With Kirsty Lang. As more and more of us are bingeing on box-sets and stream programmes via our laptops, Kirsty asks whether we're witnessing the death of the cliff-hanger and water-cooler TV, as predicted by Kevin Spacey in this year's MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. Spacey was the star of The House Of Cards, the first series made by the subscription service Netflix and the first drama ever to be nominated for an Emmy that wasn't show on television. This year also saw the end of Breaking Bad, a word-of-mouth hit that was only available on-line or as a box-set in this country, and further evidence that we may be turning away from traditional television and watching programmes at our own leisure. Producer: Stephen Hughes.

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. This year the shelf of great American authors unexpectedly lengthened when a novel called Stoner by John Williams, forgotten since its first appearance five decades ago, was republished to widespread acclaim. At the same time two neglected novels by Renata Adler received enthusiastic reviews when brought back into print after thirty years and two little known writers, 89 year old James Salter and 76 year old Edith Pearlman, were hailed as newly discovered geniuses. Salter, Pearlman and Adler reflect on literary resurrection and Julian Barnes and Ruth Rendell discuss the comeback of Stoner. Producer: Ellie Bury.

With Naomi Alderman. The last episode of cult TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer was broadcast in Britain ten years ago. At the time, Naomi believed that the show would lead to the creation of a host of other strong and complex female leads - who would inspire young women in the same way Buffy had inspired her. So where are all the "daughters of Buffy"? Naomi explores Buffy's legacy with the help of Buffy's creator Joss Whedon, and with actor Anthony Head, writers Neil Gaiman and Rhianna Pratchett, TV executives Jane Root and Susanne Daniels, and mega-fans Blake Harrison and Bim Adewunmi. Producer: Rebecca Nicholson.

In new interviews, Mark Lawson talks to the people who have had exceptional years in the world of arts, culture and entertainment in 2013, in the second of two special programmes. David Tennant talks about his roles in the two most highly anticipated television events of 2013 - the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special and the final episode of Broadchurch. He discusses which accent he decided on for his roles in The Escape Artist, the Politician's Husband and to play Shakespeare's Richard II on stage. Dame Helen Mirren, who won the Evening Standard Best Actress award for her role in The Audience, talks about playing Queen Elizabeth II for the second time. Olivia Colman remembers the night she won two Bafta Awards, for Accused and Twenty Twelve, and reveals her strategies for avoiding unwanted attention from the paparazzi. Stephen Frears talks about working with Judi Dench and Steve Coogan on his hit film Philomena and why he is drawn to make films about real people and events. Director Clio Barnard won critical acclaim for her second film The Selfish Giant, an adaptation of an Oscar Wilde fairy tale. She discusses taking The Selfish Giant to the Cannes Film Festival and explains why she will always work with children and animals. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson, who in the first of two special programmes, talks to Front Row's People of the Year : our choice of the artists who have made headlines in the world of arts, culture and entertainment in 2013. Tonight's selection is : David Suchet - for his portrayal of the detective Poirot who appeared for the last time this year Zawe Ashton - star of Fresh Meat on Channel 4 Lucy Kirkwood - award winning playwright for "Chimerica" Hilary Mantel - winner of the Costa book of the year for "Bringing Up The Bodies" Marin Alsop - the first woman to conduct Last Night of the Proms Eleanor Catton - youngest winner of the Man Booker Prize The second programme is on Christmas Eve. Producers: Dymphna Flynn and Rebecca Armstrong.

With Kirsty Lang. As Mary Poppins looks forward to its 50th birthday, and a film about the making of the movie, Saving Mr Banks, is tipped for Oscar success, Julie Andrews reflects on a career that has made her an icon for generations of children. She also discusses the emotional impact of no longer being able to sing, and reveals how she plans to entertain audiences on a 2014 tour. Presenter and Python Michael Palin talks to Kirsty about the life and work of painter Andrew Wyeth - the focus of his new television documentary - and explains why costume changes will be the hardest part of the Monty Python reunion tour. Robert Redford stars in All is Lost, a survival film about a man lost at sea, with almost no dialogue or supporting cast. Mark Eccleston delivers his verdict. George Clooney's forthcoming film, The Monuments Men, depicts a group of soldiers tasked with protecting art stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War. In light of this, Major Hugo Clarke of the International Blue Shield - an organisation promoting the protection of art and culture in war zones - John Curtis of the British Museum, and archaeologist Dr Lamia al-Gailani, discuss the importance of training the military to protect cultural heritage during conflict. Producer: Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Ben Stiller directs and stars in the second screen adaptation of the 1939 short story by James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Stiller plays a timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through his daydreams, but when a negative goes missing, his real life takes an adventurous turn. Film critic Gaylene Gould reviews. Actor David Morrissey talks to John about filming on a train with Sheridan Smith for new two-part drama The 7.39, why The Walking Dead decides how long his beard should be, and narrating the audiobook of his namesake's autobiography. As Derry-Londonderry's year as City of Culture comes to an end, Front Row revisits the other cities that were shortlisted for the award. Chris Gribble who runs the Writers' Centre Norwich, Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Hippodrome and Paul Billington, director of Culture and Environment for Sheffield, discuss the experience of being shortlisted, how their city's culture has fared this year, and how their cultural institutions are surviving the arts cuts that have made the headlines in 2013. Adam Smith reflects on the proliferation of text on the small and big screen - from text messages to 3D subtitles. Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

Mark Lawson reviews the new production of Coriolanus. Josie Rourke directs Shakespeare's tragedy of political manipulation and revenge, with Tom Hiddleston making his return to the Donmar Warehouse in London in the title role. Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

With Mark Lawson. Oscar contender American Hustle stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as a pair of con artists who are forced to help the FBI in a huge sting operation, but things go awry when Bale's erstwhile wife, Jennifer Lawrence, gets involved. Critic Antonia Quirke delivers her verdict. It would be hard to miss Mark Gatiss' work over the course of the holiday period. On Christmas day, he makes his directorial debut with The Tractate Middoth and follows it with Ghost Writer, a documentary about M.R. James, who wrote the original story upon which his drama is based. Earlier in the day, there's a chance to catch up on his bio-pic about the beginnings of Dr Who, An Adventure In Space And Time. New Year's Day sees the start of a new series of Sherlock, which Gatiss co-created and takes a supporting role as Holmes' brother, Mycroft. Meanwhile, the actor-writer-director is appearing on stage in London in a new version of Coriolanus. 2013 has been an eventful year in music, bookended by surprise albums from David Bowie and Beyonce and featuring the rise of 17 year old New Zealander Lorde and a chart topping album from Rod Stewart, his first UK number 1 since 1976. For those who are dazzled by the choice, Gemma Cairney, Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Kate Mossman join Mark to give their recommendations for the pop, classical and alternative albums of the year. Producer: Dymphna Flynn.

