Podcasts about producer claire bartleet

Harlan Coben joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The multiple award-winning thriller writer has sold over 80 million books, many of which have been adapted for TV. The Netflix adaption of Fool Me Once is currently being filmed. A New Jersey native, Harlan's latest book I Will Find You explores the darker side of suburban living. Fergus Durrant and Romy Dixon found something unexpected in his father's effects, a discovery that was to lead them on a journey made 125 years earlier. James Phillips won the ARIAS Best New Presenter Gold award for 2022 and a Bronze award for his National Prison Radio programme, The Rock Show. James talks about the events that led him to prison and his life now, after serving his sentence. Matthew Modine shares his Inheritance Tracks: Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto and On My Feelings by Ruby Modine. Dr Sian Williams has been an anchor of some of the BBC's biggest shows, including BBC Breakfast. During her career she's also presented Saturday Live, and most recently Life Changing on Radio 4. Ten years ago she retrained as a psychologist and will talk about how her two areas of specialism collide. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Lang Lang joins Nikki Bedi and Danny Wallace. The internationally renowned pianist has sold millions of albums and performed around the world. He started playing the piano age three and to follow his dreams his family made significant sacrifices. Lang Lang talks about his path to success, and why he wants to encourage others to perform. You can watch Lang Lang on The Piano, Channel 4 and his Disney Book album is out now. Until recently, Zainab Alema was working as a neonatal nurse. However, in 2021, she decided to follow her dream of becoming the first black Muslim woman to play rugby for England. Since then, she's been committing to her life on the pitch whilst balancing the raising of three young children at the same time. Francis Bourgeois aka The Train Guy began making videos on trainspotting in early 2021 and quickly became an internet sensation. Since then he has achieved cult status, and millions of followers, championing unadulterated joy and the importance of embracing your passions. You can read about his adventures in The Trainspotter's Notebook. George Webster shares his Inheritance Tracks: I Feel by Teddy Thompson and Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Iszi Lawrence is a comedian with a fascination for history, You can hear her on Radio 4's Your Place or Mine alongside Shaun Keaveny, and she writes children's historical adventures - the latest books are The Time Machine Next Door: Explorers and Milkshakes and The Time Machine Next Door: Scientists and Stripy Socks. Producer Claire Bartleet

Jojo Moyes joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The bestselling author has sold over 50 million novels and Me Before You was adapted into a film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo talks about the inspirational for her new book Someone Else's Shoes, rebooting her life, and her unusual painting collection. Henry Naylor is an award-winning playwright but before that he wrote comedy satire for Spitting Image and Smith and Jones. His latest show Afghanistan is Not Funny looks back at a trip he made to Kabul in 2002. Aaron Horn's life changed forever after a tragic accident involving his mother, when he was in his early 20s. Coming from a musical family, performing took on increased significance in helping Aaron deal with the resulting trauma. Carlo Rovelli chooses his Inheritance Tracks: Nothing Shines Unless It Burns by Belladonna and Fratres by Arvo Pärt. Anaximander and the Nature of Science is out now. Crime writer CJ Daugherty talks about her latest novel The Chase which is written under the pseudonym Ava Glass. With a female British spy at its centre, Ava talks about the real life experiences that inspired her. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Haydn Gwynne joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The actor talks about her latest role in The Great British Bake Off Musical. Since deciding to pursue acting in her mid-twenties, Gwynne has had a varied career on stage and screen, including playing Camilla in The Windsors. Award winning composer Peter Raeburn's work has ranged from films such as Sexy Beast to adverts including Guinness Surfer. Peter's forthcoming album Recovery is based on his personal experiences after having life-saving brain-surgery. Caro Giles lives in rural Northumberland. Her memoir Twelve Moons reflects on the joys and difficulties of immersing herself in the environment that now surrounds her. Tom Allen shares his Inheritance Tracks: Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston and Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. Tom is on tour from1st February and his book Too Much is out now. Adam Henson is a farmer and presenter. He runs Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, which pioneers rare breed conservation and was opened by his father Joe in 1971. Television credits include Countryfile, Lambing Live, Coast and Inside Out. His latest book ‘Two For Joy' looks at countryside superstitions and folklore. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Philippa Perry joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The psychotherapist, writer, agony aunt and broadcaster is married to the artist Grayson Perry. Her works include The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did). Peter Lantos tells the story of how he survived the Holocaust as a small child in Bergen-Belsen. He offers an extraordinary perspective of not just living through terrible events, but on making sense of them as well. Sean Gandini is a renowned juggling artist and performer. He grew up in Havana, Cuba, where he developed a fascination with magic and mathematics, eventually leading him to take up juggling at the age of 16. Eliza Carthy chooses her Inheritance Tracks: Good Morning, Mr Walker by Mighty Sparrow and Killer Queen by Queen. It's been 21 years since a 12 year old Dani Harmer first appeared in children's drama The Story of Tracy Beaker, based on Jacqueline Wilson's books about growing up in a care home. Harmer has had a varied career outside the famous TV series, but explains why she's happy to see what Tracy's up to. The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die by Peter Lantos is out now. Sean Gandini with Kati will be performing The Games We Play as part of Mime London 2023 at The Place on the 20th and 21st of January. Eliza & Martin Carthy, and her band The Restitution, will be at The Barbican in London on Saturday 4th of February. The new series of The Beaker Girls starts on Friday 13th January at 6pm on CBBC and can be seen afterwards on BBC iPlayer. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Vicky Pattison joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The podcaster and author was Crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2015. Gaining fame initially through the reality TV show Geordie Shore, Vicky reflects on the ups and downs of her life in the public eye and shares her experiences in her latest book The Secret to Happy. George Linnane is a caver who was rescued by 300 volunteers after 54 hours underground. One of those volunteers was Maxine Bateman. They discuss what happened and how George is recovering just over a year after the event. Natasha Lance Rogoff is an award-winning television producer. She has written, directed and produced numerous documentaries and children's television shows. Her book ‘Muppets in Moscow' is about the challenges and successes of bringing Sesame Street to post-communist Russia in the 1990s. George Takei chooses his Inheritance Tracks: Mona Lisa by Nat King Cole and Don't Fence Me In by Gene Autry. George Takei's Allegiance is at the Charing Cross Theatre in London until the 8th April. Radio 1's Matt Edmondson says he has spent his whole life trying to get thoughts out of his brain into the real world. So far, his interests have led him to broadcasting, magic, creating board games, TV formats and music. If any of the issues we've touched on during the programme affect you or someone you know please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline where you'll find information and support. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Matt Goss joins Nikki Bedi and Peter Curran. The singer-songwriter and actor will perform Santa Baby and talk about his life, career and what it means to be living back in the UK after over a decade in America. Matt first shot to international stardom as one half of 1980s band Bros but has carved out a successful solo career, his latest single is The Beautiful Unknown. He's touring next year with The Matt Goss Experience which starts in Croydon on the 27th February and finishes on the 16th April in Dublin. Lucinda Hawksley is an author and art historian with a love of the environment: cetaceans are one of her passions. As a great-great-great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens, Lucinda has grown up with an interest in her family history. She's a patron of the Charles Dickens Museum in London and the Norwegian Pickwick Club. Emma Smith will be offering top festive tips, using her own experiences which include running a nursey and cooking school. Now a mother of three, after her first child died aged 10 weeks Emma changed her life and now she's trying to make the most of everything and fill life with joy. Tom Felton shares his Inheritance Tracks: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and All Things Must Pass by George Harrison. Tom's memoir Beyond the Wand is out now. Darren Harriott grew up in the West Midlands and found drama and comedy after being beaten up by fellow gang members aged 15, and finding himself in hospital on New Year's Eve. 2023 looks set to pose new challenges as Darren's about to take part in ITVs Dancing on Ice and undertake his first UK tour ‘Roadman', which starts on Wednesday 13th September at Glasgow's Glee Club and culminates on 25th October at Salford's Lowry. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Pattie Boyd joins Nikki Bedi and Danny Wallace. The model, muse and photographer talks about her life, the influence of her early years and how she dealt with many years in the public eye, where relationships with George Harrison and Eric Clapton inspired songs such as Harrison's Something and Clapton's Layla and Wonderful Tonight. When listener Andrew Lock heard our science lesson call in it prompted him to get in touch and tell us about his surprising career as an inventor on a TV show in the late 1990s, while he was still a student. Andrew joins us to talk about his ingenious inventions and his brief taste of life as a TV presenter. Richie Barlow's childhood was littered with abuse and chaos, as he struggled to find his place in the world. He spent most of his childhood in care, from the age of nine. Richie talks about turning his life around and running a successful business, the women who helped him, and how Star Trek taught Richie how to survive and forgive. Howard Blake OBE is best known for composing the music for The Snowman, which is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the film's debut and 25 years as a stage play. Outside this festive staple, Blake has a hugely varied body of work which includes creating the music for The Avengers and a string of big commercials. He was also commissioned to write a new piece for Princess Diana's thirtieth birthday. Pattie Boyd: My Life In Pictures is out now. Richie - Who Cares? by Richie Barlow – with Becky Bond is available online now.  To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of ‘The Snowman' Sony are releasing of a newly-remastered edition of the soundtrack. The Snowman stage show is running until 31 December at the Peacock Theatre in London. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Michael Morpurgo joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The author has written over 150 books but is perhaps best known as the creator of War Horse, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The former Children's Laureate is also the co-founder, with his wife Clare, of the charity Farms for City Children. Anne-Marie Dias Borges tells the story of how she was born into destitution, but was taken in by the inventor the hair claw clip. Nikita Gill is the UK's biggest online poet. Always writing as a child, Nikita was first published aged 12, and has gone on to produce a catalogue of bestselling poetry collections, her latest work including her own illustrations. Michel Roux Jnr chooses his Inheritance Tracks: Non, je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf and Hiro by Soprano. Martin O'Neill's career has spanned more than 50 years. One of nine children, he studied Law at Queens University Belfast, before being signed up by Nottingham Forest. He became a key part of Brian Clough's legendary team in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. He represented Northern Ireland more than 60 times and led them to the 1982 World Cup. As a manager he took Leicester City to two League Cups, Celtic to seven trophies, and Republic of Ireland to the 2016 European Championship. The 40th anniversary edition of War horse by Michael Morpurgo is out now, as is Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever. These Are the Words by Nikita Gill is out now. Albert Roux's memoir My Life in Food is out now. On Days Like These: My Life in Football by Martin O'Neill is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Luke Evans joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The Hobbit and Nine Perfect Strangers star left a happy family home in Wales age 16 to pursue his dreams. Luke's big break came after being seen in a London play and he combines acting with a lifelong passion for singing, as he releases his second album. Lucy Gray began collecting discarded shopping lists by accident, as a way to amuse her friends during lockdown. After amassing over 250 of them, they are being displayed in the Museum of Brands in London. Lucy talks about what shopping lists say about us, and how they offer a window into the human condition. Susan Rogers started her career as a recording engineer and worked with Prince on albums including Purple Rain and Parade. After more commercial success in the 1990s she finally had the money to move into academia and is now a professor of Psychoacoustics, looking at why we're drawn to music and what it says about us. Dan Walker chooses his Inheritance Tracks: the theme-tune to Grandstand and Heartache Tonight by the Eagles. Writer and poet, David Toms was born with a rare congenital heart defect - a transposition of the great arteries. As a result, he has had to live with the fear and restriction of not knowing when his heart might give out. What has life been like for him, having to learn to live life as a spectator? A Song For You by Luke Evans is out now. This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Like Says About You by Susan Rogers is out now. Standing on the Shoulders by Dan Walker is out now. Pacemaker by David Toms is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Michael Ball joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. In a career spanning over 30 years the singer, actor and presenter has appeared in musicals from Les Miserables and Aspects of Love, to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Phantom of the Opera, winning Olivier Awards for his roles in Hairspray and Sweeney Todd. Michael's debut novel is a love letter to the theatre. As a boy, Hamed Amiri fled Herat with his parents and two brothers after the Taliban put out an execution order for his mother. Their journey from Afghanistan to the UK was made more complicated as his eldest brother had a heart condition. 20 years later, his story of displacement has been made into a play, shedding light on the plight of refugees. Donna Ashworth started a social media account to share inspirational quotes but after posting her poems anonymously she's now a bestselling writer. Gabby Logan shares her Inheritance Tracks: Reach Out I'll Be There by the Four Tops and One Day Like This by Elbow. Ranvir Singh is an award-winning presenter and former political editor for ITV's Good Morning Britain. She talks about her path to broadcasting and why riddles are featuring in her future. The Empire by Michael Ball is out now, Ball & Boe Together In Vegas is out on October 28th and Aspects of Love is booking from Friday 12 May 2023 until Saturday 11 November 2023 at London's Lyric Theatre. The Boy with Two Hearts is at the National Theatre and runs until 12 November. The books Love, Life and Loss by Donna Ashworth are out now. Gabby Logan's memoir The First Half is out now. Riddiculous starts on Monday 24th October at 3pm on ITV. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Trevor Horn joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The multiple award-winning music producer shares stories from his decades in the music industry. First coming to prominence with The Buggles, Horn ran a label and influenced the iconic sound of artists including ABC, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Grace Jones and Seal. Raymond Blanc takes Anna Bailey around his orchard in Oxfordshire. Angela Hui talks about her experiences growing up in a Chinese takeaway in rural Wales, having duel identities and, after growing up hating food, developing a love of cooking as an adult. Suzi Ruffell shares her Inheritance Tracks: You're the First, the Last, My Everything by Barry White and Born this Way by Lady Gaga. Adam Parkinson is one half of the Two Mr Ps in a Pod(cast), two brothers from Manchester with over fifteen years of experience working in primary education. Together they share tales from the classroom and reminisce about their own school days. The podcast has amassed over five million listens, they've toured and written two books so far. Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT by Trevor Horn is published on 13 October. Angela Hui: Takeaway: Stories From Behind the Counter is out now. Suzi Ruffell's UK Tour ‘Snappy' runs until the end of October. This Is Your Own Time You're Wasting by Lee and Adam Parkinson is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Craig David joins Julia Bradbury and Richard Coles. The singer-songwriter found fame age 18 with ‘Rewind' and over the next 22 years dealt with the highs and lows of fame. Craig talks about his career, overcoming obstacles and rediscovering his good vibes. Kwesia aka City Girl in Nature grew up in Deptford, an inner city area of London. Growing up Kwesia dealt with violence and trauma but an opportunity to go to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest changed her life and she now works to share her love and passion for the outdoors. Sandy Nairne was deputy director of London's Tate Gallery back in 1994 when he was woken in the early hours to be told that two Turner paintings, on loan from the Tate, had been stolen in Frankfurt. They were worth £30 million. He became the person responsible for tracking them down, which would take eight and a half years. Jamie Oliver shares his Inheritance Tracks: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding and Only To Be With You by Roachford. Susannah Constantine made her name as a stylist in What Not To Wear. She talks about her life, from being an 80s IT girl to the impact of her mother's illness, and her own alcoholism. Craig David's new album 22 is out now and his book What's Your Vibe is out on the 6th October. Kwesia features in a new podcast called Waterland's from The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Catching the Art Thieves is on the BBC iPlayer now. One by Jamie Oliver is out now Ready for Absolutely Nothing by Susannah Constantine is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Melanie C joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The musician, actor and now memoirist talks about how the seeds for Sporty Spice were planted in her childhood, reveals what it was like to be part of the Spice Girls, and the personal struggles behind the success. Pastor Mick Fleming was once a dangerous, violent drug user and dealer but he transformed his life in his 40s and now provides comfort and support for those in need. Opera singer Rebecca Bottone is the daughter of two acclaimed opera singers. She grew up backstage at some of the most prestigious performance spaces in the world. But as her career was taking off she experienced two traumatic pregnancies and was told at one point that she would never walk again. Rylan Clark shares his Inheritance Tracks: Forget Me Nots by Patrice Rushen and Pure Shores by All Saints. Theo Fennell is a world-famous jewellery designer who's often described as The King of Bling. He talks about the importance of optimism and his love of condiments. Who I Am: My Story by Melanie C is out now. Blown Away: From Drug Dealer to Life Bringer by Pastor Mick Fleming is out now. Rebecca Bottone's Gilbert and Sullivan tour runs from Saturday 1st October until Sunday 13th November, starting in Stoke-on-Trent and ending in Richmond. Ten – The Decade that Changed My Future by Rylan is out on 29th September I Fear For this Boy: Some Chapters of Accidents by Theo Fennell is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Dan Gillespie Sells joins Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Richard Coles. The lead singer with The Feeling, who also composed the music for Everybody's Talking About Jamie, met his fellow band members at the BRIT School aged 16 and they've been collaborating ever since. Their latest album is Loss Hope Love, containing the single On the Edge, and they are touring next month. Susan Cousins was abandoned as a baby in India. After being adopted she grew up predominantly in the UK but experienced difficulties, which she is now addressing as an adult through her work. Patrick van der Vorst always wanted to work in the art world. He succeeded, and even gained funding for his company on Dragons' Den. But he's changed career and is now a trainee priest. Karen Carney shares her Inheritance Tracks: Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Lucy Edwards lost her sight suddenly at the age of 17. She made a video called “Blind Girl Does Her Own Make-Up”, ditched her plans to be a lawyer, did a journalism apprenticeship and took up social media on a mission to represent sight loss. Now she has a popular TikTok account with 1.8 million followers, a haircare sponsorship, and was the first person with sight loss to present on BBC Radio 1. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Deborah Moggach joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The novelist and screenwriter talks about relationships, why it's never too late to have adventures and the forthcoming play based on her novel These Foolish Things. The first adaptation resulted in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel film. Listener Nick Bunker was listening to Saturday Live a few weeks ago when the writer Lesley Pearse told us how she'd been reunited with the son she'd given up for adoption. He was moved to write to us – as he was adopted as a baby in 1963. Fast forward 54 years later, he received an email and discovered he had a whole family in Australia where they'd emigrated as Ten Pound Poms! From a working class upbringing in post-war Sheffield to creating some of the most famous songs and bands of all time – The Human League and Heaven 17 – Martyn Ware has been at the forefront of music for decades. Jules Buckley shares his Inheritance Tracks: Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley and Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich. Samantha Renke is an actress, broadcaster and disability campaigner. She was born with brittle bone condition and uses her own experiences to advise and empower people, to overcome difficulties in their own lives. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens at Richmond Theatre on Monday 5th September 2022, and is then touring until Sat 3 June, ending in Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. Electronically Yours: Vol 1 by Martyn Ware is out now. You Are the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread by Samantha Renke is out now. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Val McDermid joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The award-winning crime writer was inspired to write after reading Agatha Christie as a child. After attending Oxford University, Val started her career as a journalist and has drawn on these experiences in her latest thriller 1989. Kristin Mcilquham's father suffered from a serious brain injury (three aneurysms) when she was child which changed her dad's personality. Now an actor, she is performing her one-woman show Headcase about the impact this had on her life growing up, on her family and on her dad. Eileen Fitzgerald befriended The Rolling Stones as a teenager and exchanged letters with the fledgling rockers. Years later she sold the correspondence to help pay for her PhD. Trumpeter Alison Balsom shares her Inheritance Tracks: JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 by Trevor Pinnock with The English Concert and Con Alma by Dizzy Gillespie. Nihal Arthanayake started out as a recording artist before becoming an award-winning broadcaster. He talks about life growing up and why in his new book Let's Talk he's encouraging everyone to have better conversations. Producer: Claire Bartleet

Robert Peston joins Nikki Bedi and Peter Curran. Whilst keeping very busy as ITV News' Political Editor, Robert Peston has written his debut novel. He talks about the memories it triggered, career highlights and passions outside work. Listener Gerry Wright got in touch to talk about the significance of sailing for her family, and a particularly poignant bedside trip with her mother. Ben Aldridge used to suffer from severe anxiety until he used the ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism to get outside his comfort zone – challenges he set himself included running a marathon in his garden and climbing Everest on his stairs during lockdown. Noma Dumezweni shares her Inheritance Tracks: Pata Pata by Miriam Makeba and O-o-h Child by Five Stairsteps. Michael Spicer is best known as the cynical and world-weary political advisor character in ‘The Room Next Door' sketches. Michael spent decades writing in his spare time whilst doing unfulfilling jobs to pay the bills, leading to a double life when he got internet fame. The Whistleblower by Robert Peston is out now. How To Control The Uncontrollable by Ben Aldridge is out now. Noma Dumezweni is in A Doll's House, Part 2 which runs at London's Donmar Warehouse until the 6 August. Michael Spicer's Edinburgh show The Room Next Door runs from the 19th to the 28th of August at Assembly George Square Studios - Studio One. Producer: Claire Bartleet

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 film from Atom Egoyan. Based on a true story about the savage murders of three boys in Arkansas in 1993, the film stars Colin Firth as Ron Lax, the case's private investigator. Writer Anne Washburn talks about her play Mr Burns, where The Simpsons provide the narrative in a post-apocalyptic world, and pop songs assume a similarly revered cultural position. Art critic Adrian Searle discusses a large retrospective of Banksy's work including paintings, prints and sculptures. Street art is not included in the exhibition, which has been curated without the involvement of the mysterious artist. Producer Claire Bartleet.

