Podcasts by Front Row: Archive 2014

People of the Year - Part Two from 2014-12-31T20:00

In the second programme celebrating the arts highlights from 2014, John Wilson hears from Benedict Cumberbatch, Timothy Spall, Keira Knightley and Eddie Redmayne as they discuss the challenges o...

People of the Year 2014 - Part 1 from 2014-12-30T20:00

John Wilson talks to the people who have had exceptional years in the worlds of the arts, culture and entertainment in 2014, in the first of two special programmes.

Carey Mulligan discusse...

The rise and rise of Event Cinema from 2014-12-29T19:45

Kirsty Lang investigates the flourishing phenomenon of so-called event cinema. Plays, musicals and operas in major cities have become available throughout the country on the big - and sometimes ...

The Art of Book Cover Design from 2014-12-29T16:36

John Wilson explores the art of book cover design and meets artist Suzanne Dean, who has been responsible for more Booker-winning covers than any other designer. Writers Ian McEwan, Tom McCarthy...

Sir Alan Ayckbourn from 2014-12-25T19:45

In conversation with Kirsty Lang, Sir Alan Ayckbourn discusses his long and prolific career that has seen him, at the age of 75, premiere his 78th play - Roundelay.

Sir Alan is one of this...

John Kander on Cabaret, The Scottsboro Boys and Chicago from 2014-12-24T19:45

Kirsty Lang talks to John Kander, composer of Cabaret, New York New York and Chicago and one half of Broadway partnership Kander and Ebb.

87 year old John Kander discusses The Scottsboro B...

Unbroken, Young Fathers, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Miranda Richardson from 2014-12-23T19:50

Unbroken is Angelina Jolie's second film as director. Starring British actor Jack O'Connell it tells the story of US Olympian Louis Zamperini who was captured during WW2 and sent to a Japanese p...

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones; Renee Fleming; Billie Whitelaw remembered from 2014-12-22T11:27

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones talk to John Wilson about their new film The Theory of Everything about the physicist Stephen Hawking; soprano Renée Fleming on her new album Christmas in New Y...

Miranda Hart, John Rutter, Seamus Heaney from 2014-12-19T19:55

Miranda Hart tells Razia Iqbal about the emotional filming of the final episodes of her sitcom Miranda.

The latest instalment of the Night of the Museum franchise, starring Ben Stiller and...

Esio Trot, Robert Olen Butler, The Thompson Family, The Interview controversy from 2014-12-18T20:00

Two well-loved children's books have been adapted for television - Roald Dahl's Esio Trot and The Boy in the Dress by comedian and author David Walliams. Children's book editor Julia Eccleshare ...

Christoph Waltz, Treasure Island, Mozart in the Jungle, Unread e-Books from 2014-12-17T16:39

Double Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz on working with Tim Burton in Big Eyes, and responds to rumours surrounding his role in the new James Bond film.

Kirsty goes backstage at the National T...

Ridley Scott's Exodus, Serial, The Shoemaker's Holiday, Annie from 2014-12-16T19:55

Ridley Scott's Moses epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is reviewed by Adam Smith; investigative journalist John Sweeney and Baltimore-based crime novelist Laura Lippman discuss the phenomenon of the '...

Willy Russell switches on the Front Row neon artwork, Kon-Tiki review, Dementia-friendly theatre from 2014-12-15T21:35

Forty years after his breakthrough play - John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert, the celebrated playwright, musician, and novelist Willy Russell reveals the word he has chosen for the new Front R...

Paul McCartney, The Merchant of Venice, Frames at the National Gallery from 2014-12-12T19:51

Sir Paul McCartney tells John Wilson about creating a song for the video game Destiny and missing the days of vinyl.

Peter Schade, Head of Framing at the National Gallery, talks about the ...

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn on Cats; Churchill's paintings; Jeff Kinney; Dolls' houses from 2014-12-11T19:01

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn discuss bringing their musical Cats back to London's West End.

Jessie Burton, award-winning author of The Miniaturist, and curator Alice Sage discuss th...

Marco Polo; Behind the scenes at Nutcracker; Manakamana; The Christmas Truce in art from 2014-12-10T19:55

Historian Tom Holland delivers his verdict on a new TV drama series charting the life of adventurer Marco Polo.

As English National Ballet prepares to stage its Christmas stalwart, Nutcrac...

Christopher Jefferies Drama, Golden Age of Panto, Burrell Collection, Ghostwriting from 2014-12-09T20:05

With Kirsty Lang.

Roger Michell talks about his new ITV drama, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, about the retired teacher attacked by the press after being falsely suspected of ki...

Sarah Waters; Racial Diversity in the Arts; Mike Scott of the Waterboys; Museums on Film from 2014-12-08T20:00

Author Sarah Waters has followed her gothic novel The Little Stranger with her first play which is also a ghost story that aims to spook audiences. She discusses working with experimental theatr...

Jim Broadbent; Young Adult Fiction; Tena Stivicic; Comedy DVDs from 2014-12-05T19:55

Jim Broadbent talks to Kirsty Lang about playing Father Christmas for the third time in his new film Get Santa; Matt Haig and Katherine Woodfine on Young Adult Fiction; Croatian playwright Tena ...

Harrison Birtwistle; The Grandmaster; Christmas boxset recommendations; Wonder Woman's historical significance from 2014-12-04T19:55

The composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle discusses his music as a season celebrating his 80th birthday begins at London's Southbank Centre.

Iain Lee reviews The Grandmaster, the new film from ...

Peter Jackson; Philip Pullman on William Blake; Memoirs of the Year from 2014-12-03T19:55

Director Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens talk to John Wilson about their final instalment of The Hobbit film franchise; the author Philip Pullman reflects on one of his heroes, Willi...

Sondheim's Assassins, Albums of the year, Jeremy Deller, Royal Photographic Society from 2014-12-02T19:53

Suzy Klein, Kate Mossman and Greg James make their picks from pop, classical and alternative for a Christmas wishlist of albums.

The artist Jeremy Deller discusses curating an exhibition o...

St Vincent; Mark Thomas; Evening Standard Theatre Awards from 2014-12-01T19:51

Kirsty Lang reviews the film St Vincent, which stars Bill Murray as a reluctant babysitter.

She talks to the winners at last night's Evening Standard Theatre Awards, including Tom Hiddlest...

Annie Lennox; James Franco; Philippe Sands; How to Win an Oscar from 2014-11-28T19:52

Annie Lennox talks to Kirsty Lang about her new album Nostalgia, on which she covers songs from The Great American Songbook. Hollywood actor and director James Franco shows Kirsty round his late...

PD James Remembered; William Hill Sports Book of the Year; Maggi Hambling from 2014-11-27T19:49

Front Row pays tribute the writer PD James who has died aged 94. Fellow crime writer and friend Ruth Rendell reflects on James's life and work and, in a clip from our archive, James describes th...

Idris Elba; Howard Hodgkin; V&A's Italian Courts from 2014-11-26T20:10

With John Wilson.

Actor Idris Elba discusses his album, mi Mandela, inspired by the experience of portraying Nelson Mandela in The Long Walk to Freedom. He also explains why he won't be re...

Barry Manilow; Diana Souhami; War photography; Jewish comedy from 2014-11-25T19:53

Barry Manilow talks to Samira Ahmed about his new album, 'My Dream Duets'. It's a collection of duets with artists beyond the grave such as John Denver, Judy Garland and Whitney Houston.

D...

Jude Law; David Guetta; Post Pop at the Saatchi Gallery from 2014-11-24T20:00

Samira Ahmed with Jude Law, who discusses how playing Henry V on stage inspired his role as a desperate, out of work submarine captain searching for Nazi gold in his new film Black Sea.

Th...

Peter Firmin on The Clangers; The forgotten Bronte; Winter Sleep from 2014-11-21T18:10

Kirsty Lang talks to artist and puppet-maker Peter Firmin, whose iconic children's tv characters include Bagpuss, Basil Brush and The Clangers.

Robert Edric on his novel Sanctuary, which e...

Dr John; David Hare pays tribute to Mike Nichols; Composer John Adams from 2014-11-20T20:00

Blues legend Dr John talks to John Wilson about his tribute album to fellow New Orleans musician Louis Armstrong, and how the project was the result of a visit from Armstrong in a dream.

T...

Hugh Bonneville; Mary J Blige; Remember Me from 2014-11-19T20:30

Hugh Bonneville discusses his role as Mr Brown in the new Paddington film; Mary J Blige on self doubt, soul music and making an album inspired by London; Michael Palin stars in BBC drama, Rememb...

Costa Book Awards shortlist announced; Meera Syal; The Hunger Games review; Peter Bazalgette from 2014-11-18T19:51

The shortlisted authors for the 2014 Costa Book Awards are announced. Critic Stephanie Merritt comments on the authors chosen in five categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and childr...

The Homesman reviewed; Dave Grohl from 2014-11-17T19:49

Tonight's Front Row reviews The Homesman - a western directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones - and Dave Grohl talks about Foo Fighters' new album, Sonic Highways. Also in the programme: directo...

The Drop; Jan Garbarek; Quentin Blake; Assaf Gavron from 2014-11-14T19:55

Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini star in the thriller The Drop, reviewed by Jenny McCartney. Saxophonist Jan Garbarek and David James discuss the Hilliard Ensemble. Quentin Blake on Paula...

Richard Ford; William Orbit; Kate Hewitt; Dylan Thomas's notebook from 2014-11-13T20:05

Celebrated American writer Richard Ford discusses his new novel Let Me Be Frank With You - which continues the story of his much loved character Frank Bascombe.

A notebook of Dylan Thomas'...

Aaron Sorkin; Leighton House; Goldsmiths Prize; Dreda Say Mitchell from 2014-11-12T20:11

The Oscar-winning writer and producer Aaron Sorkin, acclaimed for The Social Network and The West Wing, talks to Kirsty Lang as the final season of The Newsroom airs.

Kirsty visits Leighto...

Chadwick Boseman on James Brown; Allen Jones from 2014-11-11T19:55

John Wilson talks to Chadwick Boseman, who plays soul singer James Brown in the Hollywood biopic Get on Up.

Sculptor Allen Jones on his retrospective at the Royal Academy.

Artist Jon...

Bryan Ferry; The Fall; Peder Balke; Revolutionary Theatre from 2014-11-10T20:00

Bryan Ferry talks to Kirsty Lang about his 14th solo album, Avonmore. Professor Chris Rapley, one of the UK's leading climate scientists, has written his first play, 2071, which focuses on clima...

Benedict Cumberbatch; Sumia Sukkar; The looting of Syrian Art; Pink Floyd Review from 2014-11-07T19:45

Benedict Cumberbatch talks to John Wilson about his role in The Imitation Game. He plays pioneering computer scientist and Bletchley code breaker Alan Turing.

22-year-old Sumia Sukkar disc...

Made In Dagenham; Elif Shafak; Gold at Buckingham Palace from 2014-11-06T19:49

Tonight's Front Row reviews the stage-musical version of the film, Made In Dagenham, starring Gemma Arterton, and Samira Ahmed is given a guided tour around Gold - a new exhibition at Buckingham...

Ben Elton, Queen Coal, Transmitting Andy Warhol, Leviathan, Birds in Literature from 2014-11-06T14:45

Successful novelist, playwright and stand-up comic, Ben Elton, a central figure in the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s, joins Kirsty Lang to discuss his new novel, Time And Time Again. His...

Babylon; Wendy Cope; border crossing theatre; North Korean art from 2014-11-04T16:37

Babylon, a new series from the creators of Peep Show, returns for a series after appearing on Channel 4 as a pilot. Brit Marling and James Nesbitt star in this fly on the wall satire about the p...

Interstellar, Nick Hornby, John Harle, Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes from 2014-11-03T19:55

Novelist Lionel Shriver reviews Christopher Nolan's three-hour film Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey. Nick Hornby talks to John Wilson about his new novel Funny Girl, set around a fict...

Michael Bond on Paddington, Lloyd Newson, Edward Snowden documentary from 2014-10-31T19:49

Michael Bond, the creator of the much-loved Paddington Bear, joins Kirsty Lang. He'll be talking about writing in Paddington's voice for the first time in a new collection of letters to the bear...

Elijah Wood, Angela Hewitt, Crowd-funding your novel, The Overnighters from 2014-10-30T20:00

Elijah Wood talks to Kirsty Lang about his role in Set Fire to the Stars, a biopic about Dylan Thomas's turbulent time in 1950s New York. Pianist Angela Hewitt discusses her new recording of Bac...

Keira Knightley; Nick Drake; A Real Birmingham Family; Mercury Prize hopefuls from 2014-10-29T18:38

John Wilson talks to Keira Knightley about new film Say When and her preparations for her Broadway debut in Therese Raquin.

Gabrielle Drake and Joe Boyd discuss Nick Drake as they publish ...

Nightcrawler; Laura Mvula; Bastille from 2014-10-28T19:57

Samira Ahmed discusses the film Nightcrawler, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an ambulance chasing cameraman.

Laura Mvula and Bastille on composing a new score for the film Drive, commissio...

Daniel Radcliffe in Horns; Edwyn Collins from 2014-10-27T19:48

Tonight's Front Row reviews Daniel Radcliffe's latest film, Horns, and talks to singer Edwyn Collins about the documentary that's been made about his recovery after two strokes. Also in the prog...

Timothy Spall, Picasso Museum, Maria João Pires, Memphis from 2014-10-24T19:01

Timothy Spall has brought JMW Turner to life in Mike Leigh's new film, Mr Turner - he tells Damian Barr how he did so, learning to paint like the master and using his own love of the sea.

...

Boris on Churchill; Serena reviewed from 2014-10-23T18:50

In tonight's Front Row Boris Johnson considers Churchill's legacy on the 50th anniversary of his death, and there's a review of the film Serena - a dark tale about a troubled marriage in the Dep...

Michael Sheen, Egon Schiele, Daniel Kehlmann, classic hip-hop album Illmatic explored from 2014-10-22T18:55

Michael Sheen talks to Kirsty Lang about performing Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood on stage in New York; Lynda Nead reviews the new Egon Schiele exhibition The Radical Nude at London's Courtauld...

John Kander; Jimmy Page; The Babadook reviewed; René Burri remembered from 2014-10-21T17:23

Kirsty Lang talks to John Kander, composer of the hit musicals Cabaret, Chicago and now The Scottsboro Boys.

Jimmy Page discusses his project to remaster Led Zeppelin IV.

We review A...

Brad Pitt; Moroni; Anthony Horowitz from 2014-10-20T18:58

Damian Barr talks to Brad Pitt about his World War II film, Fury.

Anthony Horowitz on his new Sherlock Holmes novel, Moriarty.

Robert Webb and Miles Jupp on performing completely wet...

Robert Downey Jr, David Cronenberg, The Knick Reviewed from 2014-10-17T19:00

Damian Barr talks to Hollywood's highest-paid actor Robert Downey Jr about his latest role as hotshot young lawyer Hank Palmer in The Judge, in which Palmer and his estranged father - the judge,...

Gillian Anderson; Michael Frayn; Jimi Hendrix Biopic; Buying Art in the Internet Age from 2014-10-16T18:55

Gillian Anderson tells John Wilson about the stage-fright that has always plagued her, most recently in A Streetcar Named Desire, and discusses her debut sci-fi novel, A Vision of Fire. Also in ...

Cat Stevens, Northern Soul, William Morris, Ken Burns from 2014-10-15T18:55

Yusuf Islam, also known as Cat Stevens, talks to Samira Ahmed about his new album Tell 'Em I'm Gone, his first for five years. Miranda Sawyer reviews a new film Northern Soul, about the music an...

Rembrandt, Bob Geldof, Here Lies Love from 2014-10-14T18:47

Simon Schama reviews the National Gallery's new blockbuster exhibition Rembrandt: The Late Works, the first-ever exploration of his final paintings.

Bob Geldof joins John to talk about th...

The Great Fire; Rachel Joyce; Richard Tuttle Review; Ayub Khan Din from 2014-10-13T19:10

With Samira Ahmed. Historian Justin Champion reviews a major new TV drama series set during the time of the Great Fire of London, when the country was at war and there were also fears of Catholi...

Iggy Pop; The Lion King; Marcel Duchamp from 2014-10-10T18:14

John Wilson talks to the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop, ahead of this year's BBC Music John Peel Lecture.

Disney chief Thomas Schumacher on creating The Lion King and a stage version of Fro...

Sheila Hancock, Gerhard Richter, '71, Nobel Prize Winner, Tony Allen from 2014-10-09T18:55

The actress Sheila Hancock talks to John Wilson about her debut novel, Miss Carter's War, which explores the repercussions of the Second World War on 20th Century Britain. The German artist Gerh...

Phyllida Lloyd, The Sensory War, Robert Wilson, Super Thursday from 2014-10-08T19:30

Phyllida Lloyd talks to Samira Ahmed about her all-female Henry IV and the importance of casting women in plays about political power. Professor Griselda Pollock reviews The Sensory War, a new e...

John Cleese, Ed Sheeran, Tracey Emin from 2014-10-07T18:49

In tonight's Front Row, John Cleese talks to John Wilson about his memoir, So, Anyway - an account of the influences that shaped his comedy - and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran considers song-writ...

Clive James, Effie Gray, Selfie, Niven Govinden from 2014-10-06T18:55

Clive James talks to Samira Ahmed about his new publication Poetry Notebook 2006-2014, in which he presents a distillation of all he's learned about the art form that matters to him most; Sarah ...

Genesis interview; Speed-the-Plow review; Fun Palaces; Victoria Hislop from 2014-10-03T15:21

Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks of Genesis discuss a new documentary about the band and Sarah Churchwell reviews David Mamet's Speed the Plow starring Lindsay Lohan. Also on the pro...

Rosamund Pike, The Girl of the Golden West, Young Poet Laureate Aisling Fahey, Grantchester from 2014-10-02T19:01

Rosamund Pike talks to Kirsty Lang about her emotionally and physically demanding role in the much-anticipated screen adaptation of the crime thriller Gone Girl.

Many operatic heroines die...

Stephen Fry, Tony Benn documentary, Kei Miller, Gothic exhibition from 2014-10-01T19:30

Stephen Fry discusses his memoir, More Fool Me; the writer and political commentator Polly Toynbee reviews Tony Benn: Will and Testament, a new autobiographical documentary about Britain's longe...

BBC National Short Story Award 2014 from 2014-10-01T09:00

In a special edition of Front Row live from the BBC Radio Theatre, John Wilson and guests celebrate the short story. He'll be joined on stage by Hilary Mantel and Laura Dockrill. And chair of th...

Kristin Scott Thomas; Mackenzie Crook; Turner Prize shortlist; Dannie Abse tribute from 2014-09-29T19:05

Kristin Scott Thomas and director Ian Rickson discuss reuniting for a new stage production of Sophocles's Greek tragedy Electra, which has music by PJ Harvey. Mackenzie Crook tells John Wilson a...

Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace, Eimear McBride, Roy Williams, New Prince Albums from 2014-09-26T19:00

A new exhibition by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace will be his biggest UK show to date, which Craig Clunas reviews with Kirsty Lang. Eimear McBride, who won the Bailey's Women's Pri...

What We Did on Our Holiday reviewed; Bernard Sumner; Lionel Shriver; Activism on Stage from 2014-09-25T19:00

Bernard Sumner, one of the founding members of Joy Division and the lead singer of New Order, discusses his autobiography "Chapter and Verse: New Order, Joy Division and Me" which charts his par...

Zadie Smith, Ryan Adams, Exhibit B, The Art of the Brick from 2014-09-24T18:55

Zadie Smith discusses Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets, her shortlisted entry for the BBC National Short Story Award; Tom Dyckhoff reviews The Art of the Brick, a new exhibition of artworks built w...

Ricky Tomlinson; The Driver; Francesca Rhydderch; Anselm Kiefer from 2014-09-23T19:30

Ricky Tomlinson and playwright Neil Gore talk to John Wilson about United We Stand, a new play which looks at the controversial criminal prosecution that followed the 1972 national building work...

Toby Jones; Maps to the Stars review; Rose Tremain; John Lahr on Tennessee Williams from 2014-09-22T17:16

British actor Toby Jones discusses his role in new TV drama Marvellous and Jason Solomons reviews David Cronenberg's latest film, the dark Hollywood satire Maps to the Stars. Also on the program...

Zach Braff, Tessa Hadley, Charles Aznavour from 2014-09-19T17:39

Zach Braff on the film Wish I was Here, which he directed, wrote and starred in, and which is the biggest original project funded by Kickstarter.

Kirsty Lang talks to the French singer Cha...

Denzel Washington; Howard Brenton; Leonard Cohen; Riccardo Chailly from 2014-09-18T18:52

Denzel Washington on getting revenge in his new film, action thriller The Equalizer.

Samira Ahmed talks to conductor Riccardo Chailly, whose recordings of Brahms Symphonies last night won ...

Joan Baez, BBC National Short Story award shortlist, Hamlet from 2014-09-17T19:10

With John Wilson. The singing legend with the bell-like voice, Joan Baez, about to perform at the Royal Festival Hall, talks about her extraordinary life and musical career.

Alan Yentob an...

Magic in the Moonlight; Constable at the V&A; Ballyturk from 2014-09-16T18:51

Tonight's Front Row reviews Woody Allen's Magic In The Moonlight, starring Colin Firth, and Samira Ahmed visits the new Constable exhibition at the V&A.

Also in the programme: Enda Wal...

The Riot Club; Ming at the British Museum; percussionist Colin Currie from 2014-09-15T17:37

The Riot Club, whose cast includes Max Irons and Jessica Brown Findlay, is a film based on Laura Wade's play Posh, about a fictional elite Oxford University male members club. Rachel Cooke revie...

Kate Mosse; Stellan Skarsgård; Glue reviewed; Sir Donald Sinden from 2014-09-12T18:49

Kate Mosse discusses her new novel The Taxidermist's Daughter and actor Stellan Skarsgård tells Kirsty about his role in Norwegian comic thriller In Order of Disappearance . Also tonight Rosie S...

Cilla; Will and Kate on stage; Tudor portraits; Ted Hughes' animal poems from 2014-09-11T18:50

Including a review of Sheridan Smith as Cilla Black in a new three part series about the singer's early career, and an interview with actors Oliver Chris and Lydia Wilson as they return to their...

Rufus Wainwright, The Leftovers, Anthony Caro, Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra from 2014-09-10T19:01

With Samira Ahmed

Singer-songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright on his Late Night Prom; a review of The Leftovers the latest series to come from the creator of Lost; we take a look at th...

Man Booker Prize Shortlist; James Ellroy; Joyce DiDonato; the Wallace Collection from 2014-09-09T19:30

Cathy Rentzenbrink from The Bookseller gives her verdict on the Man Booker Prize shortlist; James Ellroy, perhaps best known for his LA Quartet books, which include LA Confidential and The Black...

A Most Wanted Man, Eliasson and Turner at Tate, Breeders from 2014-09-08T18:55

Philip Seymour Hoffman's final film A Most Wanted Man, based on the novel by John le Carré, is reviewed by Mark Eccleston; Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson discusses his exhibition influe...

Pride; Horst; Tyrant; Rachel Cusk from 2014-09-05T19:30

Pride is a new British film, starring Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West, that tells the extraordinary story of the Lesbian and Gay group that travelled to South Wales in 1984 to suppo...

Will Self; Little Revolution; Tony Bennett from 2014-09-04T17:28

Tony Bennett joins Kirsty Lang to talk about his seven-decade career and working with Lady Gaga to create an album of jazz duets.

Author Will Self talks about his new novel Shark, inspired...

Dan Stevens; Pat Barker; Matthew Thomas from 2014-09-03T18:50

Samira Ahmed talks to actor Dan Stevens, who has gone from Downton Abbey to Hollywood and is starring in a horror film, The Guest.

Regeneration author Pat Barker discusses a new stage ver...

Helen Mirren; Lang Lang; David Mitchell from 2014-09-02T18:50

In tonight's programme, John Wilson talks to Dame Helen Mirren about her new film The Hundred-Foot Journey, and to David Mitchell about his novel The Bone Clocks - and concert pianist Lang Lang ...

Smokey Robinson; Lenny Henry; Before I Go to Sleep; Secrets from 2014-09-01T18:47

With John Wilson.

Smokey Robinson (Tracks of My Tears, Being With You, Tears of a Clown) was once pronounced by Bob Dylan as America's greatest living poet. Smokey talks to John about his ...

Alan Ayckbourn, Omid Djalili, Venice Film Festival from 2014-08-29T18:45

Kirsty Lang talks to Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn about Roundelay, his 78th play. Comedian Omid Djalili discusses his memoir Hopeful: An Autobiography which is about ...

Margaret Atwood, Paco Peña, Obvious Child, Folkestone Triennial from 2014-08-28T18:55

Canadian writer Margaret Atwood discusses Stone Mattress, her new collection of nine short stories. Flamenco guitarist Paco Peña tells Samira Ahmed about his latest work Patrias which is being p...

Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bush, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Our Zoo from 2014-08-27T18:55

The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg discusses his latest role as a radical environmentalist in his new film Night Moves; Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard on Boyhood Island, the latest add...

Johnny Marr; Frank Auerbach at Tate; Alex Gibney on Fela Kuti from 2014-08-26T18:55

Johnny Marr discusses his new album Playland and reflects on his relationship with the guitar from The Smiths to his solo work. As Tate Britain unveils Lucian Freud's collection of Frank Auerbac...

Richard Bean from 2014-08-25T18:45

In a Front Row special, playwright Richard Bean discusses his prolific and varied career, which includes One Man, Two Guvnors and three new plays this year alone: Great Britain, Pitcairn and Mad...

Jon Hamm, Crimes of Passion, Ed Stoppard from 2014-08-22T18:49

Razia Iqbal talks to Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, whose new film - Million Dollar Arm - tells the extraordinary story of two Indian baseball pitchers who were discovered after winning a reality show ...

Two Days, One Night; Timothy West on being Barbirolli; Alan Warner; Ilan Volkov from 2014-08-21T18:40

With Razia Iqbal

Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard is reviewed; Timothy West on lending his voice to a statue of Sir John Barbirolli ; Scottish novelist Alan Warner discusses h...

Sin City 2, Tom Conti on Abraham Lincoln, Erasure from 2014-08-20T18:55

With John Wilson

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is reviewed, actor Tom Conti on finding a voice for an Abraham Lincoln statue, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke from Erasure on their new album, and...

Lisa Dwan; Lucy; Mark Ravenhill on Alan Turing; Richard Osman on TV quiz formats from 2014-08-19T19:20

With John Wilson, who reviews Luc Bresson's new action thriller Lucy, which stars Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman.

John talks to Irish actor Lisa Dwan about performing Beckett's play...

Howard Jacobson; Helen Lederer; Bob and Roberta Smith from 2014-08-18T18:41

Howard Jacobson, who won the 2010 Man Booker prize with The Finkler Question, has been nominated again for his new novel, called J, which is set in a dystopian future where people are afraid to ...

New Doctor Who Reviewed; Simon Pegg from 2014-08-15T18:53

With Damian Barr

Doctor Who is about to return to the small screen, this time starring Peter Capaldi. Dr Jason Dittmer, academic and sci-fi fan, reviews the Time Lord's latest regeneration...

Edinburgh Special from 2014-08-14T18:45

John Wilson hosts a special edition of Front Row, recorded in front of an audience in the BBC blue tent at the Edinburgh Festival, featuring The Killing actress Sofie Gråbøl, who plays Queen Mar...

Phill Jupitus, Sara Pascoe, Jonathan Glazer on Lauren Bacall, Chef from 2014-08-13T18:45

John Wilson reports from the Edinburgh Fringe as he talks to comedian Phill Jupitus about about his love of art and drawing, which has inspired his new Edinburgh Fringe event Sketch Comic. Jonat...

George RR Martin; Alison Jackson; The Congress from 2014-08-12T18:45

George RR Martin, whose epic series of fantasy novels A Song Of Ice And Fire formed the basis for the TV hit Game Of Thrones, discusses creating an imaginary world loosely based on historical fi...

Dylan Moran and Igor Meerson; Jung Chang; Todd Miller; Referendum theatre from 2014-08-11T18:45

Front Row comes from Edinburgh with Dylan Moran who, along with fellow comedian Eddie Izzard, is producing a showcase of stand ups from around Europe as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. Representin...

Ben Whishaw; Margaret Kennedy from 2014-08-08T19:15

We review the new BBC One comedy series, Boomers. Set in Thurnemouth, 'Norfolk's only West facing resort', it follows the ups and downs of a group of baby boomers wrestling with the unique chall...

Guy Pearce; Joseph O'Neill; Edinburgh Comedy from 2014-08-07T18:54

Damian Barr talks to actor Guy Pearce, whose new film The Rover is set in the Australian Outback just after a great economic collapse.

Joseph O'Neill discusses his new novel, The Dog, whic...

Sir Neville Marriner; The Inbetweeners 2; My Night With Reg from 2014-08-06T19:03

Sir Neville Marriner, who turned 90 this year, is the most recorded living conductor. He talks to Kirsty Lang about his long and varied career, and his return to the BBC Proms.

The Inbetwe...

Christina Hendricks; Sinead O'Connor; Spectra from 2014-08-05T18:50

In tonight's Front Row, Christina Hendricks talks about working with Philip Seymour Hoffman on one of his last roles, in the film God's Pocket - and Sinead O'Connor discusses her latest album, h...

Welcome to New York; DBC Pierre, The Tallis Scholars from 2014-08-04T17:55

Samira Ahmed talks to author DBC Pierre, reviews the film Welcome to New York starring Gerard Depardieu, and discusses the world premiere of John Tavener's Requiem Fragments.

Loudon Wainwright III, Guardians of the Galaxy, Japanese fiction from 2014-08-01T19:00

Kirsty Lang with the singer Loudon Wainwright III, father of Rufus and Martha, who discusses his latest album Haven't Got the Blues (Yet). It covers subjects including ageing, death, depression ...

Jonny Greenwood, Deon Meyer, Streaming books, Summer films from 2014-07-31T18:55

Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood discusses the world premiere screenings of Paul Thomas Anderson's film There Will Be Blood, with Greenwood's score being performed live by the London Contemporary Orc...

Adrian Dunbar, Tasmin Little, Mood Indigo, Katie Paterson from 2014-07-30T18:55

Line of Duty's Adrian Dunbar discusses directing Samuel Beckett's 1982 one-act play Catastrophe at the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival; violinist Tasmin Little selects her ...

A Streetcar Named Desire Review; Daniel Hope and Gabriel Prokofiev; Crime Writing; Summer Pop from 2014-07-29T18:54

Gillian Anderson stars in a new production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic Theatre in London, which Matt Wolf reviews. Composer Gabriel Prokofiev and violinist Daniel Hope discuss t...

Gareth Malone and Adrian Sutton, Neil Bartlett, In the Club from 2014-07-28T19:30

Gareth Malone and Adrian Sutton discuss Sunday's Prom which takes World War One as its theme. Gareth's Military Wives choir will be performing and Adrian Sutton talks about his War Horse Suite w...

Julian Lloyd Webber; Andrew Graham-Dixon; The Galapagos Affair from 2014-07-25T17:47

Julian Lloyd Webber tells Kirsty Lang about his future plans, after being forced to retire due to a neck injury.

Andrew Graham-Dixon on his new TV series The Art Of China - which explores...

Porgy and Bess; Liverpool giant puppets; Gerald Seymour from 2014-07-24T18:51

Tonight's Front Row celebrates the return of giant puppets to Liverpool. This time, the little girl and her dog are joined by her grandmother: Kirsty Lang finds out about the threesome, and how ...

Man Booker Prize, Lee Hall's Shakespeare in Love, Dom Flemons and Martin Simpson from 2014-07-23T19:00

Chair of the judges A C Grayling and his fellow judge Erica Wagner join John Wilson to discuss the longlist for this years' Man Booker Prize. It's the first time that American novelists have bee...

Judith Weir; Eamonn Holmes reviews Believe from 2014-07-22T18:51

In tonight's Front Row: Judith Weir talks to John Wilson about being appointed Master Of The Queen's Music, and Eamonn Holmes - Manchester United superfan - reviews the film, Believe, about Sir ...

Joe; David Eldridge; Clavichord; Disobedient Objects from 2014-07-21T18:33

With Samira Ahmed. Nicolas Cage's new film is Joe - about an ex-con who becomes an unlikely father-figure to a troubled fifteen year old boy. Mark Eccleston reviews.

David Eldridge talks a...

Rebecca Hall, Medea at the National Theatre, Long Yu, Commonwealth Games Festival from 2014-07-18T18:56

Actress Rebecca Hall discusses new film A Promise and explains why she'd love to be cast in a singing part. Also conductor Long Yu on bringing a Chinese orchestra to the Proms for the first time...

Gilbert and George, Jonathan Harvey, Chichester Festival Theatre from 2014-07-17T18:52

Artistic duo Gilbert & George on their provocative exhibition, Scapegoating Pictures, and why they think religion should be banned.

Author and Coronation Street writer Jonathan Harvey ...

WWI Galleries at the Imperial War Museum, Linda Grant, John Fay, Grand Central from 2014-07-16T18:55

The curators of the new First World War Galleries at the Imperial War Museum in London walk Samira Ahmed round their new exhibition, part of the extensive new design for the building. Linda Gran...

Nigel Havers; Malevich at Tate Modern; Michael Rosen; Caine Prize for African Writing from 2014-07-15T19:04

John Wilson talks to Nigel Havers and director Lucy Bailey about their revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, framed within the confines of an amateur dramatics production of the play. Art ...

Nadine Gordimer remembered, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Utopia from 2014-07-14T19:30

Paul Theroux, Albie Sachs and Justin Cartwright remember the Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist Nadine Gordimer whose death was announced today; Matt Reeves on directing Dawn of the Plan...

Graham Swift; How To Train Your Dragon; Glasgow Girls from 2014-07-11T19:19

Booker Prize winning novelist Graham Swift has just published a collection of short stories concerned with life, death and the state of the nation. He talks to Razia about tackling big themes in...

Peter Greenaway; Longitude; Robert Crawford from 2014-07-10T17:41

Razia Iqbal talks to director Peter Greenaway about his film Goltzius And The Pelican Company, which tells the story of the 16th century Dutch painter Hendrik Goltzius.

A new exhibition at...

Morrissey's new album reviewed; Gina McKee; Portraits of Virginia Woolf from 2014-07-09T19:10

John Wilson talks to actor Gina McKee about starring in Richard III, and reports on the new collection of portraits of Virginia Woolf at the National Portrait Gallery.

Plus a review of Mor...

Halle Berry in Extant; International Museums; A Hard Day's Night from 2014-07-08T18:45

Extant is a new sci-fi series produced by Stephen Spielberg and starring Halle Berry as an astronaut. It's being broadcast on television in the US, but in Britain it's being streamed on demand. ...

Andrew Lloyd Webber; Boyhood reviewed; A Man Called Ove from 2014-07-07T18:50

In tonight's Front Row, Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about the return of Cats to the West End stage, directed by Trevor Nunn, and a review of Richard Linklater's new film Boyhood - which was filmed...

Maxine Peake, David Nobbs, Graham Watson, Fields of Vision from 2014-07-04T19:20

As the final preparations are made for the arrival, in Yorkshire, of the world's most famous cycle race, Front Row comes from Britain's largest county with a special edition dedicated to the fir...

Caitlin Moran, Maureen Lipman and Harry Shearer, Chelsea Handler from 2014-07-03T19:15

Maureen Lipman and Harry Shearer talk to John in the hours leading up to curtain call of the West End transfer of their critically acclaimed play, Daytona; Caitlin Moran discusses her debut nove...

Mark Ruffalo, Monty Python Reunion, Yael Farber, one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy from 2014-07-02T18:55

A review of Monty Python's tour which sees John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin on stage together for the first time in over 40 years; actor Mark Ruffalo on playi...

Pet Shop Boys, Ian Hislop on Great Britain, Romesh Gunesekera, ENO cuts from 2014-07-01T18:55

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe discuss their BBC late-night Prom which includes the world premiere of A Man From the Future, about Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing; Private Eye editor I...

Jimmy McGovern, Tony Hatch, South American art from 2014-06-30T19:00

Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern talks about his new BBC drama, Common, which was inspired by a letter from a mother whose son was imprisoned under the controversial Joint Enterprise law. Tony Hatch,...

Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie; Arcade Fire; Richard Wilson from 2014-06-27T18:55

Tonight's Front Row considers the big-screen debut of Mrs Brown, Brendan O'Carroll's TV creation. Whilst not receiving critical acclaim, the award-winning programme regularly attracts millions o...

Metallica, Scottish Art, Dr Zhivago, Beggar's Opera from 2014-06-26T18:51

Kirsty Lang discusses a huge exhibition of Scottish contemporary art which features over 100 artists at over 60 venues throughout Scotland.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich talks about headli...

Lesley Manville and Richard Eyre, James Patterson, Nicholas Hytner, Ming from 2014-06-25T19:00

Kirsty Lang talks to actress Lesley Manville and director Richard Eyre about filming their award-winning production of Ibsen's Ghosts.

Best-selling author James Patterson on giving away hi...

Seve reviewed; Dennis Hopper's photographs; composer David Arnold from 2014-06-24T18:56

Dennis Hopper starred in cult films like Easy Rider and Apocalypse Now - but he was also a fine photographer. In tonight's Front Row, Eamonn McCabe and John Wilson consider a new exhibition of H...

Manic Street Preachers; Chef reviewed; Carnegie winner Kevin Brooks from 2014-06-23T19:10

John Wilson with the Manic Street Preachers ahead of their appearance at Glastonbury. Kevin Brooks, winner of the 2014 Carnegie Medal for children's literature for his novel The Bunker Diary. Al...

The Fault in Our Stars; Peter Brook; Bret Anthony Johnston from 2014-06-20T18:48

Kirsty reviews the new film The Fault in Our Stars, adapted from John Green's best-selling young adult novel and speaks to Peter Brook, whose new play In the Valley of Astonishment explores the ...

19/06/2014 from 2014-06-19T18:57

Don Johnson became a household name through his role as shiny suited Miami police officer Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice. He discusses the art of the comeback as he stars alongside Sam Shepherd in...

Toni Morrison special from 2014-06-18T19:00

The American writer Toni Morrison is renowned for novels which focus on the experience of black Americans, particularly emphasising black women's experience in an unjust society and the search f...

Carey Mulligan; Colour at the National Gallery; the artistic legacy of the miners' strike 30 years on from 2014-06-17T19:00

As actress Carey Mulligan makes her West End debut in David Hare's 1995 drama Skylight, she discusses playing opposite Bill Nighy and how she chooses film roles. A new exhibition, Making Colour ...

Placido Domingo, JK Rowling's new novel, Jersey Boys, Ten Pieces from 2014-06-16T18:55

The tenor, baritone and conductor Plácido Domingo discusses his return to the Royal Opera House to conduct Jonathan Kent's production of Puccini's Tosca. Alex Clark reviews Robert Galbraith's (a...

Roger Graef, Belle reviewed; The art of Dazzle Ships from 2014-06-13T19:01

Historian and broadcaster Amanda Vickery gives her verdict on the film Belle, set in the eighteenth century, which tells the true story of the illegitimate daughter of a British naval officer an...

Helena Bonham-Carter; The Human Factor from 2014-06-12T18:49

Tonight, Helena Bonham Carter talks to Kirsty Lang about her role in The Young And Prodigious T.S.Spivet - and on the unusual part her own brother played in her upcoming film, Suffragette.

Dolly Parton; Fathers and Sons; Wolfgang Tillmans from 2014-06-11T17:35

Damian Barr talks to Dolly Parton about how she writes her songs, her poor childhood in Tennessee, and her passion for reading; Sarah Crompton reviews a new stage production of Turgenev's Father...

Antonio Pappano; playwright Anne Washburn; Banksy retrospective from 2014-06-10T18:59

With Matthew d'Ancona

Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House, talks about Puccini's first great operatic success, Manon Lescaut.

We review Devil's Knot, the latest ...

Rik Mayall; Folk Art; TV soaps; Prince Buthelezi on Zulu; John Tusa from 2014-06-09T18:52

With Matthew d'Ancona.

A tribute to the Young Ones and Black Adder actor Rik Mayall whose death was announced today; a review British Folk Art at Tate Britain, a collection of mostly unkno...

Marina Abramovic; Hotel; Emma Healey; Crowd Out from 2014-06-06T19:00

Performance artist Marina Abramovic discusses her new project 512 Hours at the Serpentine Gallery in London in which there is no art on display, simply Abramovic herself welcoming 300 visitors a...

Robert Lindsay; Orange is the New Black; Toumani and Sidiki Diabate; Rake's Progress at the Foundling Museum from 2014-06-05T18:55

As Dirty Rotten Scoundrels extends its West End run, star Robert Lindsay reflects on the challenges of staging a hit musical, and father son kora stars Toumani and Sidiki Diabaté perform music f...

Cornelia Parker at the RA Summer Exhibition; News of the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction; Daria Klimentova from 2014-06-04T17:40

John Wilson has live news of the winner of the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and speaks to the artist Cornelia Parker who has curated a monochrome room at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibiti...

22 Jump Street; Bernard Haitink; Roisin Murphy; The Roof from 2014-06-03T18:53

Kirsty Lang talks to conductor and violinist Bernard Haitink as he looks back over his career as he celebrates his 85th birthday. Catherine Bray reviews buddy cop movie sequel 22 Jump Street, st...

Terry Gilliam and Edward Gardner, Joshua Ferris, Clean Bandit from 2014-06-02T19:07

Fruitvale Station is the debut film from director Ryan Coogler and it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance in 2013. It narrates the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, a youn...

Front Row at the Hay Festival from 2014-05-30T18:55

In a special programme from the Hay Festival, John Wilson talks to thriller writer Lee Child about the latest in his Jack Reacher series. Award-winning biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett explains wh...

Jimmy's Hall; Leonard Cohen biography from 2014-05-29T18:49

Tonight's Front Row, presented by Samira Ahmed, reviews Ken Loach's new film Jimmy's Hall - based on the true story of 1930s Irish hero Jimmy Gralton, who defied his parish priest and built a co...

Maya Angelou remembered; Simon Russell Beale; Maleficent reviewed; the art of MF Husain from 2014-05-28T19:10

With Kirsty Lang. A tribute to the poet and author Maya Angelou, Simon Russell Beale discusses performing all of Shakespeare's sonnets; a review of Angelina Jolie as the evil Queen in Maleficent...

Venus in Fur; Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti; The Normal Heart; Michael Cunningham from 2014-05-27T18:54

Kirsty Lang discusses Venus in Fur, the new film by Roman Polanksi; playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, whose 2001 play Bezhti was pulled from theatres after rioting, on her new work for the Birmin...

Margaret Atwood on her first opera, Neel Mukherjee and Quirke from 2014-05-23T18:55

Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood discusses the world premiere of her first opera Pauline, live from Vancouver; Ranald McInnes on the Glasgow Art School fire; Neel Mukherjee on his new novel The...

Chrissie Hynde; Mondrian season; Miss Saigon from 2014-05-22T19:00

John Wilson with guitarist and songwriter Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders who discusses her new solo album Stockholm. Hynde looks back at being on campus in her native Ohio in 1970 on the day t...

Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid; new Bill Viola installation at St Paul's Cathedral; St Vincent from 2014-05-21T18:55

Kirsty talks to Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid who are starring in Bakersfield Mist in London's West End, and meets artist Bill Viola who has created a new permanent installation for St Paul'...

Fading Gigolo, Fatboy Slim, Julian Opie, Cannes festival from 2014-05-20T18:56

John Wilson reviews Fading Gigolo, which follows two friends who become an unlikely gigolo and pimp in a bid to make money. Written and directed by John Turturro, the film stars Woody Allen as a...

Edmund de Waal; Winner of Young Musician; Hypnotic Brass Ensemble from 2014-05-19T19:30

Ceramic artist Edmund de Waal, author of the award-winning memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes, shows John Wilson around his London studio and demonstrates how he creates an 'Edmund de Waal' bowl at...

Dawn French, Coldplay album reviewed, Ben Miles on Thomas Cromwell from 2014-05-16T19:05

Actress, writer and comedian Dawn French talks candidly to Kirsty about preparations for her first ever solo stage show, and why she's decided to include personal stories in her performance rang...

Gary Kemp; Mr Turner; Kenneth Clark's legacy from 2014-05-15T18:50

In tonight's Front Row, John talks to Gary Kemp about his role in a revival of Lionel Bart's East End musical, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - and Rachel Johnson and Nicola Beauman consider the...

Louise Welsh on Penny Dreadful, Oscar Isaac, Nick Payne, and Will Gregory Moog Ensemble from 2014-05-14T18:50

With Kirsty Lang.

Thriller writer Louise Welsh reviews Penny Dreadful, produced by Sam Mendes and staring Eva Green; Kirsty talks to The Two Faces of January star Oscar Isaac; gets the low...

Godzilla reviewed; Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello in La Traviata from 2014-05-13T19:15

With John Wilson. Godzilla's back in cinemas this Thursday in a new film by British director Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his debut Monsters in 2010. This time the world's mo...

James McAvoy; Gillian Clarke on Dylan Thomas; Natalie Merchant from 2014-05-12T18:48

With John Wilson

Actor James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Trance) discusses being one of the X-Men, and what it has in common with playing Macbeth.

To mark the cente...

Hofesh Shechter at the Brighton Festival; Michael Jackson's Xscape; South African theatre; Advanced Style from 2014-05-09T16:50

Acclaimed choreographer Hofesh Shechter talks to Kirsty Lang in his role as Guest Artistic Director for this year's Brighton Festival, and for her report she also visits a disused beer depot whi...

Yinka Shonibare, Water Babies, Akhil Sharma, women film directors from 2014-05-08T18:55

The artist Yinka Shonibare MBE talks to Kirsty Lang about his latest work The British Library, a study of immigration in Britain, currently showing at the Brighton Festival. US Novelist Akhil Sh...

Antony Gormley&Simon Starling; Alice Hoffman; David Henry Hwang from 2014-05-07T19:00

Antony Gormley and Simon Starling reflect on the influence of Henry Moore on a new generation of sculptors, author Alice Hoffman discusses her latest novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things, th...

Irvine Welsh; The Wind Rises review; Rachel De-lahay from 2014-05-06T18:51

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh talks to Samira Ahmed about his new novel The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, which is set in contemporary Miami. Advertising expert Rory Sutherland unpicks the row...

Michael Nyman at 70 from 2014-05-05T19:00

Kirsty Lang presents a special programme dedicated to one of Britain's most commercially successful composers, Michael Nyman, as he celebrates his 70th birthday. Perhaps best known for his film ...

Fiona Shaw, Edward St Aubyn, Under Milk Wood from 2014-05-02T19:15

The Testament Of Mary, Colm Tóibín's Man Booker-nominated novella, has now been adapted for the theatre - starring Fiona Shaw and directed by Deborah Warner. Fiona Shaw joins Razia to discuss th...

Jon Ronson; Julian Anderson; 24; Comics Unmasked from 2014-05-01T17:52

With Matthew d'Ancona

Jon Ronson discusses Frank - which he co-wrote with Peter Straughan (The Men Who Stare At Goats). The fictional film was inspired by Jon's experience of touring in Fr...

The Black Keys; Neil Jordan on Bob Hoskins; Joel Dicker from 2014-04-30T18:52

John Wilson remembers the actor Bob Hoskins, whose death was announced today, talking to director Neil Jordan and actress Cathy Tyson about Hoskins' Oscar nominated performance in the film Mona ...

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott; Bad Neighbours; sculptor Phillip King; and Sally Wainwright from 2014-04-29T19:10

Sculptor Phillip King on his career as he turns 80 this week, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott have released an album together for the first time since their multi-million selling days of The Beaut...

David Haig; Ziggy Marley; Prey from 2014-04-28T18:49

In tonight's Front Row: David Haig talks to John Wilson about his play, Pressure - which he also stars in - about the weatherman who persuaded Eisenhower to postponed the D-Day landings because ...

Hinterland; Alain de Botton; Tracks; Bryony Lavery from 2014-04-25T19:00

Mandy Walker, the Director of Photography of new film Tracks, discusses the challenges she faced capturing the remote and hostile Australian outback on screen. Welsh drama Hinterland, a dark cri...

Damon Albarn, Art Fund Prize shortlist, Sophie Hannah, Proms line-up from 2014-04-24T18:57

John Wilson is in the recording studio with Damon Albarn to discuss his latest album Everyday Robots, an autobiographical journey in which he returns to his childhood and his London and Essex ro...

Artist Richard Wilson; playwright Mike Bartlett; Generation War; Exhibition from 2014-04-23T18:55

Artist Richard Wilson unveils his vast 77-tonne new silver sculpture, Slipstream, in Heathrow's new Terminal 2 building. Playwright Mike Bartlett, who is currently enjoying a major critical succ...

Transcendence Review; James Graham and Josie Rourke on Privacy; Michael Nyman at 70 from 2014-04-22T17:09

As he celebrates his 70th birthday, composer Michael Nyman reveals for the first time the inspiration for his new cycle of symphonies, playwright James Graham and director Josie Rourke discuss t...

Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil on Miss Saigon and Les Miserables from 2014-04-22T11:02

In a special edition of Front Row, John Wilson talks to the writers of two of the biggest stage musicals of all time - Miss Saigon and Les Misérables. Composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrici...

The Biblical Epic from 2014-04-18T18:15

Kirsty Lang presents a Front Row special celebrating the big screen's love affair with the Biblical epic.

It's a genre that defined the golden age of Hollywood, but it's undergoing somethi...

17/04/2014 from 2014-04-17T19:20

Martin Freeman, star of The Hobbit, talks about acting in sub zero temperatures for his latest role in the television adaptation of cult Coen brothers film Fargo. And from the snow to the stage:...

The Sea; Keith Huff; Patience Agbabi; Banksy art from 2014-04-16T19:00

Kirsty Lang discusses a new film adaptation of John Banville's Man Booker prize winning novel The Sea. With Rachel Cooke.

House of Cards writer Keith Huff talks about his play A Steady Rai...

Milos Karadaglic, Jamaica Inn; Rachel Kushner from 2014-04-15T18:13

Kirsty Lang discusses a TV adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn with novelist Sarah Dunant.

Chart topping classical guitarist Milos Karadaglic talks about reinterpreating Rodrigo'...

Matisse; Locke; Val McDermid from 2014-04-14T18:49

John Wilson discusses Tate Modern's Matisse: The Cut-Outs with Matisse biographer Hilary Spurling and curator Nicholas Cullinan. Also in the programme: Val McDermid is renowned as a crime-writer...

Mark Strong and Ivo van Hove; Harlan Coben; Bernadette Peters; Lunchbox from 2014-04-11T15:58

With Razia Iqbal.

Actor Mark Strong and director Ivo van Hove discuss their new production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Mark Strong explains why this play, and the role of Br...

Emma Thompson and Celia Imrie, Chris Wheeldon, Birdland, Sam West from 2014-04-10T18:55

Emma Thompson and Celia Imrie discuss their new film comedy The Love Punch; choreographer Chris Wheeldon, composer Joby Talbot and principal ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson look ahead to tonight's ...

Chiwetel Ejiofor; Ben Watt; South Korean literature; Advice for the new culture secretary from 2014-04-09T18:51

Award-winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor talks to John Wilson about his new film Half of a Yellow Sun and his journey from filming in Nigeria to 12 Years A Slave in Louisiana. Daily Telegraph Arts E...

Jean Paul Gaultier; Christy Moore; The Raid 2 from 2014-04-08T19:00

Kirsty Lang talks to the enfant terrible of the fashion world, designer John Paul Gaultier, as a retrospective of his work opens at the Barbican Centre in London. Gaultier discusses where the in...

Brendan Gleeson; Let the Right One In; Baileys Prize shortlist; Georgians at Buckingham Palace from 2014-04-07T18:50

Kirsty Lang talks to Emmy Award-winning actor Brendan Gleeson about his role in new film Calvary; as it opens at London's Apollo theatre, writers Jack Thorne and John Ajvide Lindqvist discuss ad...