With Mark Lawson. Ron Burgundy returns in Anchorman 2. Will Ferrell's hirsute newsreader and his crack team of reporters make it to the big-time as they bring their unique brand of newsgathering to New York city. Mishal Husain discusses whether this sequel to the cult comedy has stayed classy. Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical examines the life and death of society osteopath Stephen Ward, a key figure in the 1963 Profumo scandal, who later committed suicide. Lloyd Webber explains the crucial role Front Row played in the musical coming to fruition and discusses his frustration at the secrecy surrounding the events of Ward's trial. It's the battle of the costume dramas this Christmas. From the BBC it's Death Comes to Pemberley, adapted from PD James's follow-up to Pride and Prejudice. Six years after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, the couple are preparing for the annual ball at their magnificent Pemberley home, when the family's peace is shattered by a murder in the estate's woodlands. And from ITV, it's Downton Abbey where it's the summer season and as part of Rose's 'coming out' she is to be presented at Buckingham Palace. Rachel Cooke reviews both. Producer: Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Martin Freeman returns this week as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second film in Peter Jackson's trilogy. He talks to Mark about the physical difficulties of shooting scenes with Ian McKellen's towering Gandalf and how his commitment to the BBC's Sherlock almost cost him the role altogether. Bret Easton Ellis' cult novel American Psycho has been adapted as a new musical starring Matt Smith as Patrick Bateman, the successful Manhattan banker turned serial killer. Dreda Say Mitchell reviews. Mark investigates whether dividing large publishing houses into small imprints improves authors' chances of winning literary prizes. With Editor in Chief of Atlantic Books Ravi Mirchandani. Jeff Park, Front Row's Crime Fiction aficionado, joins Mark to reveal his Christmas round-up of crime books. Jeff's Top Six:- Samurai Summer, by Ake Edwardson The Ghost Riders Of Ordebec, by Fred Vargas Dead Lions, by Mick Herron The Siege, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte The Enigma Of China, by Qiu Xiaolong The Square Of Revenge, by Pieter Aspe Also recommended:- The Late Monsieur Gallet, by Georges Simenon The Good Suicides, by Antonio Hill The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household A Conspiracy Of Faith, by Jussi Adler-Olsen The Scent Of Death, by Andrew Taylor Death Of A Nightingale, by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis Producer: Timothy Prosser.

John Wilson is in Salford for the unveiling of this year's Front Row neon artwork. The artwork was established in 2011 to celebrate the presence of the BBC in the north and involves a cultural luminary supplying a word in their handwriting to be rendered in neon. The writer and comedian Victoria Wood is the guest artist for the 2013 artwork and joins John to switch it on. Singer-Songwriter Sam Smith is the winner of this year's Brits Critics' Choice award. He follows Adele, Florence & the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Emeli Sandé, and Tom Odell, who have also won the award in previous years. Earlier this year, Smith's collaboration with the much in demand record producer Naughty Boy led to the number one hit single La La La. Smith talks to John Wilson about what the award means to him and why he's looking forward to 2014. Moonfleet is a new television family drama starring Ray Winstone and Phil Daniels as members of a gang of smugglers. Adapted by Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes), from the John Meade Falkner novel, the story is set in a small Dorset village called Moonfleet and follows the gang in their attempt to find a lost diamond. The writer Flic Everett reviews. The Imperial War Museum North has just unveiled a World War I painting that hasn't been seen in public for almost a century. Ypres, 1915 was an Imperial War Museum commission for the museum's first home in Crystal Palace. Damaged by water, the huge painting by Gilbert Rogers - it's more than three metres high and 4 metres wide - remained in storage for decades. It's now been restored and put on view to mark the start of the museum's First World War centenary programme. John takes a look at the painting in the company of curator Jenny Wood. Producer: Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson Alan Bennett gives his reaction as his drama The History Boys is named the nation's favourite play by the English Touring Theatre's 21st Anniversary poll. A forthcoming two-part television drama, starring Jim Broadbent and Luke Evans, is going to show both sides of the 1963 Great Train Robbery. Firstly from the point of view of the criminals and then of the police who tracked them down afterwards. Written by Chris Chibnall, creator of the hit TV series Broadchurch, the two dramas are timed for the 50th anniversary of the crime - a raid on a Royal Mail train that netted the then-record haul of £2.6m. Crime writer NJ Cooper reviews. Terry Pratchett's 40th Discworld novel brings the wonders of steam-power to Ankh-Morpork when enterprising young Dick Simnel builds a steam engine. It's 30 years since Terry Pratchett began writing about Discworld, and he talks to Mark about how the ideas for stories appear, what he does with these ideas if they aren't quite ready to be put into a book, and how he and his assistant Rob Wilkins have been teaching Terry's voice-activated software to recognise some of Discworld's more unlikely names. The Duck House is a new political satire focusing on the 2009 Expenses Scandal. Labour MP Robert Houston, played by Ben Miller, is planning to escape defeat in the next election by defecting to the Tory party when the scandal breaks. Houston must try to persuade the Tories he is squeaky-clean while trying to hide the duck house he put on expenses. Political journalist Andrew Rawnsley reviews. Produced by Ella-mai Robey.

With Mark Lawson. Front Row's annual Christmas Jukebox returns with music writers Rosie Swash and David Hepworth joining Mark to assess the various candidates in this year's festive single line-up, and advise on which are 2013's Christmas crackers. As a short story by Stieg Larsson is published for the first time, Mark talks to Larsson's friend John-Henri Holmberg, who has edited a collection of Swedish crime stories, A Darker Shade, which also features the first work of fiction by Larsson's partner Eva Gabrielsson to be published in English. Howard Brenton's latest work Drawing the Line at the Hampstead theatre is set on the Indian sub-continent during Partition in 1947. Kamila Shamsie reviews the play in which Cyril Radcliffe, with no knowledge of India or expertise in cartography, is set the daunting task of drawing the new border. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang Derren Brown's latest television show sees the illusionist attempt to teach a group of senior citizens how to steal a valuable painting from a gallery in broad daylight. Derren tells Kirsty why he chose to focus on an art theft, and also explains his reason for choosing senior citizens to pull it off. Metro Manila, a low-budget thriller set in the Philippines and shot entirely in the Austronesian language of Tagalog, was last night named British independent film of the year. Its director, Sean Ellis - who had to re-mortgage his home to fund the film - picked up the Best Director prize. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews the film, and considers the extraordinary story behind it. Kirsty talks to MJ Delaney about her first feature film, Powder Room. Adapted from a play, When Girls Wee, it follows a group of young women during a night out clubbing. Set mostly in the ladies' room, Sam (Sheridan Smith) is down on her luck and thinks everyone's happier than she is, so she pretends to be something she isn't. MJ made her name as the director of Newport State Of Mind, a music video parody of a Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song, Empire State Of Mind, which went viral in 2010. Author Eimear McBride talks about her debut novel, A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing, which recently won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize. The book is an experimental work - the story of an Irish girlhood told by an un-named narrator - and it was completed nine years ago, but Eimear struggled to find a publisher for it. She discusses trying to create a new sort of fiction - between the language of James Joyce and the silence of Samuel Beckett - and explains why she believes publishers should take more chances with challenging fiction. Producer: Rebecca Nicholson.

With Kirsty Lang. Lenny Henry pays tribute to Nelson Mandela and discusses the role that musicians and comedians played in the movement to free him. Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz talk about their retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Fraser is one of the UK's best-known disabled performers and Muz is one of New York's most famous burlesque artists. They met whilst performing at a Freak show on Coney Island and their love story entwines with that of Beauty and the Beast. Lesley Manville discusses her acting career and her two new productions, Ghosts on stage and The Christmas Candle on film. Jason Solomons reviews Fill The Void, a new Israeli film about an arranged marriage. Producer: Stephen Hughes.

