the Art Fund Museum of the Year. And we reveal the winner of Women's Prize for Fiction.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys rememberedTurner Prize winning artist Rachel Whiteread talks about her retrospective exhibition at the brand new Goodwood Art Foundation in Sussex. We celebrate the centenary of the National Library of Scotland and hear about its plans to send important items from its collection to museums around the country - from National Librarian Amina Shah and bestselling writer and Centenary Champion Val McDermid. And writer and curator Lally Macbeth talks about her book The Lost Folk: From the Forgotten Past to the Emerging Future of Folk, which looks at the past, present and future of the UK's folk culture - from music to Morris dancing and from pub signs to church kneelers. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Fiona MacLellan

Sarah Moss, the celebrated author of Ghost Wall, discusses her new novel Ripeness, which oscillates between tension-filled contemporary Ireland and a heady summer in 1960s Italy. Dylan Jones discusses his new book 1975: The Year The World Forgot and debates whether this was the best year for music with chief music critic of the Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick. After reports of an emerging deal between the UK and Greece around the status of the Elgin Marbles, we talk to Geoffrey Robertson KC, campaigner for their return, about the legal ramifications. A new statue of Stalin has appeared on the Moscow Underground at Taganskaya station. After de-Stalinisation in the 60s it seems that the Russian authorities are now reintroducing images of the former leader, showing him in a positive light and ignoring his reign of terror. Tom speaks with the BBC’s man in the Russian capital, Steve Rosenberg, about what this might mean. And we finish the programme with a specially written poem from Fred D'Aguiar, Professor of English at the University of California, about the government response to the migrant deportation protests.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Simon Richardson

Ian Rankin pays tribute to the best-selling thriller author Frederick Forsyth, whose death was announced today. Samira talks to Twin Peaks' co-creator Mark Frost and podcaster Mike Munser about the show's enduring legacy 35 years on, as Twin Peaks is re-released and celebrated at the BFI Film on Film Festival. Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti talks about her new play Marriage Material, which spans decades in the lives of a Sikh family running a corner shop in Wolverhampton.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham