Front Row

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. 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. TV and film critic Rhianna Dhillon and poet, critic and editor of The Little Review Tristram Fane Saunders join Tom Sutcliffe to give their thoughts on Alien: Earth. They also review Celine Song's new romantic comedy-drama Materialists starring Dakota Johnson as a New York Matchmaker. Finally, John Burnside was considered one of the finest poets of his generation. After his death last year, The Empire of Forgetting is his last collection of new poems which Tom and guests talk about.

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

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 with a big budget spectacular starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. 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.

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 to design with, and better understand, the living world.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