Rory Bremner, Jacqueline Wilson, Anish Kapoor from 2014-04-04T18:59

Kirsty Lang talks to Rory Bremner about satire, snobbery and starring in Noel Coward's play Relative Values; bestselling children's author, and creator of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson takes K...

Richard Ayoade; The Crimson Field; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from 2014-04-03T18:48

On Front Row tonight, Richard Ayoade talks to John Wilson about the practicalities of making The Double, a film about a doppelganger - and about why, when directing, he never uses technical jarg...

Kate Winslet; The Trip to Italy; Timur Vermes; Lord of the Flies from 2014-04-02T19:06

On Front Row tonight Kirsty Lang talks to Kate Winslet about her new film Divergent - aimed at young adults she plays an arch villain in a dystopian future and she explains why making the film m...

Chris Chibnall, Viktoria Mullova; Honour; Pangaea from 2014-04-01T18:51

With John Wilson

Writer Chris Chibnall talks to John about his new play at the Salisbury Playhouse, Worst Ever Wedding, a comedy about a mother organising her daughter's wedding. Chris is ...

Noah; Rachel Seiffert; Royal Opera House season launch; Phyllida Barlow from 2014-03-31T19:04

With John Wilson

Director Darren Aronofsky's latest film, Noah, is a contemporary take on the Hollywood biblical epic - starring Russell Crowe as the Old Testament patriarch who organises ...

Ricky Wilson; Muppets Most Wanted; Sebastian Barry; Cush Jumbo from 2014-03-28T20:30

With Kirsty Lang

Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs, talks about the challenges of making their new album - Education, Education, Education and War - after the departure of their co-founding dr...

Jane Horrocks, 20 Feet From Stardom, US war vets, Tim Barrow from 2014-03-27T19:55

A number of former US soldiers have recently published books which focus on their time serving with US forces in the second Iraq War. Phil Klay's series of short stories - Redeployment - and Kev...

Anne Hathaway, David Threlfall, Believe, Lorna Simpson from 2014-03-26T19:55

With Kirsty Lang.

Anne Hathaway is back in cinemas this week in Rio 2, an animated film about a rare blue macaw, set in Brazil. She reprises her role as the voice of Jewel, a free-spirited...

Ian McKellen, Nan Goldin, The Past, New Worlds from 2014-03-25T20:10

With John Wilson

Andrew Dickson reviews Channel 4's new drama series New Worlds, set in the turbulent 1680's, a time of torture and show trials as the reign of Charles II goes from toleran...

Tom Hollander, Emma Donoghue, Captain America: The Winter Soldier from 2014-03-24T20:04

With John Wilson

Tom Hollander on playing The Reverend Adam Smallbone as television sitcom Rev returns to our screens for a third series.

Emma Donoghue talks about 'Frog Music', her ...

Kristin Davis; Errol Morris; Mammon; Kate Bush from 2014-03-21T18:47

Kirsty Lang talks to Kristin Davis, best known for playing Charlotte in Sex and the City, as she makes her West End debut in Fatal Attraction, directed by Trevor Nunn.

The latest Nordic No...

Kings of the Dance; John Banville; Yves Saint Laurent biopic from 2014-03-20T19:49

With John Wilson.

Five of the world's greatest ballet stars are together on stage this week in Kings Of The Dance at The London Coliseum. John talks to principal dancers Roberto Bolle and ...

Kylie Minogue; V&A: William Kent; Jack O'Connell on Starred Up from 2014-03-19T19:58

With John Wilson.

Kylie Minogue has achieved record sales of around 70 million, and received multiple awards including a Grammy. She discusses 26 years in the music industry, her new album...

Veronese at the National Gallery; John Morton on W1A; Labor Day reviewed from 2014-03-18T20:00

With Kirsty Lang.

A new exhibition at the National Gallery Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance Venice brings together masterpieces by Veronese from around the world, some of which have n...

Harry Hill on I Can't Sing; George Michael's Symphonica album; A Long Way Down from 2014-03-17T20:00

I Can't Sing is a new musical based on the ITV talent show, The X -Factor, starring Nigel Harman as the Simon Cowell character. Comedian Harry Hill, who wrote the musical, and its director Sean ...

David Hare, Sixto Rodriguez, Stage Kiss, Hamlet in N Korea from 2014-03-14T21:02

With John Wilson.

David Hare's 2011 TV film Page Eight starred Bill Nighy as idealistic MI5 officer Johnny Worricker. Now Hare has written and directed two follow up films, Turks and Caico...

Terry Gilliam; Siri Hustvedt; Michael Craig-Martin at Chatworth House from 2014-03-13T19:59

With John Wilson

Terry Gilliam discusses his new film The Zero Theorem set in a dystopian future where a computer hacker tries to find the meaning of life, and reflects on the Monty Python...

Veronica Mars; Kickstarter; Vivienne Franzmann; Andres Neuman; Fake bands from 2014-03-12T20:30

With Kirsty Lang

Veronica Mars, the film spin-off of the noughties TV show, is the first major Hollywood film to be crowd-funded. Raising its entire budget through the Kickstarter platform...

Under the Skin; Publicising books; Shetland; Karen Joy Fowler from 2014-03-11T18:23

With Kirsty Lang.

Scarlett Johansson plays an alien wandering around Glasgow looking for human prey in Under The Skin, which was filmed without some of the cast realising they were in a mo...

Folio Prize winner, Cézanne at the Ashmolean, Jeff Beck from 2014-03-10T20:02

With John Wilson. We announce the winner of the inaugural Folio Prize and speak to her/him live from the ceremony in London. The £40,000 prize celebrates the best English-language fiction from a...

Alexander McCall Smith; The Walshes review; Stella Feehily from 2014-03-07T20:03

With Samira Ahmed

Award winning writer Alexander McCall Smith talks about his latest novel The Forever Girl, which focuses on an expatriate community in the Cayman Islands. Smith talks abo...

Elizabeth McGovern; Jamie Lloyd; Poets Laureate from 2014-03-06T19:49

With John Wilson.

The poets laureate of the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland will share a stage for the first time this Friday. All the poets laureate are women - and this...

Guy Garvey; Sir David Frost's memorial; 300 - Rise of an Empire from 2014-03-05T20:02

With John Wilson.

Guy Garvey, Elbow's lead singer and guitarist, talks about the band's sixth studio album, The Take Off and Landing of Everything. Written during a period of change for th...

Vikings at British Museum; John Carter Cash; 37 Days from 2014-03-04T19:56

With John Wilson,

An enormous Viking longboat - the biggest ever discovered - is the central piece in the British Museum's new exhibition about the Viking era. Taking pride of place in the...

The Grand Budapest Hotel, Marie Darrieussecq; Alan Ayckbourn from 2014-03-03T20:00

With Samira Ahmed.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from Wes Anderson, the director of Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums. It follows the adventures of a flamboyant hotel...

Damon Albarn on going solo; Maxine Peake; Jonathan Yeo; Suranne Jones; Kiran Leonard from 2014-02-28T22:15

Presented by John Wilson

Since Damon Albarn's introduction to the public as the lead singer of Blur, he's become famous for his collaborations with a wide range of partners including artis...

Marc Almond and John Harle; Willy Russell on Liverpool's Everyman Theatre; Gary Shteyngart from 2014-02-27T19:55

With Will Gompertz.

Marc Almond and John Harle discuss their new collaboration, The Tyburn Tree, a collection of songs about Gothic London, whose subjects include the Highgate Vampire, Jac...

Peter Gabriel; Paco Peña; Helen Oyeyemi; Great War in art; Mark Thomas from 2014-02-26T20:30

With John Wilson.

Peter Gabriel's film Back to Front documents the experience of performing his most commercially successful album, 1986's So, with the band he originally toured with. He t...

Stewart Lee, Jonathan Creek, Versailles from 2014-02-25T20:30

With John Wilson.

Critic Matt Wolf discusses the reasons that new musicals from both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will be closing early, on the same day.

Comedian Stewart Lee ret...

The Book Thief; Joseph Rykwert; Isy Suttie; Monologues for black actors from 2014-02-24T20:10

With John Wilson.

Based on the bestselling novel by Markus Zusak, the film of The Book Thief - starring Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson - tells the story of a spirited young girl Liesel in ...

Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells; Stalingrad; David Grossman from 2014-02-21T19:56

With Tom Sutcliffe

Actresses Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells have created a sitcom, Doll & Em, about a Hollywood star who hires her best friend as her personal assistant. They talk to M...

Nymphomaniac; Joanne M Harris; Robert Cohan from 2014-02-20T19:55

Nymphomaniac is the latest film from acclaimed Danish director Lars Von Trier. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as Joe, a woman who describes herself as "nymphomaniac", telling her story to a man w...