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 Kiss Me Once - which features collaborations with artists including Pharrell Williams, and the possibility of Kylie The Musical. William Kent was an 18th century polymath, an architect, designer, sculptor, artist and landscape gardener. In the years after the act of union with Scotland (1707) and the accession of the Hanoverian Royal Family (1714) Britain redefined itself as a new nation - and Kent played a dominant role in the aesthetic of the Georgian era. A new exhibition at the V&A examines Kent's life and works, demonstrating his transformative effect on the nation's taste - from Whitehall (he designed Horse Guards and the Treasury), to grand country estates, fashion and furniture. Amanda Vickery reviews. "Starred up" is the process by which difficult young offenders are moved early to adult prisons. Writer and former prison counsellor Jonathan Asser, and actor Jack O'Connell, talk to John about the film, Starred Up - which Jonathan has written and which stars Jack as Eric, a troubled young prisoner who finds himself moved into the same prison as his own father. When the old Parliament building burned down in 1834, JMW Turner was one of those who went to watch. He produced two oil paintings and a series of watercolour sketches - or so everyone thought. However, new research has revealed that the watercolour sketches are actually of a fire at the Tower Of London, instead. John visits Tate Britain, where David Brown, Turner Curator, explains how this news will change things. Producer: Claire Bartleet.

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 about writing from a female perspective, Tartan Noir, and why - despite addressing serious issues - his work remains resolutely cheerful. The Walshes is a new comedy series about a tight-knit family in Dublin - really tight-knit: the Walshes are tripping over each other as the two kids out-grow the family home. The series is co-written by Graham Linehan with the five-strong comedy troupe, Diet Of Worms, who also play the main roles. Boyd Hilton, TV editor of Heat magazine, reviews. Set in Laos and written and directed by Australian Kim Mordaunt, The Rocket has won acclaim at film festivals. The central character is Ahlo, a young boy whose family believes he brings bad luck. After his family is displaced from their village to make way for a huge dam, Ahlo decides to prove his worth by building a rocket. Ryan Gilbey reviews. The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have brought out a computer game. South Park: The Stick Of Truth is an epic quest...to become cool. Armed with weapons of legend, gamers defeat underpant gnomes, hippies and other forms of evil - and earn a place at the side of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny. Computer-game author Naomi Alderman reviews. Playwright Stella Feehily talks about bringing her play about the NHS to the stage. Based in part on Feehily's experiences after her husband, director Max Stafford-Clark, had a stroke, This May Hurt A Bit stars Stephanie Cole (Coronation Street, Waiting For God) as an NHS supporter who becomes ill and finds that all is not necessarily well with the NHS. Producer Claire Bartleet.

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 museum's newly-constructed Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, the longboat is surrounded by other artefacts of warfare, as well as many treasures that the Vikings created - or looted. A year ago, British Museum director Neil MacGregor took John round the work-in-progress when the gallery was still a building-site; now he explains how the new space will aid future displays, and curator Gareth Williams gives John a tour of the ferocious Viking weaponry and stunning jewellery. As part of a BBC series marking the centenary of World War One, Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars) and Tim Pigott-Smith (Spooks) star in political thriller 37 Days. Set in Whitehall and Berlin during 1914, the factual drama chronicles the count down to the start of the First World War. Sarah Crompton reviews. John Carter Cash talks about his father and his legacy as never-heard-before recordings, made in the 1980s during Cash's last days with his long-time label Columbia Records, are being released. A lost novella by Jack Kerouac has been published for the first time, more than seventy years after the author left it in a university dorm room in New York. The Haunted Life is a coming of age story and, like much of Kerouac's later work, is autobiographical. Michael Carlson discusses whether Kerouac's early writing tells us anything new about his later works, On the Road and Big Sur. Producer Claire Bartleet.

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 who has found her in the street after a beating. In the flashbacks to her past, the young Joe is played by Stacey Martin alongside a cast that includes Shia LaBeouf and Christian Slater. Antonia Quirke reviews. Joanne M. Harris, bestselling author of Chocolat, has written her first epic fantasy novel for adults, The Gospel of Loki. Based on ancient mythology, the book follows the rise and fall of the Norse gods from the perspective of the trickster Loki, popularised in Marvel's Thor comics which have recently been adapted into blockbuster films. Robert Cohan is widely described as the founding father of Britain's contemporary dance movement. His career, spanning over 6 decades, has included dancing with Ginger Rogers and the legendary Martha Graham. Cohan, who was born in America, discusses how he came to revolutionise British dance whilst rehearsing a reimagining of his only female solo Canciones Del Alma. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson star in True Detective, a new HBO detective series. The show follows two contrasting detectives as they investigate a ritual killing in Louisiana. Producer: Claire Bartleet.

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 documentary in a career that has spanned five decades. A new exhibition of his work at the National Portrait Gallery, Bailey's Stardust, explores Bailey's diverse work from photographs taken in the East End in the 1960s, a self-portrait with Salvador Dali, to a series taken in the Naga Hills in Southern India. Charlotte Mullins reviews. Hanif Kureishi, celebrated for both his novels and screenplays, speaks to Kirsty about his latest book The Last Word. It follows the relationship between an elderly writer and his young biographer, who is commissioned to tell the story of the former's life. Having just sold his own diaries and manuscripts to the British museum, Kureishi talks about the complexities of looking back on one's life, collaborating on his latest film Le Weekend, and whether this new novel will indeed be his own last word. Mark Eccleston reviews The Patrol, the first British feature film about the war in Afghanistan, written and directed by ex-Army officer Tom Petch. Actress and model Isabella Rossellini is best known for films such as Blue Velvet but she is now writing, staring and directing a series of award winning short films, about the sex lives of insects and marine animals. The success of these films has led to the "Green Porno" stage show. Rossellini discusses the show, becoming a student again and how her admiration for David Attenborough affected her work. Producer Claire Bartleet.

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 novel, poetry, biography and children's book categories and literary critic Sam Leith discusses the judges' choices. Steve McQueen discusses 12 Years A Slave, a film which tells the true story of Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The film has already seen McQueen named Director of the Year at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and is hotly tipped for Oscar success. With previous films including Hunger and Shame, McQueen explains what attracts him to projects, and why the subject of slavery needed to be tackled. As part of Radio 4's MINT season, Front Row begins a short series of discussions and interviews looking at the cultural life of the MINT countries. Today the focus is on Mexico: film critic Fernanda Solórzano tells Mark about the current state of Mexican cinema. Mark hears from some of Front Row's People of the Year 2013 about their plans for 2014, and their upcoming projects in the next year. Film director Clio Barnard discusses working with a writer for the first time to adapt a novel for the screen, and actress Olivia Colman talks about learning to salsa with Nick Frost for her next film. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Mark Lawson turns Quizmaster to test the cultural knowledge of two teams in the Front Row Quiz of the Year. Singer and performer Jackie Clune and playwright Mark Ravenhill are led by writer and Booker judge Natalie Haynes. They are competing against actress and writer Helen Lederer and Citizen Khan creator and star Adil Ray, under the captaincy of crime writer Mark Billingham. Questions cover a wide range of the year's events, including Doctor Who's 50th birthday; best-selling autobiographies, with extracts disguised by actor in residence Ewan Bailey; and a mathematical puzzle based around the compositions of Wagner, Britten and Verdi. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Saving Mr. Banks dramatises the real-life story behind the creation of Disney film Mary Poppins, starring Emma Thompson as Poppins author P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Sarah Crompton reviews. The Politician's Wife screenwriter Paula Milne talks about the inspiration behind her drama Legacy, a new Cold War thriller for BBC2, starring Romola Garai, Charlie Cox and Simon Russell Beale. Award-winning violinist Janine Jansen discusses her new album of Bach Concertos and her relationship with her instrument, the 'Barrere' by Antonio Stradivari (1727), which is on extended loan. Producer: Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, The composer Sir John Tavener died today. Famous for his choral pieces The Lamb and Song for Athene - which was sung at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales - and for The Protecting Veil, for cello and orchestra. Nicholas Kenyon discusses his life and work. Plus a recent Front Row interview with Tavener himself. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case will see David Suchet making his final appearance as Agatha Christie's iconic Belgian detective. Crime writers Dreda Say Mitchell and Natasha Cooper, with crime fiction specialist Jeff Park, discuss the TV drama alongside a new translation of Pietr the Latvian: the first novel in Georges Simenon's Maigret series. Don Juan is given a modern day treatment in Don Jon, written, directed and staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Also starring Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore, the comedy explores how films can lead to unrealistic expectations when it comes to finding love and a lasting relationship. Bel Mooney reviews. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Susan Stroman, the American theatre director and choreographer whose productions include the multi-award winning The Producers, talks about her new musical, The Scottsboro Boys. With music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago), The Scottsboro Boys is based on the true story of a group of black teenagers in Alabama wrongly accused of rape, whose case became a milestone in the history of US civil rights. Short Term 12 is a drama set in a foster home for at-risk teenagers, written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (I Am Not a Hipster). Shown from the perspective of a care supervisor played by Brie Larson, the film explores the complex, dark and sometimes humorous life of those working and living within the care system. Film critic Catherine Bray reviews. Comedian Ross Noble turns TV host this week with a show called Freewheeling, in which he follows invitations he receives on Twitter - whether it's a chance to arrive unannounced at a sales conference, or to meet a man who has a large quantity of custard. He reflects on the spontaneity which this approach allows, and also reveals his views on the less spontaneous TV panel shows. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. The film Prince Avalanche is a tale of two men (played by Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch) who, as they spend a summer painting the traffic markings on a country highway, share a journey of self-discovery. Novelist M J Hyland reviews. Mark visits a Luton primary school, as the children get to see a Frank Auerbach painting, on loan for the day. The work came from the Ben Uri Gallery as part of the Masterpieces in Schools programme, a partnership between the Public Catalogue Foundation and BBC Learning. Mark joins the children as they prepare to see a masterpiece first-hand, many of them for the very first time, and hears their thoughts about Auerbach's Mornington Crescent, Summer Morning II. Michael Blakemore joined the National Theatre as an Associate Director in 1971 under the leadership of Sir Laurence Olivier. His memoir Stage Blood tells the story of his time at the theatre and reveals the reasons behind his dramatic exit in 1976 after speaking out against Peter Hall's leadership. He reflects on why now was the right time to tell his story. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson, Front Row announces the shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Awards 2013. Chair of the judges Mariella Frostrup talks about the five authors nominated for the prize, the process of judging the competition and how the exceptional stories stood out. John Wilson also speaks to the first of the nominated authors about their magical and uncanny short story. Front Row will be hearing from the rest of the shortlisted authors and the five stories are broadcast next week on Radio 4. Punk poet John Cooper Clarke tells John what he thinks of the Arctic Monkeys' version of his poem I Wanna Be Yours, which features on their number one album AM, and why he was partly responsible for the band's name. Jack Vettriano is one of the UK's most popular artists, his paintings are well known and widely reproduced as greeting cards and posters. But, despite his commercial success, Vettriano's work has often met with a less than enthusiastic response from critics. Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow is holding a major retrospective of his work, which includes some of his best loved works which are normally in private collections. Art Critic Moira Jeffrey reviews. American artist Richard Serra is renowned for his monumental steel sculptures, harking back to his childhood (his father worked in a shipyard) and to the steel mills he worked in as a young man. Drawing is also important to him: he sees it as a way of exploring new ideas and materials. He's now approaching his seventy-fifth birthday and as a new exhibition of his work opens Richard Serra discusses his career, and how art has affected his personal life, as he gives John a personal tour of the twelve drawings which were specially created for this display. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson The Italian film The Great Beauty was acclaimed at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and now arrives in British cinemas. Set in contemporary Rome, it's the story of an ageing writer looking back with bitterness on his passionate youth. Sarah Crompton reviews. Stephen Fry is curating the Deloitte Ignite Festival at the Royal Opera House, London. Events focus on Verdi and Wagner, to mark the bicentenaries of their births. Stephen Fry discusses his ideas for the Festival, which include taking QI panellist Alan Davies to his first opera for a scientific experiment. He also talks about the political situation in Russia, and not wanting to make a career out of his personal life. The Great Tapestry of Scotland, thought to be the longest in the world, is being unveiled today in Edinburgh. It is more than 140 metres long and depicts the history of Scotland from pre-history to the present. The work was conceived by author Alexander McCall Smith, and the panels were designed by artist Andrew Crummy, with input from the historian Alistair Moffat. More than 1000 stitchers from every corner of Scotland have been working on the project for a year. Poet and dramatist Liz Lochhead discusses one of Scotland's biggest community arts projects. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, who reports from this year's Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. Ruth Rendell and Jeanette Winterson discuss their friendship, which began when Winterson was a house-sitter for Rendell in 1986. The writers also discuss crime plots, exercise regimes and mammoth book signing sessions. Kate Atkinson turned to crime-writing with Case Histories, which has become a TV series with Jason Isaacs playing private investigator Jackson Brodie. Atkinson reveals her reluctance to call herself a crime-writer and why she often comes up with titles before stories. For the second year running Denise Mina received the Novel of the Year award. But there were times when she feared her winning book wouldn't be published. Mina discusses rewriting her book in a weekend. Val McDermid, Erin Kelly, David Mark, Steve Mosby and Nicci French - husband and wife duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French - discuss debut writers and JK Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling, writers' block and tweeting, pure evil and taking inspiration from real life events. In front of an audience, Stuart MacBride, Catriona McPherson, Manda Scott and Cathi Unsworth reflect on how crime novels of the future could change, in the light of new technology and online developments. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Sir Tom Stoppard has written Darkside, a new radio play starring Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell, to mark the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon. In discussing the play Stoppard talks about thought experiments, moral philosophers, and Mamma Mia. Elysium is a science fiction thriller set in a future where privileged elite live on the space station Elysium while the rest of the population remains on a damaged earth. Directed by Neill Blomkamp, who is best known for his politically charged 2009 film District 9, the sci-fi blockbuster stars Jodie Foster as the ruler of Elysium and Matt Damon as the man trying to break across the divide. Naomi Alderman reviews. Charlaine Harris is best known for her Sookie Stackhouse series which inspired the True Blood TV drama. Harris discusses her distinct Southern gothic style, books which fell short of her aspirations and how fans reacted angrily to the conclusion of her famous vampire series. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Steve Coogan returns as his best-known character, Norwich radio DJ Alan Partridge, in a new film Alpha Papa, which sees Partridge involved in an unusual hostage situation at a local radio station. Steve Coogan discusses the evolution of the character from the small to the big screen, the pressure from fans to reprise his 'hit' character, and how his fears of turning into Alan Partridge himself inspire his performances. For Cultural Exchange, crime writer Ruth Rendell discusses her choice of Handel's oratorio Solomon, based on the bible story and containing the sinfonia The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. On the day that Arts Council England announces investment plans for 2015 to 2018, Peter Bazalgette, its chairman, talks to Mark about what these plans will involve - in the light of cuts to local authority budgets. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Architect Richard Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside, is the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. Timed to coincide with his 80th birthday, the show includes his designs for the Pompidou Centre, the Lloyds building and the Millennium Dome. Richard Rogers talks to John about dyslexia, Prince Charles and everybody's democratic right to see a tree from their window. Preparations are underway for the first Gospel music Prom. Conductors Ken Burton and Rebecca Thomas join Prom host Pastor David Daniel to discuss the history of British gospel music, what it means today and whether having a religious belief is important to be a performer. To illustrate what audiences at the Royal Albert Hall and on BBC Radio 3 will hear, members of the London Adventist Chorale sing in the studio. In tonight's Cultural Exchange, Ian Rankin chooses the 1973 album Solid Air by the British singer-songwriter and guitarist John Martyn. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Sergei Polunin is the youngest dancer ever to be made a principal with the Royal Ballet, a role he unexpectedly quit after two years aged 21. Earlier this year he suddenly left the cast of a new ballet version of Midnight Express, days before its UK premiere. As he takes the lead in a Moscow production of Coppélia in London, Polunin discusses this role and his career highs and lows. David Baddiel's first full stand-up show for over 15 years concentrates on the idea of celebrity. In Fame - Not The Musical, he argues that famous people don't talk about how the level of fame can fluctuate, and suggests that he is no longer as famous as he used to be. He discusses his return to the stage, and also reveals that he feels partly responsible for Sachsgate, the infamous prank calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to Andrew Sachs. In 1936 Dame Laura Knight became the first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy since 1769. As a new exhibition of her work opens at the National Portrait Gallery, Juliet Gardiner reassesses an artist who began painting circus scenes and went on to become an official war artist, creating a famous picture of the Nuremberg Trials. In tonight's Cultural Exchange, the British portrait and fashion photographer Rankin - full name John Rankin Waddell - selects a short poem by Thomas Hardy which had a big influence on his decision to become a photographer while studying at Brighton Polytechnic. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, For the first time, three Vermeer paintings of female musicians are on show together at the National Gallery, London. They form the centrepiece of a new exhibition examining music as a motif in Dutch painting of the 17th Century. Composer Michael Berkeley considers the various roles played by musical instruments in the art of that period. For many writers working in TV drama, the trickiest things they have to deal with are the notes from the producers. At their worst, such notes can confuse and undermine a writer's vision. At their best, they can help a writer to see a better way of telling the story. Peter Bowker, writer of Blackpool, Desperate Romantics and Monroe, and Patrick Spence, the executive producer on Murphy's Law, Lilies, and Hancock and Joan, reflect on the best and the worst notes writers receive. As Wimbledon gets under way, Ed Smith reviews two tennis documentary films. Venus and Serena shows the lives of the champion sisters as children, in their shared home and battling illness in 2011. The Battle of the Sexes, which takes its title from the famous 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, explores the relationship between women's professional tennis and the Women's Liberation movement. For Cultural Exchange, the pianist Mitsuko Uchida selects Piero della Francesca's Resurrection. She explains how she was inspired by Piero della Francesca's fresco and why great art, whether music or painting, does not have to be technically perfect. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Man of Steel, the latest Superman blockbuster, explores how Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) became a superhero. Amy Adams plays Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane and Michael Shannon is Superman's nemesis General Zod. Matt Thorne reviews. In Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds share a cultural passion, writer A L Kennedy explains why she has chosen Hitler's SS: A Portrait Of Evil, a TV drama from 1985, starring Bill Nighy. Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón discusses his love of Verdi's music, 200 years after the composer's birth. He explains when he first encountered it and the effect it had on him, the differences between singing on stage and in a recording studio - and why opera singers should try to stay as fit as athletes. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. TV and film producer Tony Garnett's work includes Cathy Come Home, Kes, Cardiac Arrest and This Life. The British Film Institute is now marking his 50 year career with a retrospective season. In this conversation, he explains why he has generally refused to do interviews, and how personal tragedies have been reflected in films such as Up the Junction. Although he started his career as an actor, appearing in Dixon of Dock Green, Garnett discusses the appeal of being a producer and the resultant battles to make hard-hitting films tackling difficult or controversial issues - including back-street abortions and the welfare state. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Baz Luhrmann's much-anticipated film version of The Great Gatsby stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. F Scott Fitzgerald's glittering Jazz Age world of 1922 is combined with Luhrmann's screenplay, co-written with Craig Pearce, which aims to make the story relevant to a modern audience. Sarah Crompton reviews. This year's Eurovision Song Contest comes from Malmö, Sweden. Bonnie Tyler performs the British entry, competing against a varied field of performers. Front Row's Jukebox Jury, Rosie Swash and David Hepworth, deliver their verdicts on this year's contenders. The French government is considering levying a "culture tax" on technology giants such as Google and Apple, to fund the arts in France. A report from businessman Pierre Lescure, commissioned by Francois Hollande's government, suggests a 4% tax on hardware, including smartphones and tablets, to fund content. The Independent's Paris correspondent John Lichfield discusses the protection of arts funding in France and whether this radical tax proposal can succeed. Cultural Exchange: writer Anne Tyler shares her passion for a self-portrait by photography pioneer Charles R Savage. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Pedro Almodovar's film I'm So Excited features Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, and returns to the comedic style of his early works such as Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. When technical problems develop on board a plane, the pilots and flight attendants strive to keep morale high. Adam Mars-Jones reviews. Film and TV producer Tony Garnett's work includes Kes, Cathy Come Home and This Life, and the British Film Institute is marking his 50 year career with a retrospective season. In a rare interview, he discusses how personal tragedies affected his work, the battles that went into making films tackling controversial issues - including back-street abortions - and why he wouldn't work in television now. More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art: tonight writer and performer Meera Syal selects To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Amanda Knox's autobiography, Waiting To Be Heard, is being published in America today, but its UK release has been indefinitely postponed, on account of the British legal system. This is not the first time that a book has been unavailable in the UK but available in other countries. Professor of English Literature John Sutherland and lawyer Susan Aslan consider the issues this raises. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson, A job centre and a local government Health and Safety department are the settings for two new sitcoms. ITVs The Job Lot stars Russell Tovey (Him & Her) and Sarah Hadland (Miranda). Ben Elton has written the BBC's The Wright Way, which stars David Haig. Viv Groskop reviews. Ian Gillan and Ian Paice, long-standing members of the band Deep Purple, discuss their forthcoming album Now What?! The heavy metal pioneers also talk about their Smoke on the Water 70s heyday, multiple lineups, and how the band has evolved over the decades. Krister Henriksson, best-known in Britain as the star of the Swedish TV series Wallander, is making his debut on stage in the UK, in a one-man play, Doktor Glas. Adapted from a classic Swedish novel by Hjalmar Söderberg, it's the tale of a 19th century physician who falls madly in love with the wife of a corrupt clergyman. Will it attract the same enthusiastic audiences who adore Swedish dramas on British television? Author and Wallander fan Kate Saunders gives the critical verdict. The designer Storm Thorgerson, best known for creating the cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, has died. Peter Saville, who designed many memorable record sleeves from the Factory Records era, discusses his influence and music journalist Laura Lee Davies discusses whether there have been any classic albums with disappointing sleeve artwork or music that didn't live up to the promise of its cover. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, David Baldacci is one of the best-known writers of crime thrillers: his books are regularly bestsellers, and have been translated into more than 45 languages. A former Washington Attorney, Baldacci finds inspiration in stories shared with him by FBI agents. He reflects on the explosions which left three people dead at the end of the Boston marathon. Tate Modern displays the first major UK exhibition of the Lebanese artist Saloua Raouda Choucair. Born in 1916, Choucair studied under Fernand Leger in 1940s Paris and became a pioneer of abstract art in the Middle East. The retrospective charts five decades of her work, reflecting her fascination with mathematics, science and Islamic art. Shahidha Bari reviews. Director Michael Winterbottom talks about The Look of Love, his biopic of Soho entrepreneur Paul Raymond. Steve Coogan portrays the owner of the strip club Raymond's Revue Bar, and the soft porn magazine Men Only. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner discusses his fascination with Bach as he prepares to lead a nine hour marathon of the composer's work at the Royal Albert Hall. In mid-rehearsal, Gardiner explains his attempt to convey the rock and roll of Bach. He also talks about his forthcoming 70th birthday, working with apprentices and the music that saps his energy. Jack the Giant Slayer stars Nicholas Hoult as Jack, a young farm hand who must enter the land of the giants to rescue Princess Isabelle - in an adventure merging two fairy tales, Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer. Sarah Crompton discusses whether this fantasy adventure from X-Men director Bryan Singer hits the mark. The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford has become a licensed wedding venue - couples can now take to the stage and tie in the knot in the Swan Theatre. Professor Michael Dobson, director of the Shakespeare Institute, discusses Shakespeare's attitude to marriage and the weddings in his plays, from Beatrice and Benedick's union in Much Ado About Nothing to Kate's long wait for her groom in The Taming of the Shrew. On the eve of Philip Roth's 80th birthday, another chance to hear part of a rare interview from 2011: the full interview is available on the Front Row website. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Tony Parsons, Miranda Sawyer and La Roux's Elly Jackson discuss David Bowie's music and influence, in the light of his new album The Next Day. As the Victoria and Albert Museum prepares for a major David Bowie retrospective exhibition, John visits the Museum's store-rooms to see sketches, costumes and instruments, drawn from Bowie's personal archive. John's guides are designer Jonathan Barnbrook, who is involved in the exhibition and the new album artwork, and curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh. John also draws on his own archive of interviews with David Bowie, including a recording from 2002 where Bowie discusses his influences, the experience of growing older, and how writing can sometimes be a traumatic experience. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Robbie Williams first came to prominence in the boy-band Take That, and went on to become Britain's most popular solo male artist, selling over 60 million albums worldwide with hits including Angels and Millennium. He reveals that he still wants to be a pop star and create the soundtrack to people's lives, admits that he is thin-skinned when it comes to criticism, and claims that he reveals too much about himself in his lyrics. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. The Jackson brothers are in the UK for a short concert tour. Jackie, Marlon and Tito talk about performing together for the first time in three decades and the early days of the Jackson five, when Michael was a little boy. Anders Lustgarten's new play, If You Don't Let Us Dream, We Won't Let You Sleep, considers what could happen if social care and public health were to be put completely into the hands of commercial companies, and run according to market forces. In keeping with the austerity theme, this production - whose stars include Meera Syal, Damien Molony and Susan Brown - is performed on a bare, stripped-down stage, with minimal props. Author Bidisha gives the critical verdict. Before becoming a novelist, Chris Morgan Jones worked for one of the world's largest business investigations agency, a job he has described as part detective, part spy. He has drawn on his experience of working with Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern governments and New York banks for his new thriller The Jackal's Share. Chris Morgan Jones discusses the rich seam that corporate espionage provides for novelists and how much of the shady underworld in his thriller is based on fact. Producer: Claire Bartleet

