Our Queen documentary; John Ashbery; Beyond the Hills review - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

With Mark Lawson.

Michael Waldman is a TV documentary maker who has gained unprecedented access to the royal family to make Our Queen. The programme follows the Queen during 2012 as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and observes the usually secretive meetings she hold with the Prime Minister. He explains how he gained access and what he learned about the royal family.

Beyond The Hills, an award-winning film from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, is based on a true story about a suspected case of demonic possession in a monastery. Briony Hanson delivers her verdict.

Last year the octogenarian American poet John Ashbery was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama at the White House. In a rare interview from his New York home, John Ashbery discusses his latest collection Quick Question, and reflects on the challenge some readers and critics have found in the complexity of the language he uses.

Producer Ellie Bury.

Further episodes of Front Row: Archive 2013

Further podcasts by BBC Radio 4

Website of BBC Radio 4