With John Wilson. Daniel Radcliffe's latest project is playing the young Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. Based on a true story, the film follows a 17-year-old Ginsberg as he starts at Columbia University in 1944. A murder draws him together with Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs and leads to the birth of the Beat Generation. Writer and critic Michael Carlson gives his verdict. Writers Alex Clark and Danny Kelly discuss which of this year's best-selling autobiographies have the X-factor, judging the works of Morrissey, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jennifer Saunders by artistic impression, revelations, scores settled and sexual content. Singer John Newman first attracted attention for his vocal on Rudimental's hit single Feel the Love last year. He followed that success this year when both his debut single Love me Again and debut album Tribute topped the UK charts. He reveals where the raw emotion on his album comes from and discusses the challenge of writing a follow-up. This year's National Theatre Christmas show is an adaptation of Erich KÃstner's classic children's novel Emil and the Detectives. Detective novelist and critic Stephanie Merritt was at the first night and gives her response. Producer: Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Last night Jude Law took to the London stage as Henry V in Michael Grandage's final play in his current West End season. Law, who previously played Hamlet under Grandage's direction, performs a paired-down text in a simple stage setting. Rachel Cooke was at the first night last night and gives her response. As the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls prepares to play a 'short but difficult' Schumann piano piece at a charity event this weekend, music critic Norman Lebrecht considers other politicians who have stepped up to the mic for a musical performance. David Steel, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Silvio Berlusconi are just a few who've performed in public, but is it always a good idea? Atiq Rahimi talks about his film, The Patience Stone, adapted from his award-winning novel of the same name. A powerful tale of one woman's resolve to break free from silence and oppression, he reveals the influence behind the story, and discusses the difficulties of turning his novels into films. The "...Up" series of documentaries, revisiting the same diverse group of children every 7 years began in Britain in 1964, with the original children reaching 56 in the most recent series. The format has also been adopted all over the world and tonight ITV broadcasts the most recent South African version, with the participants now aged 28. Gabriel Tate reviews the programme. Producer: Ellie Bury.

Nebraska is the latest road movie from Alexander Payne, the director of oenophile comedy Sideways. In Nebraska, Bruce Dern plays an ageing father who takes a trip with his son across the mid-west to pick up a million-dollar prize. Critic Leslie Felperin delivers her verdict. Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday and Julie Andrews have all appeared on the London stage this year, in one-woman shows performed by Cush Jumbo, Nina Kristofferson and Sarah-Louise Young respectively. The three actresses reflect on the pitfalls of dedicating a show to a beloved performer, and how it feels to have a close friend of that performer make themselves known in the audience. Philomena director Stephen Frears reveals the part he played in one of this year's surprise hits in publishing, Love, Nina, a nanny's account of family life by Nina Stibbe. Investigative journalist John Pilger turns his gaze on his home country of Australia and the treatment of indigenous people, in his latest documentary Utopia. He tells Mark about the reception he is expecting down under. Producer: Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. The RSC's stage adaptations of Hilary Mantel's bestselling novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are currently in rehearsal before their sell-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon. Hilary Mantel and Mike Poulton, who has adapted the novels, discuss the challenges of transposing such vast and densely populated books to the stage. Critics Catherine Bray and Adam Smith review Oldboy, Spike Lee's re-make of the Korean revenge drama, and discuss how it compares with other Hollywood versions of foreign-language dramas. The historic department stores Liberty of London and Bergdorf's in New York come under the spotlight this week. A three-part Channel 4 documentary series goes behind the scenes at Liberty's, while a new film Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's hears from leading figures in the fashion world about the profile of the family-run store. Finance writer Lucy Kellaway reviews both. Producer: Jerome Weatherald.

John Wilson gets a sneak preview of the latest Coronation Street set at its new home in Salford Quays. He talks to the series creator Tony Warren, Executive Producer Kieran Roberts, and Weatherfield local Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls). As their controversial new show "Come and See" opens at the Sackler Serpentine Gallery in London, visual artists Jake and Dinos Chapman discuss their attitude to their subject matter and their sometimes difficult relationship with their audience. French director François Ozon's latest film, "Jeune et Jolie", is about a 17-year-old girl exploring her sexuality by becoming a high-class call girl. Novelist MJ Hyland delivers her verdict. And as previously unpublished JD Salinger stories see the light of day, John asks why some authors want their work to remain under wraps until long after their death. Producer: Ekene Akalawu.

With John Wilson. Ian Rankin talks to John about the latest investigation by his much-loved detective, John Rebus - who has returned to the Edinburgh CID, but at a lower rank. The story is set amidst the current reform to the structure of the Scottish police - and Rebus finds himself in the middle of a culture clash between his fellow old-hands, and younger officers who use social media and what Rebus calls "touchy-feely policing methods". The Bible is an epic, 10 hour mini-series that dramatises the Old and New Testaments - from Genesis to Revelation. Each episode is action-packed: the first one, for example, includes Eden, Noah, Abraham and Isaac, and Moses parting the Red Sea. Natalie Haynes considers whether the series has mass-appeal, or is strictly for viewers interested in religion. The Beatles, David Bowie and Pink Floyd have all had their music mixed in the studio by legendary producer and engineer Ken Scott. He discusses working in Abbey Road, why The Beatles' White Album proved to be pivotal in his career, and the techniques he developed to create a distinctive sound. Stephen Shore is a pioneer of contemporary photography; after developing his style at Andy Warhol's Factory in the 1960s, he was the first living artist to have a solo exhibition of colour photography at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York. Shore continues to focus on the everyday subject matter that brought him attention - open highways, motel interiors, pedestrians and plates of food - but now works in Hebron, Abu Dhabi and Ukraine. Shore discusses his new exhibition, Something + Nothing, which shows his newer photographs side-by-side with work from the 1970s. Producer: Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. The winner of the 25th William Hill Sports Book of the Year is announced live on Front Row from the ceremony in London. The books by the six authors shortlisted for the £25,000 prize cover genetics in sport, Lance Armstrong's doping, international football, rowing, Hitler's Berlin, corruption in cricket, and a racehorse doping gang. The shortlist in full (alphabetically by author's surname): The Boys In The Boat: An Epic True-Life Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin by Daniel James Brown The Sports Gene: What Makes The Perfect Athlete by David Epstein Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket's Underworld by Ed Hawkins I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Lagercrantz and Ruth Urbom Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang by Jamie Reid Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh Mark talks to choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh, who is renowned for dance creations of visceral energy. This autumn tbe Southbank Centre celebrates her company's 25th anniversary. The French writer Marcel Pagnol is best-known for the 1986 screen adaptations of two of his books: Jean De Florette and Manon Des Sources. Actor Daniel Auteuil shot to fame in both films, and he's now directing Pagnol's Marseille trilogy: Marius, Fanny Et César. Fanny and Marius are released this week. Novelist Kamila Shamsie reviews. Producer: Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson. Front Row announces the shortlist for each category for this year's Costa Book Awards. Critics Sam Leith and Gaby Wood discuss the books nominated in the novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's book categories and respond to the choices of books and writers. Comedian Russell Brand talks about the ideology behind his new tour The Messiah Complex - including why he is calling for a revolution. Brand also discusses whether there are limits to what he will tackle on stage, and how performing in Turkey made him re-evaluate how much he talks about sex while performing. Brian de Palma's 1976 horror movie, Carrie, was the first of Stephen King's books to be turned into a film. It was a box-office success - and its two female stars, Sissy Spacek as Carrie and Piper Laurie as her mother, were both nominated for Oscars. Now Carrie has just been remade, with Chloë Grace Moretz stepping into Sissy Spacek's shoes - but is it as scary as the original? Film critic Matt Thorne reviews. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

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 Kirsty Lang. Morecambe and Wise are remembered and revived in a new stage production called Eric And Little Ern, which follows on from a TV biopic of the double-act, a one-man show about Eric Morecambe, and the award-winning The Play What I Wrote. The writers and stars of this latest homage, Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens, discuss the reasons for the comedians' enduring appeal. Performance poet and rapper Kate Tempest won this year's Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry for Brand New Ancients, an hour long spoken story depicting the intertwining lives of two families. As she begins a tour which will take the show all over the country, she explains who the Brand New Ancients are and reveals the play that changed her life. James Bond producers found themselves embroiled in a legal dispute with Kevin McClory - a co-writer of the 1965 film Thunderball - over who invented the cat-stroking supervillain Blofeld. As a result, the character was left on the shelf for 30 years but with news that the relevant rights have been acquired from the McClory estate, it looks like our most famous screen villain could be given a new lease of life. To reflect on the character of Blofeld and why he has become so ubiquitous in popular culture, journalist Stephen Armstrong came to the rescue. And 50 years after his death, the Chronicles of Narnia writer CS Lewis has been honoured with a memorial stone in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, explains how the selection process works. Produced by Ella-mai Robey.

With Kirsty Lang. The artist Peter Blake's new exhibition Under Milk Wood is the culmination of a 25-year project, in which he's created a series of illustrations, portraits, watercolours, and photographs based on Dylan Thomas's 'play for voices'. Peter Blake looks back over his ambitious project and discusses his fascination for Thomas's celebrated work. A new film documentary, Leviathan, provides an insight into the harsh world of North Atlantic commercial fishing. With no narration, little dialogue, and long lingering shots of life aboard a fishing vessel, the film has divided audiences. Documentary film maker Molly Dineen gives her response. Iain Sinclair and Professor Jeffrey Richards tell the story of the chequered history of Gaslight, Thorold Dickinson's adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's play, which was suppressed by a Hollywood studio when it bought up the rights. Legend has it that the film only survives now because the director smuggled out a copy under the cloak of darkness. Sarah Ruhl's play In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) was nominated for three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize after its initial Broadway run in 2009. Opening tonight at the St James Theatre in London, the play shows how 19th Century medicine used the female orgasm as a cure for hysteria, and how the invention of electricity transformed the treatment. Sarah Ruhl discusses the inspiration for the play and reflects on why it has been a hit in some surprising locations. Producer: Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. As the first part of her autobiography is published, actress Anjelica Huston discusses her unconventional childhood with her father, film director John Huston, and why he encouraged her to roll cigars and drink sherry as a child, and what a Samurai warrior was doing in her kitchen. Hull has been named as UK City of Culture 2017, beating competition from Swansea Bay, Leicester and Dundee. John Godber, playwright and former Artistic Director of Hull Truck Theatre Company, and writer and journalist David Mark discuss Hull's historic and contemporary cultural significance. Lawrence Fox and Imogen Stubbs star in a new stage version of Strangers on a Train by Craig Warner, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, and famously filmed by Hitchcock. Critic Peter Kemp was at the opening night. Turner & the Sea at the National Maritime Museum claims to be the first full-scale examination of J.M.W. Turner's lifelong fascination with the sea. The exhibition features 120 works by Turner and his contemporaries, including The Fighting Temeraire. Art critic Charlotte Mullins gives her response to this latest Turner show. Producer: Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Blue Is The Warmest Colour won the top prize, the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, but was quickly mired in controversy when the actresses Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopolous complained about gruelling love scenes which took days to film. Subsequently, the director Abdellatif Kechiche said that the movie should not be released, as it had been sullied by accusations that it was a "horrible" shoot. Briony Hanson, a former programmer of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival delivers her verdict. Last Tango in Halifax won the 2013 Bafta for Best Drama Series and went on to be broadcast in America to great acclaim. Series two begins tonight on BBC One and picks up where we left Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid's reunited childhood sweethearts. Writer Sally Wainwright discusses how she approached the follow-up. With news today that film producers are to make a sequel to the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life", film critic Mark Eccleston explores some other surprising and unlikely film sequels. Writer Jez Butterworth and director Ian Rickson had one of the biggest critical hits of the last decade with their 2008 play Jerusalem. Now they have returned to the work which set light to their careers in 1995, Mojo. The new West End production of Mojo stars Rupert Grint, Brendan Coyle and Ben Whishaw as gangsters in 1950s Soho. Jez Butterworth and Ian Rickson discuss Mojo, Jerusalem and two decades of working together. Producer: Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. The Hunger Games : Catching Fire is the second adaptation of Suzanne Collins' runaway bestselling trilogy of novels. Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen in the post-apocalyptic state of Panem, where the Hunger Games are a televised fight to the death between teenagers. Rosie Swash gives her verdict. The realities of the modern political world come under scrutiny in Michael Ignatieff's new book Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics. The Canadian academic, writer and broadcaster shelved his university career to enter politics, becoming leader of the country's Liberal Party in 2008. On the line from Toronto - where the city's controversial mayor is fighting for political survival - Ignatieff reflects on his bruising electoral defeat and what he learnt on the front line of 21st century politics. Adrian Lester, Rory Kinnear and Lucy Kirkwood were among the winners at last night's Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Mark spoke to the night's winners as they reflected on the past year on stage. Tate Britain re-opens today after a major refurbishment. The Duveen galleries are hosting works by Alison Wilding, one of Britain's foremost sculptors known for her inventive approach to form and materials. She tells Mark about making a model of one of her pieces - Harbour - from a piece of cheese before working it in alabaster, and how she'll stop schoolchildren touching her work if she spots them. Following the announcement of the death of Doris Lessing on 17 November we pay tribute with an excerpt from a Front Row interview in 2008, where she talks about the effect of winning the Nobel Prize for literature on the sales of her books. Producer: Dymphna Flynn.

With Kirsty Lang. Borgen is the Danish political drama that became an unexpected hit for the BBC when the first series aired in 2012. Now back on our screens with the third and potentially final series, creator Adam Price discusses why it was so important for the central character of the Prime Minister to be female and why Danish television has taken the world by storm in recent years. Jason Manford's career has taken him from stand-up to prime time presenter to singer, after winning TV talent show Born to Shine. Currently touring a new comedy show, Manford discusses entertaining the troops in Afghanistan, his scientific evaluation of his performances and, following his departure from The One Show, reflects on the roller coaster nature of fame. Collider, a new exhibition at The Science Museum, takes visitors into the heart of the biggest scientific experiment of our time, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Through the use of performance, music and video installations, the exhibition explains the discovery of the Higgs boson. Kirsty Lang takes a first look inside Collider and meets the curator, designer and particle physicists who have worked out how to convey the complex scientific concepts involved. Jude Law plays the title role in Dom Hemingway, a film about a London gangster looking to get compensation for spending twelve years in prison. Richard E. Grant co-stars as Hemingway's devoted best friend and side kick Dickie. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson Author Donna Tartt discusses her long-awaited third novel, The Goldfinch. Like her previous books, The Secret History and The Little Friend, The Goldfinch has taken Tartt a decade to write. The plot centres around the theft of a priceless painting, the goldfinch of the title, which is stolen from a museum after a horrific bombing in the opening chapters. Donna Tartt talks about the long gestation period for her novels, and how studying Greek tragedy informed the book's structure. Actor Forest Whitaker discusses his starring role in The Butler, a film inspired by the real-life story of a White House butler who served during seven presidential administrations. Through the eyes of the butler and his family, the film follows the changing tides in American politics and race relations - from the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the Black Panthers, and Watergate. The Pet Shop Boys' latest single is called Thursday. David Quantick considers which days of the week are the least-loved, by songwriters. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