With Mark Lawson. Denzel Washington has won an Oscar nomination for his role in the film Flight. He plays an airline pilot who miraculously lands a stricken plane. At first he's hailed as a hero, but then questions start to arise about what actually happened. Denzel Washington reflects on the role, and his long Hollywood career. Manet: Portraying Life is the first major British exhibition of Edouard Manet's portraits - including 50 paintings as well as pastels and photographs from private and public collections from around the world. Novelist A S Byatt reviews. Bryan and Mary Talbot have won the biography category of this year's Costa Book Awards for their graphic memoir Dotter of her Father's Eyes. They discuss working as a husband and wife team and whether talking about work is banned at the dinner table. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Ryan Gosling and Sean Penn star in Gangster Squad, in which the Los Angeles police in the late 1940s battle a mafia boss. Penn plays a ruthless mobster opposite Gosling as an LAPD outsider, who tries to bring order to the streets by breaking the law. Kamila Shamsie reviews. Great Night Out is a new ITV comedy drama which focuses on four childhood friends, who are now in their mid-thirties and enjoy a weekly get-together in Stockport. The cast includes Ricky Tomlinson who plays the landlord of the local pub. Creators Mark Bussell and Justin Sbresni (The Worst Week of My Life) discuss finding humour in male relationships. Today the Royal Opera House is inviting live cameras into the backstage areas never normally visible to audiences. Online viewers can watch multiple rehearsals and interviews, and can even get involved by asking questions and submitting videos of themselves singing Va Pensiero from Nabucco. Opera critic Rupert Christiansen gives his verdict on this experiment in openness. Sally Gardner's book Maggot Moon was the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award and is in the running to receive the Book of the Year award, which is announced later this month. She reflects on the inspiration for her novel, which focuses on a 15-year-old dyslexic boy living in a violent, dystopian 1950s England. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson Digital technology is developing at a rapid pace. John investigates how new technology will shape how we experience culture in the coming year. Andy Serkis, who has recently reprised the role of Gollum in The Hobbit, has been so inspired by the technology behind some of his famous roles, that he has set up a studio to develop the art of performance capture in the UK. Serkis demonstrates the multiple ways in which technology can be used in films and video games. Neil Young explains why his dislike of the compressed sound offered by mp3 recordings has led him to invent his own digital music format, which he hopes will be more representative of a musician's performance. Discussing virtual theatre, art in a digital age and making their predictions for the future are technology writer Bill Thompson, Chair of Artangel and co-owner of Somethin' Else productions Paul Bennun and digital entrepreneur and product designer Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Mark Lawson turns quizmaster to test the cultural knowledge of two teams in the Front Row Quiz of the Year. Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and film-maker Asif Kapadia join team captain Natalie Haynes to compete against actress Maureen Lipman and singer Rumer, under the captaincy of crime writer Mark Billingham. Questions cover a wide range of the year's events, and there's a teasing round of Nordic TV crime drama clips - in their original languages. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Salman Rushdie has written his first ever screenplay, an adaptation of his own Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight's Children. He reflects on condensing the family saga which follows India from Colonialism to Partition, about filming in Sri Lanka, and about the experience of writing his memoir, Joseph Anton. Victoria Wood discusses her TV drama Loving Miss Hatto, in which Francesca Annis and Alfred Molina play real-life concert pianist Joyce Hatto, who died in 2006, and her husband Barrington Coupe. He caused a storm when he hoodwinked the classical music world by releasing recordings by other pianists under his wife's name. It's time for Front Row's Christmas Jukebox: music writers David Hepworth and Rosie Swash join Mark for their annual assessment of the merits of a host of Christmas singles. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Mamma Mia and The Iron Lady director Phyllida Lloyd returns to the stage with a new all-female staging of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It's set in a women's prison and contains a heavy-metal soundtrack. Harriet Walter takes the role of Brutus alongside Frances Barber as Caesar. Writer and critic Bidisha reviews. Playwright Mike Bartlett is known for writing Earthquakes in London, Love Love Love, 13 and for adapting Chariots of Fire into a stage production. His first television drama is The Town - a three part exploration of a young man's return to his home town after a ten year absence. Bartlett talks about writing around the ad breaks, recession drama and balancing champagne glasses on hurdles. John Rutter is one of the best-loved contemporary British composers. He is best known for his choral compositions, especially his carols and Christmas music. He discusses his latest project, composing and arranging music for the harp, and his commission for a piece of music to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Actor Derek Jacobi talks about his new TV series, Last Tango In Halifax, co-starring Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker. He also reflects on moving away from traditional character roles, his desire to appear in a film franchise, and whether he would ever return to the role of King Lear. Crime writer Denise Mina discusses how she has worked on a graphic novel version of Stieg Larsson's best seller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and plans to adapt all three volumes of the Millennium Trilogy - each in two parts. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in police drama End Of Watch. Based around the patrol teams in one of LA's toughest neighbourhoods, South Central, the film chronicles the day-to-day work of Gyllenhaal and his partner (Michael Peña). Naomi Alderman reviews. David Gilmour's concert DVD is being released as an App. Beck's forthcoming work, Song Reader, is to be released in the form of 20 new songs available only as online sheet music. Neil McCormick, author and the Daily Telegraph's chief rock music critic, considers why musicians are finding new ways of bringing their music to listeners. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Alan Bennett's new play People stars Frances de la Tour as a former model living in her family's crumbling stately home. The comedy, staged at the National Theatre, focuses on the future preservation of the house, with options ranging from a heritage site to location hire for a porn film. Writer Kate Saunders reviews. Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov - whose books include Death and the Penguin - talks to Mark about how he was almost seduced by the Writer's Union into being an official writer in the old Soviet Union, why his books might not be considered Ukrainian literature by some, and how he was helped by the protection mafia while trying to sell his books on the streets of Kiev. Director Michael Winterbottom's latest film Everyday was filmed over five years and portrays a family living through a prison sentence, with John Simm as the prisoner and Shirley Henderson as his wife. Their children are very young at the start of the story, but visibly age in the course of the film. Writer and critic Bidisha gives her verdict. The powerful Mughal Empire dominated the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century. The British Library has brought together over 200 objects, including paintings and literature, to create a major exhibition examining the entire reign of the Mughals. Curator Malini Roy discusses what the exhibits reveal. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Kirsty Lang. Sam Mendes, director of the new James Bond film Skyfall, discusses the vital ingredients needed to make a successful 007 adventure, and the art of updating Ian Fleming's classic character for a contemporary audience. Kevin Costner won the Best Actor in a mini-series award at the Emmys this year for his performance in the TV drama Hatfields & McCoys. He's not the only Hollywood star winning acclaim on TV - Claire Danes, Julianne Moore and Jessica Lange all also won Emmys this year for their small-screen work. As Hatfields & McCoys comes to the UK, Sarah Churchwell reviews the programme, and considers the allure of TV for cinema stars. Biographer Tom Reiss discusses the real Count of Monte Cristo: General Alexandre Dumas was an idol of Revolutionary France, famed for his military exploits and physical courage. He inspired the adventure novels The Three Musketeers and The Count Of Monte Cristo, which were written by his son, also called Alexandre. Tom Reiss discusses how General Dumas, the son of a black slave, rose to a position of power, which brought him into conflict with Napoleon. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Comedy performer David Mitchell, best known for his role in Peep Show, discusses his autobiography, Back Story. The book charts events in Mitchell's life through a series of walks through London. He reflects on whether comedians need misery to be funny, his partnership with Robert Webb and his first sketch at a student comedy night. The Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to Chinese writer Mo Yan, whose work has been described as combining "hallucinatory realism" with folk tales, history and contemporary life. John Freeman, the editor of Granta magazine, who recently spent time with the new Nobel laureate in China, assesses his work. Bertie Carvel stars in a new National Theatre production of Damned by Despair, a 17th century Spanish morality tale by Tirso de Molina. Playwright Frank McGuinness has written a new version of the play, which follows the intertwining fates of two strangers. Writer Kate Saunders gives her verdict. Recent screen roles for British actors Damian Lewis and Emma Watson have demanded American accents, and American actors including Dakota Fanning and Maggie Gyllenhall have recently used British accents for parts set in the UK. Voice coach Elspeth Morrison discusses the techniques needed for these transatlantic accent swaps. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Kirsty Lang The plot lines from the BBC political comedy The Thick of It - school breakfast club closures, texting in cabinet meetings and the launch of a community bank - have been an uncannily accurate reflection of recent announcements from our real-life politicians. Kirsty Lang talks to Sean Gray and Ian Martin, both writers on The Thick of It, and wonders if they have been gazing into a crystal ball or have a mole in Westminster. Singer Cerys Matthews gives the verdict on a new Country Music album which celebrates the women who were pioneers in a field previously dominated by men. Matthews, who has lived in Nashville, assesses the influence of artists such as Kitty Wells, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes are set to hit our screens again, this time in the US-produced series Elementary. It comes hot on the heels of Guy Ritchie's films and the BBC TV series Sherlock. Boyd Hilton discusses this latest version, starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as his sidekick Dr. Watson. New Yorker cartoonist Chris Ware discusses his non-linear graphic novel, Building Stories. It comes in the form of a big box containing 14 separate strands of narrative, in different shapes and sizes, which when pieced together in a random order build a picture of a New York Brownstone building and the psychological landscape of its inhabitants. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. In the new sci-fi thriller Looper, time-travel exists, but is illegal and only available on the black market. Organised crime bosses send their victims into the past, to be murdered by a Looper - a hired gun. Bruce Willis plays a successful Looper who is sent back in time to assassinate his younger self, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Writer Matt Thorne reviews. Ashley Jensen, best known for her TV roles in Extras and Ugly Betty, talks about working with Ricky Gervais, relocating to Hollywood, the appeal of her Scottish accent and returning to the stage in Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval, with Rob Brydon and Nigel Harman. The phrase Plan B has entered current debates about the economy - but it's also a London musician, it appears in the title of the latest Van Morrison album and it's the name of a Hollywood production company. Craig Leyland from the Oxford English Dictionary discusses the origins of the phrase, and its many re-appearances. This year - in celebration of the Olympics - the BBC's National Short Story Award has become an International Short Story Award. Front Row has been interviewing the 10 authors shortlisted for the £15,000 prize. Tonight American novelist Adam Ross discusses his story, In The Basement, to be broadcast tomorrow at 3.30pm. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson In Meryl Streep's latest film, Hope Springs, she and Tommy Lee Jones play a middle-aged couple whose marriage has become stale, after more than three decades together. They attend a series of therapy sessions in an attempt to revive their relationship. Writer and critic Gaylene Gould reviews. The work of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood has been brought together in a major exhibition, for the first time in nearly 30 years. The show at Tate Britain aims to display the breadth, influence and radical intentions of the group, and includes major works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt. Rossetti biographer Dinah Roe reviews. Daniel Evans, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, discusses his new production of Macbeth and why he has no fear of saying the play's name. As a new documentary, released today, charts how independent record shops are disappearing from our high streets, David Hepworth recalls the very specific pleasures of hours spent flicking through the racks of LPs and singles. Producer Claire Bartleet.