Andrew Sachs; Martin Carthy; Awards speeches from 2014-02-19T20:00

With John Wilson

Andrew Sachs' new autobiography describes his journey from arriving in Britain as a young Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany to playing Manuel in Fawlty Towers. He discusses...

Lynda La Plante; Jon Hopkins; The Smoke from 2014-02-18T19:49

With John Wilson.

Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante reveals her plans for a prequel focusing on the early life of DCI Tennison. Who will play the iconic detective?

The makers of...

Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker; Lesley Sharp; Only Lovers Left Alive from 2014-02-17T20:00

With John Wilson.

The legendary film-making duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were commemorated today with the unveiling of an English Heritage blue plaque. The plaque was unvei...

Kevin Spacey, The Lego Movie, Glenn Patterson, film Q&As from 2014-02-14T19:55

With Kirsty Lang

As the US political drama House of Cards returns for its second season, actor and producer Kevin Spacey discusses the success of streaming and looks ahead to his plans for...

Richard Rogers and Norman Foster; Simon Parkes on Brixton Academy; artist George Condo from 2014-02-13T19:50

With John Wilson.

Architects Richard Rogers and Norman Foster discuss their 50-year friendship in a rare interview together, and reveal which of each the other's buildings is their favouri...

Line of Duty; Tom Rob Smith; Oh, What a Lovely War! from 2014-02-12T20:30

With Kirsty Lang.

Oh What a Lovely War, Joan Littlewood's controversial musical satire about the First World War, is being revived in its original home, the Theatre Royal Stratford East. T...

Richard Hamilton; The Monuments Men; Enrique Iglesias; Tennessee Williams's hotel plays from 2014-02-11T20:03

With John Wilson.

George Clooney directs and stars in The Monuments Men, a drama set in the Second World War. Based on a true story, he plays a member of a group of curators and scholars a...

Armistead Maupin; Folio Prize shortlist; Her; Raphael Wallfisch from 2014-02-10T19:55

With John Wilson.

Armistead Maupin discusses The Days of Anna Madrigal, the ninth (and possibly final) instalment of his celebrated Tales of the City series of novels. Madrigal is reunited...

Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey; Barkhad Abdi; Salamander from 2014-02-07T20:00

With John Wilson.

Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey of The Who have teamed up for a new project. Since he was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year, Wilko has been collaborating with Dalt...

Babylon; The Mistress Contract from 2014-02-06T19:50

With Kirsty Lang.

Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, writers of the comedy series Peep Show and Fresh Meat, discuss their new TV drama, Babylon, in which they've joined forces with Danny Boyle....

David Bailey; Hanif Kureishi; Isabella Rossellini from 2014-02-05T19:52

With Kirsty Lang

David Bailey is one of the best known British photographers. He is perhaps most celebrated for his distinctive 1960s portraits but he has also worked in fashion, music and...

Reece Shearsmith; David Hockney prints; Blockbusters from 2014-02-04T19:48

With Mark Lawson.

The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville's Reece Shearsmith discusses his new TV series, co-written with Steve Pemberton. Inside No. 9 tells darkly comic stories from six ...

Angela Lansbury, Richard Deacon, Philip Seymour Hoffman from 2014-02-03T18:52

Mark Lawson talks to Dame Angela Lansbury, who returns to the West End stage after 40 years to play Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. She discusses her mother, an actress, her wish t...

The Bridge stars, Jonathan Lethem, RS Thomas from 2014-01-31T20:13

Jonathan Lethem talks about his latest novel Dissident Gardens. It's an epic family novel criss-crossing generations from the '50s to the present day, focussing on Rose, an American Communist. B...

Ralph Fiennes, EL Doctorow, The Last Leg from 2014-01-30T19:55

With Mark Lawson.

Ralph Fiennes discusses his latest film The Invisible Woman, about the relationship between Charles Dickens and his mistress, which Fiennes stars in and directs.

In...

Matthew McConaughey; Mary Chapin Carpenter; Nathan Filer from 2014-01-29T18:15

With Mark Lawson.

Matthew McConaughey is Oscar nominated for his starring role in Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 47 lbs to play Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician who became an unlikely AIDS a...

Juliet Stevenson; The Armstrong Lie from 2014-01-28T19:46

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong is the subject of Oscar-winning documentary-maker Alex Gibney's latest film, The Armstrong Lie. In 2009 the film-maker, whose previous documentaries include Tax...

Annie Proulx; Martin Creed; Miranda Carter; Lone Survivor reviewed from 2014-01-27T20:00

Arts news, interviews and reviews with Kirsty Lang.

Sunflowers; Chris Riddell from 2014-01-24T19:50

With Kirsty Lang.

Two versions of Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers have been reunited for the first time in more than sixty years. Sunflowers is one of The National Gallery's best-loved paint...

Sir Kenneth Branagh; Michael Symmons Roberts; Sensing Spaces from 2014-01-23T19:47

With Mark Lawson

Sir Kenneth Branagh talks about his latest film: the return of Tom Clancy's iconic creation, Jack Ryan. In Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the CIA analyst is up against a ruthl...

Simon Russell Beale; Lucy Hughes-Hallett from 2014-01-22T17:16

With Mark Lawson.

Simon Russell Beale is playing King Lear at the National Theatre, in a new production directed by Sam Mendes. Last night one of the actors lost his voice, prompting Mende...

Josie Rourke, Nathan Filer, Julie Hesmondhalgh from 2014-01-21T20:00

As Conor McPherson's multi-award-winning play The Weir opens in the West End, director Josie Rourke talks about reviving this modern Irish ghost story whilst preparing to screen her production o...

Kate Atkinson; Outnumbered; August Osage County from 2014-01-20T20:00

With Mark Lawson.

Conductor Simon Rattle remembers Claudio Abbado, the acclaimed Italian conductor and former musical director of La Scala, Milan, who has died aged 80.

The Pulitzer ...

Joyce Carol Oates; Special effects on screen; The Musketeers from 2014-01-17T19:50

With John Wilson.

Joyce Carol Oates talks about her latest novel, Carthage, in which a teenage girl disappears having last been seen with her sister's ex-fiancé, an injured soldier recentl...

Oscars special from 2014-01-16T20:00

Mark Lawson talks to some of the nominees of this year's Oscars including Steve Coogan who has two nominations for best adapted screenplay and best picture for Philomena. David O. Russell's con-...

Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber; The Globe's Dominic Dromgoole; photographic culture from 2014-01-15T19:48

With Mark Lawson.

Julian Lloyd Webber and his wife Jiaxin Lloyd Webber are touring the UK with a concert featuring world premiere performances of duets for two cellos with piano. They tell...

Christos Tsiolkas, Tim's Vermeer, Maxim Vengerov, new US TV cop dramas from 2014-01-14T19:55

With Mark Lawson.

Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas, who came to worldwide recognition with his controversial novel The Slap, discusses his follow up, Barracuda, the story of a young man...

The Coen Brothers; The Wolf of Wall Street; TS Eliot Prize winner; John Donnelly from 2014-01-13T20:30

With John Wilson.

The Coen brothers discuss their latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which follows a young folk musician, played by Oscar Isaac, as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk s...

Colin Firth; Hostages from 2014-01-10T19:52

With Kirsty Lang.

Colin Firth talks about his new film, The Railway Man, a true story in which he plays Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who is tormented as a prisoner in a Japanese labo...

Istanbul Special: Orhan Pamuk; Magnificent Century; Baba Zula from 2014-01-10T10:08

With John Wilson.

As part of Radio 4's MINT Season, John reports on the arts and culture of modern Istanbul.

Turkey's most famous cultural figure, the Nobel Prize winning novelist Or...

Bletchley Circle creator Guy Burt; author Donal Ryan; the rise of Nollywood from 2014-01-08T20:00

With Mark Lawson.

The Bletchley Circle, a drama about a group of women who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII, returns to our screens this week. It stars Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Sti...

Delivery Man; Graeme Simsion; comedy in Indonesia from 2014-01-07T19:52

With Mark Lawson

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion was one of the surprise hits of last year and has been published in more than thirty countries. The protagonist Don Tillman - a sociall...

Costa Book Awards; 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen; Mexico's cultural leaders from 2014-01-06T20:02

With Mark Lawson

Front Row announces the category winners for this year's Costa Book Awards. The director of the Costa Book Awards, Bud McLintock, announces the winners of the novel, first...

Naomie Harris; Nigella Lawson in The Taste; Mahan Esfahani; 2014 in books and art from 2014-01-03T18:35

With John Wilson.

Naomie Harris talks about playing Winnie Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Harris discusses taking on the part without realising the crucial role that ...

Last Vegas; Jarvis Cocker and Martin Wallace; Tom Price from 2014-01-02T20:00

With John Wilson.

Last Vegas stars Hollywood heavyweights Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro and Kevin Kilne as a group of sixty and seventy somethings throwing a stag do for their old friend ...