John Wilson talks to the fashion designer Paul Smith, on the eve of a major exhibition of his work and influences at the Design Museum, London. Natalie Haynes reviews The Counsellor, a film about drug dealers on the US / Mexico border, starring Cameron Diaz, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Penelope Cruz, with an original screenplay by Cormac McCarthy. As the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II, starring David Tennant, is streamed live to cinemas across the UK tonight, Lorne Campbell, artistic director of Northern Stage in Newcastle and Tom Morris from Bristol Old Vic debate the effect that live screening has on regional theatre. Johnny Cash biographer Robert Hilburn was the only journalist to witness the Folsom Prison Concert in 1968. He talks to John Wilson about Cash's troubled life and career. Producer Timothy Prosser.

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. Bryan Adams - best known as a musician and singer songwriter - also works as a professional photographer. For the past five years, Adams has been taking photographs of British war veterans who have suffered life changing injuries. The series of photographs has been published in a new book "Wounded: The Legacy of War". Bryan Adams discusses working with injured soldiers and his aim to show the effects of war. Mark interviews the Chinese pianist Lang Lang, as he releases a new disc of music by Prokofiev and Bartok, with conductor Sir Simon Rattle. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, two new films revisit the 22nd November 1963. Parkland, staring Zac Efron, Paul Giamatti and Marcia Gay Harden, focuses on people who were unexpectedly caught up in events - including hospital staff and the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald. In the TV documentary The Day Kennedy Died, key witnesses, including the doctor who tried to save Kennedy's life, offer their version of events. Michael Goldfarb and Diane Roberts review both films. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With John Wilson. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch survived Auschwitz by playing the cello in the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra. After the war she joined the English Chamber Orchestra and her son is the renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch. On Sunday they both take part in a concert in Vienna marking the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch's reflects on her time in the prison camp, described in her memoir Inherit the Truth, which is republished this week. Gary Barlow discusses why it has taken him 14 years to produce a new solo record, how it felt to be dropped from his record label after Take That split, and what he thinks of criticism of The X Factor. A new British Library exhibition, Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain makes the case that the Georgians were the architects of modern Britain, introducing many of the interests and pursuits that endure today. Historian Amanda Vickery reviews. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Kirsty Lang Kirsty talks to actors Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan as they play the roles of Jeeves and Wooster in a new stage version of one of P G Wodehouse's much-loved books. The architect Frank Gehry, whose Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles feature the undulating metallic curves for which he has become known, opens a new exhibition of his work this week. Frank Gehry discusses his new sculptures, a series of artworks based on fish, a recurrent motif in his art and architecture, as well as his designs for the new development at Battersea Power station in London. Stanley Spencer's masterpiece is a series of murals he painted in a small chapel in the Hampshire countryside. The paintings depict his life on the Salonika front during World War I, but concentrate on the domestic rather than the combat, on doing the laundry and eating jam sandwiches. The murals have now been removed while the chapel is undergoing restoration and is on show in London and then Chichester. The artist's biographer, Fiona MacCarthy, tells Kirsty about the story behind the paintings. This week a Swedish cinema announced that it was going to rate movies according to the Bechdel Test, in which movies get an A rating for gender equality if they have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. Melissa Silverstein, the founder of the influential Women And Hollywood website, tells Kirsty why she thinks this is just the start of a conversation we need to have about in women in film. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. Zadie Smith discusses her new story The Embassy of Cambodia which is 69 pages long, and focuses on Fatou, a young African immigrant in Willesden, north-west London, who flees hardship in her own country only to face a different set of challenges in her new life. Lady Gaga's third album Artpop is released in the UK next week. Gaga's recent performance on The X Factor to promote the album attracted hundreds of complaints about its explicit nature. Meanwhile Lorde, a 16-year-old from New Zealand, has topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic singing about the glamorous world of pop that at once attracts and alienates teens. Kitty Empire discusses both singers' albums. nut is the new play by Olivier award-winning playwright debbie tucker green, whose previous plays include born bad and random. It follows a character called Elayne and those closest to her over one day in contemporary London. Shahidha Bari reviews. And with news that the actor David Morrissey will voice the audiobook of the singer Morrissey's Autobiography, Front Row reports on an expanding market and wonders why certain actors are cast for certain books, and what part consumer preference plays. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Seduced and Abandoned is a new documentary made by the actor Alec Baldwin and the writer/director James Toback. The film was shot in Cannes and depicts the difficulties faced by filmmakers trying to find funding for their projects, with contributions from Ryan Gosling and Diane Kruger. Ryan Gilbey reviews this movie about the movie business. In Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year 11 authors have been commissioned to write short stories about the 11 Doctors. It was announced today that the final author in the series is Neil Gaiman who has written a story about Matt Smith's Doctor, called Nothing O'Clock. He talks to Mark about creating his own villain and why Margaret Thatcher makes a cameo appearance. As Channel Four receives complaints about the latest joke about Prince Harry's social life, we ask media lawyer Duncan Lamont about the use of irony as a defence - when is a joke not a joke, in terms of fictional wisecracks about real people. Californian soprano Angel Blue, a former model, is an award-winning opera singer, recently performing at the Wigmore Hall in London. Angel Blue discusses singing with Plácido Domingo, how she prepares for a performance, and her former life as a beauty queen. Today the world of academia reports that translators of Beowulf have misinterpreted the opening line of the epic poem for at least 200 years. Translator Amanda Hopkinson looks at accidental and deliberate mistranslations as well as untranslatable phrases in literature. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Mark Lawson, including an interview with critic and writer Hermione Lee about her new biography of Penelope Fitzgerald, who published her first novel at the age of 60, and won the Booker Prize with her book Offshore at the age of 63. With the news of a massive find of Nazi looted art in a Munich flat this weekend, Mark speaks to art critic Bill Feaver and Head of Collections at the Berlin Jewish Museum Inka Bertz about the connection to the 1937 "Entartete Kunst" - the Degenerate art exhibition in Berlin which included work by Picasso, Paul Klee, Kandinsky and Nolde. J J Abrams, the creator of TV series Lost, discusses his latest work - S - a novel where the writing is not just between the lines but in the margins and in scraps of paper embedded between the pages. S tells the story of a book written by a mysterious author and two of its readers who correspond to each other via its yellowing pages. Abrams talks of its conception and why he handed the project to novelist Doug Dorst, while he worked on Star Trek and the new Star Wars movies. Fresh Meat returns to our screens tonight, joining the students at the beginning of their second year at university. John Yorke, former head of EastEnders and author of Into the Woods: A Five Act Journey into Story, joins Mark to reflect on how TV has used the passage of time to bolster plots and storylines. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Kirsty Lang. The British rapper Tinie Tempah became a global sensation in 2010 with his debut album, winning the 2011 Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act. As he releases his second album, Demonstration, Tinie reflects on his fear of selling out, his support for the royal family and why he mentions Prince Harry, Jeremy Clarkson and Stephen Fry in his songs. Rosie Boycott reviews the Chilean film Gloria, which stars Paulina Garcia as a divorced woman in her late 50s who goes in search of romance. Garcia won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. Ballet star Carlos Acosta has written his first novel, Pig's Foot, which is the story of one family set against the backdrop of Cuban history from slavery to the present. He discusses why he is turning from ballet to literature. At the height of his success, novelist Dennis Wheatley sold over 50 million copies of his books worldwide in 28 languages, luring readers in with titles such as The Devil Rides Out and To The Devil A Daughter. Since his death in 1977, his fame and readership have declined. As a selection of Wheatley's books is re-published, Matthew Sweet considers the reasons for his rise and fall - and whether he will rise again. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With John Wilson. David Beckham talks about being a photographic muse - and of what's it's been like, living his life in front of a camera-lens. Singer-songwriter Graham Nash found fame with The Hollies and then with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He's just published his memoirs and reflects on his upbringing in Salford and how his childhood was affected by his father's prison sentence. He also describes the unique harmonies created through his friendship with David Crosby and Stephen Stills - and his thorny relationship with Neil Young. Guitarist Brian May, founder member of Queen, also has a life-long passion for Diableries, 19th century French cards with 3D views of the underworld printed on them. He and fellow-enthusiast Denis Pellerin explain how these gothic images became hugely popular, and how Brian developed a modern day stereoscope in order to view them. A new dramatisation of Dracula arrives on TV for Halloween, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. This version sees the count posing as an American industrialist who arrives in England claiming he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life, centuries earlier. Antonia Quirke reviews. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Joan Collins on her new memoir, picking the wrong husbands, not giving away her age, and why she wasn't the first choice for the now iconic role of Alexis Colby in Dynasty. The first major UK exhibition of 17th Century artist Giovanni Castiglione is opening this week at Buckingham Palace. Castiglione led a turbulent and violent life, but he was an innovative artist who invented the technique of monotype which is still used by artists such as Tracey Emin, whose works can be seen alongside Castiglione in Gifted: From the Royal Academy to The Queen. The work of crime writer Ian Rankin and the late Irish musician Rory Gallagher is paired up on a new concept compilation album - which features a story inspired by music which was in turn inspired by crime fiction. Ian Rankin and Rory's brother, Donal discuss the project with Mark. Indie film Drinking Buddies explores the relationship between two brewery co-workers who seem perfect for each other - except they're both in relationships with other people. All the dialogue is improvised. Rosie Swash reviews.