In a special edition recorded at the Radio 1 Academy in Hackney, Mark Lawson talks to Adrian Lester, star of the BBC TV drama Hustle, who also answers questions from an audience of young actors. Adrian Lester reflects on his career so far, which includes Rosalind in an all-male production of As You Like It, along with leading roles in musicals, television and film. He also offers advice to young people hoping to follow in his footsteps. Their questions cover topics such as how to make a living as an actor, the experience of going to drama school, and what you can learn from sharing a stage with Hollywood stars. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson, We pay tribute to the American writer Gore Vidal who died yesterday, following a seven decade career as novelist - he wrote the best selling Myra Breckenridge, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and political activist. Often associated with high profile feuds, notably with Norman Mailer and John Updike, he also had close associations with J. F. Kennedy's family and Hollywood stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Literary critics Harold Bloom and Christopher Bigsby reflect on the career of Gore Vidal and we here part of an interview he gave to Front Row in 2008. Two Chinese films are released this week - Zhang Yimou's war epic The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale and Ann Hui's moving art-house movie A Simple Life with Chinese super star Andy Lau. Front Row asked cultural commentator David Tse Ka-Shing to take a look at two very different sides to Chinese film. John visits the newly renovated William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, North London - the place of Morris' birth in 1834. The eighteenth century merchant house illuminates all aspects of Morris' work from the design of fabrics, wallpaper and stained glass windows to his social campaigning - against the industrialisation of the Victorian era, and for the preservation of buildings, Epping Forest and the principle of quality in everybody's life. To mark the Olympics, the BBC - in partnership with The Scottish Poetry Library - has selected and recorded a poem representing every country taking part. Each is read by a native of that country who lives here in Britain. Every night during the Olympics, Front Row features one of the poems.Tonight, the British poem - Jim Broadbent celebrates our first gold medals. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Madonna's MDNA world tour arrived in the UK last night, including new live versions of three decades worth of hits, performed with dancers, flying drummers, tightrope walkers, cheerleaders and a Basque folk trio. Rosie Swash assesses whether Madonna still commands the stage. Simon Russell Beale takes the title role in Timon of Athens, in a new National Theatre production of Shakespeare's tale of conspicuous consumption, debt and corruption. Andrew Rawnsley reviews. The World's Two Smallest Humans is the title of the new collection of poetry by Julia Copus. The poems cover a range of subjects from music to the classics, and the collection features a series of personal poems on the subject of IVF, a process Julia Copus underwent without success. Iranian-born Mahan Esfahani gave the first ever harpsichord recital in the history of the BBC Proms last year. This Saturday he returns with The Academy of Ancient Music to perform his own orchestration of Bach's keyboard masterpiece, The Art of Fugue. He talks about collaboration, authenticity and adapting things on the spot. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Mark reports from Bexhill on Sea, as artist Richard Wilson recreates the final scene of the film The Italian Job, balancing a full-sized replica coach on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion. Wilson discusses his inspiration, and the practical problems it poses. Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and Oscar-winning writer of The Social Network, returns to TV with a new drama series, The Newsroom. This behind-the-scenes look at a TV news programme stars Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer. Former BBC news editor Mark Damazer reviews. The Trinidad-born author Monique Roffey was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2010 for her novel The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. Her new book, like her last, is set in the Caribbean and tells the story of a man devastated by the loss of his wife in a flood. In an attempt to escape, he sets off from Trinidad on a boat voyage with his six year old daughter and elderly dog for crew, aiming for the Galapagos Islands. Monique Roffey explains how she herself made just such a voyage as research for the book. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Kirsty Lang, A major Yoko Ono exhibition called To The Light opens this week with art installations, films with soundtracks by John Lennon, a maze and a room in which you're invited to record your smile. Writer Iain Sinclair gives his verdict. Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta Jones star in Stephen Frears' new film comedy, Lay the Favourite, set in the world of Las Vegas sports gambling. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. The British Paraorchestra has been founded by conductor Charles Hazlewood to showcase disabled musicians, aiming to end the limitations placed on them, not by their physical ability but by lack of opportunity. Kirsty attended a rehearsal, to meet members of the orchestra. Pia Juul is a leading Danish literary author whose new book The Murder of Halland opens with a woman answering the door to be greeted with the words 'I am arresting you for the murder of your husband...'. Pia Juul discusses her crime-novel-with-a-difference, and her portrayal of one woman's grief as she comes to terms with her partner's death. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Woody Allen has allowed his life and creative process to be documented on-camera. With unprecedented access, filmmaker Robert Weide followed the notoriously private film legend over a year and a half; discussing topics including his creative choices and response to his critics, the split with Mia Farrow and reveals that when he finished Manhattan he didn't like the film and didn't want it to be shown. Antonia Quirke assesses what we learn about the prolific film maker. American writer Richard Ford's new novel Canada opens in the vast landscape of Great Falls, Montana, in the 1950s, where a young solitary child Dell Parsons' world is turned upside-down when his parents commit a bank robbery. Richard Ford discusses the background to the book, and why readers usually have a five-year wait for his next novel. Two comedies with women in the starring roles are coming to our television screens. Dead Boss was co-written by and stars Sharon Horgan as a woman who has been falsely imprisoned for murdering her boss. Sally Phillips takes the lead in Parents, a sit-com about returning back to the family home, with her own teenage children. Rebecca Nicholson reviews. And, the novelist Joanne Harris and Professor Roger Luckhurst pay tribute to the author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, whose death has been announced. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson John Simm, star of the TV series Life on Mars, reflects on his return to the stage in Sheffield in Betrayal, Harold Pinter's drama of marital infidelity told backwards. Engelbert Humperdinck is aiming for UK Eurovision success with Love Will Set You Free at the contest's final on Saturday. But what about the competition? David Hepworth and Rosie Swash, our Eurovision Jukebox Jury, identify this year's hits and misses. Writer George R.R. Martin discusses his bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the source of the television series Game of Thrones. He admits that the scale of the books has led to some continuity errors, and reveals how far some of his fans are prepared to go when expressing their enthusiasm. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Glenn Close takes the title role in the film Albert Nobbs, the tale of a woman pretending to be man in order to work as a butler in 19th century Dublin. Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville wrote the screenplay. Antonia Quirke reviews. Actor Harry Shearer is known for providing the voices for a number of characters in The Simpsons, including Mr Burns, as well as starring in the 1984 spoof rockumentary This is Spinal Tap. This week he steps into the shoes of Richard Nixon in a new TV comedy-drama Nixon's the One, which reveals what went on behind the scenes, based on an archive of more than 198 hours of recordings made between February 1971 and 1973. Dramatist Robert Holman's triptych of plays Making Noise Quietly has just received a new London production. The Yorkshire-born playwright looks back at a career which goes back to the 1970s, and includes work at the RSC, the National Theatre and in the West End. The BAFTA Television Awards nominations are announced today. Last year's drama series winner Sherlock has received three acting nominations, but is not in contention for a drama award. Gabriel Tate, TV editor of Time Out, discusses the categorisation and selections for the drama prizes. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon co-wrote his latest film in three days. The Cabin in the Woods takes on the seemingly familiar story of five friends staying in a remote cabin where unexpected things happen, and promises surprises. Crime writer Mark Billingham gives his verdict. Clive James found fame as a critic, TV presenter and memoirist, but has also written and published poetry for more than 50 years. He discusses his new collection of verse Nefertiti in the Flack Tower. Two TV shows with high-profile names attached are about to arrive on our screens. Ricky Gervais stars in his new comedy Derek, which is set in an old people's home. The American musical drama Smash is co-produced by Steven Spielberg, and is set behind the scenes of a new Broadway show. Rebecca Nicholson reviews. Madani Younis is the new artistic director of the Bush Theatre, London, a venue with a strong reputation for developing new writers. He discusses his plans and reflects on how his own background shapes his approach to his work. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Mark Lawson talks to leading theatre producers, including Cameron Mackintosh, Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bill Kenwright and Sonia Friedman, about the art of creating a hit show. The theatre impresarios discuss the impact of having a successful show and how long running productions such as Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera changed the theatre industry. Along side the hits, the producers talk about the millions of pounds lost when they have a flop; and they address the criticism that ticket prices are often too high. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Irving Berlin's three daughters reflect on their father's career as one of America's most successful songwriters. They also discuss their inherited responsibilities for his music and the continuing appeal of songs such as Cheek to Cheek and Puttin' On the Ritz, the light of a new UK stage version of the film Top Hat. The National Gallery's new exhibition Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude, features the two paintings Turner donated to the gallery on the strict condition that they be hung alongside two specific paintings by the 17th century Old Master, Claude. The exhibition's curator Susan Foister and art critic William Feaver discuss the conditions and stipulations artists have made about how their work is displayed during their lifetime and beyond. Dramatist Helen Edmundson discusses her new play Mary Shelley, based on the life of the author of Frankenstein. The play centres on the scandalous relationship between Mary Shelley and her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the impact it had on their families. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson, John Adams' controversial opera The Death of Klinghoffer, based on the true story of a hijacked cruise liner in 1985, has just had its first performance at English National Opera in a new production directed by Tom Morris, co-creator of the National Theatre's adaptation of War Horse. Sarah Crompton gives her response to the first night. Award-winning comedian Sarah Millican discusses moving her comedy from the stage to the TV screen, and also reflects on her row with a fan who recorded one of her shows on a mobile phone. In the new comedy film Wanderlust, Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd play an over-stressed couple who leave the pressures of Manhattan to join a freewheeling community where the only rule is 'to be yourself'. Antonia Quirke reviews. Radio 4 is inviting you to nominate New Elizabethans - people who have made an impact on the UK from 1952 to today. This week Front Row is asking writers and artists for their suggestions, and tonight playwright Mark Ravenhill nominates a pioneering theatre director. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Daniel Radcliffe's latest post-Harry Potter project is a film version of Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black, a tale of loss, vengeance and mourning. Daniel Radcliffe looks back at growing up in front of the lens for the Harry Potter films, and discusses the challenges he now likes to set himself as he leaves Harry behind. On the eve of Valentine's Day, conductor Jeremy Summerly offers an alternative classical music playlist for the ups and downs of love. The documentary series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings returns to our TV screens tomorrow night promising to be "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier." The series producer Jes Wilkins, together with producer Osca Humphreys, discuss the pressures of making a second series and meeting audience expectations. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Martha Marcy May Marlene has received very good reviews in the States, and the film's director - first-timer Sean Durkin - won Best Director for it at Sundance last year. The psychological thriller focuses on Martha, played by Elizabeth Olsen - sister of the twins - who escapes from an abusive rural hippie-like cult after two years but has trouble erasing the haunting memories of her past. Jason Solomons reviews. The Aylesbury and Heygate estates in South London have served as the backdrop for countless films and TV dramas over the years, including Spooks, The Bill and Harry Brown. But now residents have had enough and all filming has been banned. John visited the estates to find out more. Best-selling author Anne Rice redefined the vampire genre with her Vampire Chronicles. Now in her new book The Wolf Gift she has turned to werewolves. She explains why the hero of her new book is a werewolf with a difference: he has a sense of morality. Howard Hodgkin owns one of the most important collections of historical Indian art in the world. As the complete collection goes on display for the first time at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, John Wilson talks to the artist. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Madonna makes her feature film debut as director and co-screenwriter of W.E. The film intercuts the love story of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII with a modern-day tale of a woman obsessed by Wallis. A N Wilson reviews. Chad Harbach discusses his debut novel The Art of Fielding, which took him 10 years to write and has been garlanded with praise by some of America's best-known writers. It has been reported that some cinema goers have asked for refunds on finding that the award-winning film The Artist is silent. Lawyer Duncan Lamont discusses the rights of a dissatisfied arts consumer in this and other cases. Crime writer Ian Rankin will give a reading from his first unpublished novel this weekend at the First Fictions festival, organised by Sussex University. He and crime writer Frances Fyfield, who also wrote an unpublished first book, look back on their early efforts, and how their styles have changed. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Two new TV comedies, both with a central female role, begin tomorrow. Stella is a comedy drama written by and starring Ruth Jones as a single mother living in the Welsh valleys. New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel as a teacher who moves into an apartment with three single men, after breaking up with her boyfriend. Rachel Cooke reviews. In the third of three reports on the art of following up a great success, film director Tom Hooper, who won an Oscar for The King's Speech, discusses his next project - a big-screen version of the musical Les Miserables. Annette Bening and Naomi Watts star in the film Mother and Child, which focuses on women whose lives are profoundly affected by adoption. Antonia Quirke reviews. American writer Padgett Powell is not afraid of experimentation. Every single sentence in his novel The Interrogative Mood is a question, and he followed this with You & I, a book written entirely in dialogue between two unnamed people. He discusses his move away from what he describes as 'comfy realism'. Producer Claire Bartleet.

It's the Boxing Day Quiz, as question-master Mark Lawson poses cultural brain-teasers to test the knowledge of two teams. Historian Antonia Fraser, actor Dan Stevens and crime-writer Mark Billingham compete against playwright Roy Williams, comedy performer and writer Natalie Haynes and actor Michael Simkins. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson Two decades after the last series of Only Fools and Horses, Sir David Jason returns to BBC One as the star of a new comedy series. He discusses his role as the incompetent bodyguard of the Queen, his close relationship with Ronnie Barker, and whether he can predict which lines will get the best laugh. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have joined forces again for a second Sherlock Holmes film, directed by Guy Ritchie. In A Game of Shadows, Holmes and Dr. Watson take on their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty. Crime writer Natasha Cooper reviews. Hit or miss? The Front Row Jukebox Jury delivers its verdict on a sackful of this year's festive releases. Music critics David Hepworth and Rosie Swash discuss songs from Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber, the cast of The Only Way Is Essex, Michael Buble, The Killers and many more. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Writer and comedy performer John Cleese reflects on his career, including the rivalries between the Monty Python team, the creation of Fawlty Towers and the film A Fish Called Wanda. He also discusses breaking taboos, morality in comedy and the multi-million dollar divorce settlement which led to his recent show The Alimony Tour. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Kirsty Lang. The first series of The Killing, the 20 part Danish crime drama, was widely acclaimed as a TV highlight of the year. Now Detective Inspector Sarah Lund returns with a new investigation. With a double-bill of the first two episodes of the second series being screened this weekend, writer John Harvey reflects on the appeal of this crime marathon. Perrier Award-winner Sean Hughes reveals why he decided to discuss his father's death in his new stand-up show. The comedian, writer and former Never Mind The Buzzcocks captain considers our reactions to death, and recalls his original route into comedy. The AIDS epidemic of the early 80s in San Francisco is the subject of a new documentary by the film-maker David Weissman. Five individuals who lived through it look back at a period when thousands of their friends were dying of a disturbing and unfamiliar illness. David Weissman discusses why he felt now was the right time to make his film We Were Here. A new bargain box set of music by jazz saxophonist Joe Harriott places him back in the spotlight, almost four decades after his death. Jamaican-born Harriott made Britain his home, and argued strongly that musicians here should not feel overshadowed by American stars. Kevin LeGendre looks back at his career. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. Sir Terence Conran, designer, restaurateur and founder of the Habitat chain, celebrated his 80th birthday last month, and tomorrow sees the opening of a major retrospective at the Design Museum in London. The Way We Live Now explores Conran's impact, legacy and approach to design. He discusses his career from post-war austerity through to the present day, and the moment he first realised British design needed an urgent overhaul. Front Row announces the shortlists for the 2011 Costa Book Awards. The awards recognise the 'most enjoyable' books in five categories - First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - published in the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Gaby Wood of The Daily Telegraph and Alex Clark of The Observer give their response to the shortlisted books and writers. The independent American film Welcome to the Rileys boasts a cast including Oscar winner Melissa Leo, James Gandolfini from The Sopranos, and Kristen Stewart from the Twilight films. She plays a New Orleans stripper befriended by a grieving Gandolfini. Matt Thorne reviews. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Justin Timberlake stars in the sci-fi thriller In Time, set in a world where you die after your 25th birthday unless you can afford to buy more time. Timberlake teams up with a young heiress, played by Amanda Seyfried, to try to destroy the system. Natalie Haynes reviews. David Bowie's influence in the 1970s, his most productive decade, is the focus of a new book by Peter Doggett. He charts how the music developed through the decade, and reflects on why Bowie's difficult background, including the shadow of a 'family curse' of madness, led to pioneering and experimental personas. Singer Adele has had to cancel her tour, after the discovery of a haemorrhage on her vocal cords. It's also the time of year when singers live in terror of getting a cold and being forced to cancel performances. Consultant laryngologist John Rubin, voice coach Mary King and soprano Elizabeth Watts discuss the problems singers face, and how they can avoid them. Two British sit-coms are back for second series. BBC Three's Him and Her, the channel's most successful ever sitcom, returns with unemployed couple Becky (Sarah Solemani) and Steve (Russell Tovey) together in a bedsit. Also returning is E4's PhoneShop, where the staff are determined to beat the downturn. Rebecca Nicholson gives her verdict. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson, including an interview with novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett, whose new TV drama series Top Boy focuses on young drug dealers in Hackney, London. Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals the winners of the first English Heritage Angel Awards, which he founded earlier this year to celebrate the efforts of people attempting to rescue historic buildings or places. He discusses the future funding of restoration projects with Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage. Jack Goes Boating is the directorial debut of the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He also stars in the film as a shy and awkward limousine driver who is set up on a blind date. Andrew Collins reviews. And to mark Halloween, Jeremy Summerly - conductor and lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music - explains how composers create spooky and scary effects in classical music and film scores. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson In a rare interview, singer Johnny Mathis talks about his 55 year career, during which he has sold 350m records. Mathis talks about his operatic vocal training, reveals why he chose music over Olympic high-jumping, and recalls working with the band Chic on a disco album that has never been released. Ewan McGregor and Eva Green star in Perfect Sense, a new film by David Mackenzie, in which a global epidemic begins to deprive people of their sensory perceptions. Critic Kate Muir reviews. Gerhard Richter's work is being exhibited at Tate Modern, in the first major retrospective of the leading German artist in London for over 20 years. The collection spans nearly five decades and coincides with the artist's 80th birthday. Rachel Cooke reviews. Photographer David Bailey revisits the East End of his childhood for his new mixed-media exhibition Hitler Killed The Duck. Bailey has been creating works which mix painting and photography for many decades and these works will be shown in public for the first time. Bailey discusses his passion for paint and those early trips to the local picture house during the war. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Kirsty Lang. Martin Scorsese's latest music documentary focuses on the 'quiet Beatle' George Harrison, with contributors including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Pattie Boyd and Phil Spector. Beatles fan David Hepworth gives his verdict. In February this year a Cultural Olympiad project invited people to contribute a piece of wood with a personal significance to create a 30-foot modern sailing boat. The resulting 7-man boat will sail to the site of the London Olympics next year, and will be a living archive of people's stories and lives. Olympic silver-medalist sailor and boat builder Mark Covell and Gary Winters, the co-founder of the team behind The Boat Project, take Kirsty round the boatyard to see how far the vessel is progressing. Shirley Bassey's rise from poverty to international stardom has been dramatised for BBC Two. The title role is played by rising star Ruth Negga, best known for her role in Misfits, with Lesley Sharp playing Shirley's mother. Music writer Jacqueline Springer assesses this portrayal of the legendary singer. Bridget Nicholls, artist-in-residence at London Zoo, refers to herself as a dating agent: bringing artists and scientists together to work on insect-related projects, such as the Ant Ballet which can be seen at London Zoo next month. Bridget explains how much we have to learn from insects, both scientifically and artistically. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Mark Lawson talks to playwright Arnold Wesker as the National Theatre revives his 1959 play The Kitchen, which is set in a West End restaurant where many nationalities work together. The 79 year old playwright reflects on his career and expresses his frustration that despite constant revivals of his famous plays, such as Roots and Chicken Soup with Barley, nobody will produce his new work. Norwegian mockumentary Troll Hunter plays with fairy-tale myths and explores what happens when three student film-makers accidentally come across the last remaining Troll Hunter. Writer Tibor Fischer reviews. Crime novelist Val McDermid discusses the twists and turns in the relationship between criminal profiler Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan in her 25th novel The Retribution. In this book chilling serial killer Jacko Vance is out of prison and desperately seeking revenge. When Edward Gardner picks up the baton at the Albert Hall this Saturday night, he will be the youngest conductor since Henry Wood himself to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. He discusses the programme and what preparations he's making for the event. Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson. David Hockney this morning announced a major new exhibition of his landscape works, which will open at the Royal Academy next January. The show will focus on his home county of Yorkshire, where he has recently spent six years painting, photographing, filming and creating artworks on his computer tablet. Hockney discusses his love of nature and the landscape in Yorkshire and Los Angeles where he also lives. Mark Kermode is known for his straight-talking approach to films and the way the film industry operates and this forms the basis of his new book The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What's Wrong With Modern Movies? He's live in the studio to discuss the latest cinematic bêtes-noires. Too Big To Fail is a new TV drama about the 2008 financial meltdown in the US, based on the book by Andrew Ross Sorkin, and starring James Woods, William Hurt and Cynthia Nixon. The BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders discusses the art of creating drama from a crisis. Producer Claire Bartleet.