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. Sandra Bullock, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2010, is now tipped for Oscar success again for her role in Gravity, in which she plays a medical engineer lost in space. She considers the demands of the part, which involves relatively little dialogue and the illusion of weightlessness. Few musicians experience the success enjoyed by Leonard Bernstein, acclaimed as a charismatic conductor as well as a composer whose work includes West Side Story. Now a 600 page collection of his letters offers a chance to re-assess his life, as revealed in correspondence with family members, numerous high-profile fellow musicians and cultural figures. Nicholas Kenyon, managing director of the Barbican Centre, London, gives his verdict. Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall star in a new Broadway production of Harold Pinter's play Betrayal - the latest staging of a work which has received several high-profile revivals since its premiere in 1978. Theatre critic Dominic Maxwell reflects on Betrayal's popularity, and discusses the plays and musicals which have enjoyed the most new productions in recent years. Film-maker Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather trilogy, has described his position now as 'like a retired businessman - but rather than play golf, I've decided to make art films instead.' As Coppola's latest film goes straight to DVD in the UK, Andrew Collins looks at the artists who have chosen to retire - but then can't resist a come-back. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Kirsty Lang Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love spent nearly 200 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list and was made into a film starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem. Elizabeth talks to Kirsty about returning to fiction for her new book The Signature of All Things, a story which spans the 18th and 19th centuries and sees its heroine, botanist Alma Whittaker, travel from Philadelphia to Tahiti and Amsterdam in search of answers, adventure, and love. James Corden stars as Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts in the biopic One Chance. The film also stars Julie Walters as his mother Yvonne and is directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me). Larushka Ivan-Zadeh went to find out whether it matters that James Corden had to lip-sync to Paul's vocals. Robert Webb and Tamzin Outhwaite star in Raving, a new play about competitive parenting and middle class status anxiety by Simon Paisley Day. Critic Viv Groskop delivers her verdict. This week Qatar's Sheikha Al-Mayassa was deemed to be the most powerful person in the art world, topping The ArtReview Power 100 list. The sheikha and her family are estimated to spend more than £600 million per year on art. But do the tastes of the big art buyers influence what kind of art is produced? Art market watcher Sarah Thornton reflects on the impact of the new international tastemakers. Produced by Ella-mai Robey.

With Kirsty Lang. From Here To Eternity is given the musical treatment by Sir Tim Rice, the lyricist who gave us Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, with Pop Idol contestant Darius Campbell in the role of Sergeant Milt Warden, memorably played by Burt Lancaster in the film adaptation. Critic Jason Solomons delivers his verdict. Earth, Wind And Fire, the American group behind hits September, Let's Groove and Boogie Wonderland in the late '70s, have just released their first studio album in eight years. Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson, the three core members of the group - its founder Maurice White is no longer performing as a result of Parkinson's Disease - discuss the legacy of those early hits and the renewal of interest in their music following the success of Daft Punk. Artist Maggi Hambling and Tim Marlow pay tribute to the sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, whose death at the age of 89 was announced today. The V And A's new exhibition of Chinese painting promises to be "the most ambitious survey of one of the world's greatest artistic traditions". It covers 11 centuries and features an expansive collection ranging from scrolls which measure over 14 metres long, to intimate and poetic fan paintings. To find out whether the exhibition lives up to expectations, Chinese born artist Aowen Jin went to take a look. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. Dame Judi Dench discusses her role in the new film Philomena, in which she plays a 70-year-old Irish woman who is looking to trace her son, taken away from her when she was a teenager. She discusses portraying and meeting the real Philomena Lee, and working with Steve Coogan, who co-scripted and co-stars in the film as Martin Sixsmith, the man who helped Philomena find her child. Honoré Daumier was a French printmaker, sculptor and painter whose work offered a social commentary on 19th Century French life. A new exhibition, Visions of Paris, explores his legacy. Booker Prize-winning novelist Julian Barnes reviews the show. Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts is enjoying two very different new productions at the moment. In English Touring Theatre's staging, the sets take inspiration from designs originally made for the play by Edvard Munch in 1906. In Richard Eyre's new version, at the Almeida Theatre, London, the transparent walls of the set provide a stark contrast to the secrets hidden by the characters. Tim Hatley who designed the Almeida's production and Sue Prideaux, Munch's biographer, discuss the different approaches to representing the text. Peep Show stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb reunite in Ambassadors, a TV comedy-drama series about the inner-workings of an embassy in the fictional country of Tazbekistan. Briony Hanson of the British Council delivers her verdict. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Mark Lawson presents a special programme from Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture 2013. This year's Turner Prize for contemporary art is on show in Derry~Londonderry and features artists Tino Sehgal, Laure Prouvost, David Shrigley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. David Shrigley and Laure Prouvost discuss their work and critic Philip Hensher delivers his verdict on the show. Derry-based writer Jennifer Johnston was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for her novel Shadows on Our Skin. Her Three Monologues, in response to The Troubles, are being performed as part of the City of Culture celebrations and her new novel A Sixpenny Song is published this month. She discusses the impact of the 2013 celebrations on the atmosphere in the city. Gerald Barry's comic opera The Importance of Being Earnest is being performed in Derry this week and then in Belfast, Cork and Dublin later in the year. He explains how he went about filleting Oscar Wilde's text and why Lady Bracknell was always going to be cast as a basso profondo. The inaugural City of Derry International Choral Festival is being hosted by local chamber choir Codetta. The festival's artistic director Dónal Doherty and soprano Laura Sheerin discuss how it feels to be taking part. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Writer Susan Hill is now probably best known for her ghost story The Woman in Black, which became a long-running play and a major film. Her new novel Black Sheep is set in a mining village, and like many of her books, it's full of emotional claustrophobia, isolated characters and set at an unspecified time in the 20th century. She reflects on her long career and her approach to fiction. The Corrupted, a major new Radio 4 drama series, plots the course of one family against the backdrop of a revolution in crime, as the underworld extends its influence to the very heart of the establishment. Mark talks to its creator G F Newman, the award-winning writer of Judge John Deed and Law And Order. Pop Art Design is the first major exhibition in this country to examine the relationship between artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Hamilton and Roy Lichtenstein and the world of commercial design - from posters to album sleeves to architecture. Critic William Feaver delivers his verdict. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With John Wilson. Following in the footsteps of Homer's Odyssey, Morrissey's Autobiography has been published as a Penguin Classic. The singer takes readers through his childhood in Manchester, The Smiths' success and subsequent court battles, insights into personal relationships - and unexpected stories, including an invitation to appear in Friends. Philip Hoare, a winner of The Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, reviews. Director Clio Barnard, who won acclaim for The Arbor, her portrait of the Bradford writer Andrea Dunbar, talks to John about her new film The Selfish Giant, loosely based on a story by Oscar Wilde, which now focuses on two boys lured into the world of scrap metal. Nelson, Navy, Nation is a new permanent gallery at the National Maritime Museum. Opening on Trafalgar Day (21 October) it looks at how the Royal Navy shaped individual lives and the course of British history in the 18th century - a period when sea-faring heroes were national celebrities. Naval historian Dr Sam Willis reviews. Tonight's edition of Glee is a tribute to actor Cory Monteith, who died earlier this year and who played the central role of Finn Hudson in the series. Boyd Hilton, TV editor of Heat magazine, discusses how programme-makers deal with unexpected tragedies or cast-absences in long running series. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

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. Sir Paul McCartney talks about his latest album (called New), he sets the record straight regarding his relationship with John Lennon, and admits that he finds it difficult to say "I love you". The legend of a lost city of gold in South America captivated Europeans for centuries. A new exhibition at the British Museum unravels the myth of El Dorado - it was a man, not a city, and "The Golden One" was covered in powdered gold as part of a ritual. Rachel Campbell-Johnston reviews. War photojournalist Tim Hetherington was killed covering the Libyan conflict in 2011. He'd been Oscar-nominated earlier that year along with his co-director and friend Sebastian Junger. Now Sebastian has made a moving documentary-portrait of his colleague. He talks to John about Tim's courage, his distinctive approach to photography and the effect Tim's death has had on his work. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson This morning it was announced that Rufus Norris will succeed Nicholas Hytner as the new director of the National Theatre. Norris, who has been associate director of the National Theatre for two years, where he directed the Amen Corner and London Road among other productions, will take over from April 2015. Rufus Norris talks to Mark Lawson about his future plans. As Sir David Jason, the star of Only Fools And Horses, Open All Hours, The Darling Buds of May, and A Touch of Frost, marks his five decade long career with an autobiography, he reveals why his career began almost by accident and how he can do an uncanny impression of Julian Clary. The artist Jeremy Deller shows Mark around his latest exhibition, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, which has opened at Manchester Art Gallery. The show, which will tour the UK, explores what Deller sees as the continuing impact of the Industrial Revolution on British popular culture. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson. In one of his final films, the late James Gandolfini stars alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) in Enough Said. The pair play two single parents whose romance runs into problems. Sarah Crompton reviews. The singer-songwriter Tori Amos has written a new musical for the National Theatre, in collaboration with the playwright Samuel Adamson. The Light Princess is adpated from a fairy tale, with a new feminist twist. Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson discuss their partnership and how they worked within the traditional structure of a musical while breaking the rules. Stephen Fry and Karl Pilkington have both been travelling around the world, for TV documentaries which examine cultural attitudes. Stephen Fry: Out There looks at attitudes towards homosexuality, while in The Moaning of Life, Karl Pilkington investigates Marriage, Happiness, Kids, Vocation and Death. Rachel Cooke reviews. The work of the artist Paul Klee is explored in a major new exhibition at Tate Modern. The show focuses on the decade that Klee spent teaching and working at the Bauhaus, the centre of modern design in the 1920s, developing his unique style. Author Iain Sinclair reviews. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang. Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, has adapted Romeo And Juliet for the big screen, inserting his own blank verse in the process. Andrew Dickson, the author of The Rough Guide To Shakespeare, delivers his verdict. Booker Prize-winning novelist Penelope Lively, now in her 80s, discusses the impact of ageing and the fallibility of memory as her memoir Ammonites and Leaping Fish is published. The Bridge was a Scandi TV drama about a body found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden and the cultural differences that informed the investigation of the murder. Now it has been adapted for British and French audiences as The Tunnel, with the body found halfway across the Channel Tunnel. Former Times Paris correspondent Kate Muir gives her verdict. It's 25 years since the band Prefab Sprout enjoyed their greatest chart success with the single The King of Rock 'N' Roll, and a decade since their last album of new material, but now founder-member Paddy McAloon is back with a new disc. He discusses finding inspiration in a school cinema trip to Romeo and Juliet, the effects of tinnitus, and whether a song about a deal with the Devil reflects his own experience of the music business Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Tom Hanks reflects on saying no to film offers, playing real people, and his latest role in Captain Phillips, which depicts the ordeal of Richard Phillips, captain of a cargo ship taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009. Captain Phillips is directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Supremacy). It was announced today that Alice Munro has been awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature. AS Byatt and Hermione Lee discuss the Canadian author, who writes short stories rather than novels. And Mark talks to the American artist Dana Schutz, whose colourful and fantastical paintings are on show at The Hepworth gallery in Wakefield. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson. Two major exhibitions of portraits open this week. Elizabeth I and Her People, at the National Portrait Gallery, focuses on paintings of the queen and her courtiers, as well as merchants, soldiers, artists and writers, offering insight into the rise of the 'middling sort' or middle classes in late 16th Century England. The National Gallery's Facing the Modern has portraits from early 20th Century Vienna by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and lesser known female artists showing how the newly-rich industrialists used portraits to express their aspirations. Charlotte Mullins gives her verdict.on. Jennifer Saunders discusses her life and career, from being heckled at the Comedy Store with Dawn French in the 80s to worldwide success with Absolutely Fabulous. She also talks about her little-known foray into French movies, why the French and Saunders show is over and why she might finally make an Absolutely Fabulous film. Roddy Doyle's debut novel The Commitments was made into a hit film in 1991. Its latest incarnation as a stage musical received its premiere last night. Writer and critic Kate Mossman reviews the show. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Front Row is live from the BBC National Short Story Award ceremony, where the chair of the judges, Mariella Frostrup, announces the winner of the £15,000 first prize, and we hear from the winning writer. The Beatles biographer and historian Mark Lewisohn discusses the first in his trilogy of books about the band, Tune In , which ends in 1962 as they're about to release their first single Love Me Do. The work is a weighty tome, running to 960 pages, and examines their lives week by week in the run-up to global fame, with the help of letters written by the group to their fans, which have been unearthed for the first time. The Fifth Estate is cinema's take on the story of Wikileaks, played out through the friendship and subsequent rivalry of website activists Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl). Rosie Boycott reviews. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson Breathless is a new prime-time period drama from ITV set in a London hospital during the early sixties. The programme follows the lives of a group of doctors and nurses and, like Mad Men and The Hour, combines period glamour with historical social commentary. Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh reviews. Le Week-End stars Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as a middle aged couple who embark on a trip to Paris to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, with less than romantic results. The comedy is the latest collaboration from writer Hanif Kureishi and director Roger Michell. Jenny McCartney reviews. The conductor John Eliot Gardiner discusses the life and music of JS Bach, who he regards as the greatest composer. Gardiner's book, which he has spent the last decade writing, presents an "unsanitised" version of Bach, revealing his brutalising schooling, his brushes with the law, and the difficult conditions in which he wrote such masterpieces as The St Matthew Passion and the B Minor Mass. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With John Wilson. Sitar player Anoushka Shankar discusses her latest album, Traces Of You, which features vocals from her half-sister, the singer Norah Jones. The album was influenced by the death of her father, the legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar, and explores the cycle of life. Anoushka Shankar explains how the worldwide outcry following the death of a young woman who was gang raped in India, led her to reveal that she too was sexually abused as a young girl. Truckers is the new TV drama by Made In Dagenham writer, William Ivory. Set in Nottingham, each episode tells the story of one character: starting with Stephen Tompkinson as a driver dealing with the breakdown of his marriage. The series also stars Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and Sian Breckin (Tyrannosaur). Matt Thorne reviews. In a rare interview, artist Frank Auerbach talks in detail about his approach to his work, explaining that he goes to his studio every single day, without ever taking a day off, because he enjoys it so much. He also points out that, although he is seen as an abstract artist, he actually paints exactly what he sees in front of him... Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Saoirse Ronan was only 13 when she was Oscar and BAFTA nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Atonement. Since then, she has starred in The Lovely Bones, Byzantium and The Host. Now, at 19, she heads the cast of Kevin MacDonald's film How I Live Now, based on Meg Rosoff's book about children caught up in a third world war. She reflects on the transition from child to adult actor, dealing with death on set and the possibility of running for US President. Handbagged, a new play from Moira Buffini, explores the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and the Queen during political events of the 1980s. Stella Gonet and Fenella Woolgar play older and younger versions of the former Prime Minisiter while Marion Bailey and Claire Holman play the older and younger Queen. Novelist Justin Cartwright gives his verdict. The exhibition, Shunga: Sex and Humour in Japanese Art, at the British Museum, focuses on sexually explicit paintings, prints and illustrated books from Japan from 1600 - 1900, and examines why they became taboo in the 20th century. Writer and novelist Bidisha reviews As Michael Symmons Roberts wins the Forward Prize for a book of poems each with a self-imposed limit of 15 lines, Front Row reflects on size restrictions in art - with Ian Christie on film, David Hepworth on music and Cathy Rentzenbrink on literature. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. David Tennant and RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran discuss their forthcoming production of Richard II. Tennant talks about switching accents and the difference between working on the stage and screen. Gregory Doran reveals his techniques for making Shakespeare understandable, why he won't change words and how he copes with his dual role of managing the RSC whilst directing his own plays. The analysis and control of human sexuality are the focus of a new film and a TV drama series. The film Thanks for Sharing, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo and Tim Robbins, is set in the world of recovering sex addicts, whilst the series Masters of Sex stars Michael Sheen as the pioneering sex researcher Dr William Masters. Advice columnist Bel Mooney gives her verdict. Bill Bryson, whose bestselling books includes Notes form a Small Island and A Short History of Nearly Everything, discusses his latest work, One Summer: America 1927. Covering a period of just a few months in 1927, the book explores how events including Charles Lindbergh's non-stop flight from New York to Paris, a sensational murder trial and the President's shock decision not to stand for re-election gripped America and shaped its future. Bill Bryson discusses how concentrating on a snapshot of history gave him insights that might elude other biographers and historians. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. The film Sunshine on Leith follows two young soldiers struggling to re-adjust to life in Edinburgh after returning from Afghanistan. Based on a stage musical drawing on songs by The Proclaimers, it stars Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan. Larushka Ivan-Zedah reviews. Actor Adil Ray discusses his TV sit-com Citizen Khan, as it returns for a second series. Ray, who plays self-appointed Muslim community leader Mr Khan, talks about getting into character and addresses criticisms of the show - including complaints that it was offensive. Art Under Attack: Histories Of British Iconoclasm is the first exhibition to explore the history of physical attacks on art in Britain, from state-sanctioned destruction of religious works during the Reformation, to defaced portraits in Jake and Dinos Chapman's series, One Day You Will No Longer Be Loved. Artist John Keane gives his verdict. After receiving the award for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, Malcolm Mackay talks about the inspiration for his novels. Born and still living in Stornoway, in the Outer Hebrides, Mackay explains how he came to start writing a trilogy about organised crime in Glasgow. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Kirsty Lang. The romantic comedy Austenland, based on a novel of the same name, centres on a single 30-something American woman who travels to Britain to visit a resort where the Jane Austen era is recreated, hoping to find her very own Colin Firth version of Mr Darcy. Critic Viv Groskop - who was born a stone's throw away from Chawton, where Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice - reviews. Stephen Poliakoff, writer of Caught On A Train and Shooting The Past, reflects on his controversial debut TV drama Hitting Town, which was made in 1975 and is released on DVD for the first time. Written when he was 23, the TV play made headlines when Mary Whitehouse campaigned for it to be banned, appalled by its storyline about a brother and sister who embark on an incestuous affair. Poliakoff reveals his own sister's reaction to Hitting Town and his other incest drama Close My Eyes. Australian author Hannah Kent's debut novel Burial Rites tells the story of the last woman executed in Iceland. Set in the winter of 1829 and including real court documents, the book combines Nordic noir with cold case fiction. Kent describes how she first heard about the story when visiting Iceland as a teenager and what drew her to write about the case a decade later. Artists Elmgreen and Dragset have turned five former textile galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum into an apartment belonging to a fictional retired architect, using objects from the museum's collection alongside items from antique markets. Kirsty and architecture critic Hugh Pearman visited the apartment to see if they could decode its secrets. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Kirsty Lang. Atlantis is the new family drama from the BBC, aiming to fill the Saturday night slot vacated by Merlin and Doctor Who. The action takes place in the mythical city of Atlantis and features Mark Addy as Hercules and Juliet Stevenson as the Oracle. Natalie Haynes reviews. Michael Morpurgo is one of our best known and most prolific children's writers. On the eve of his 70th birthday and with a writing career spanning nearly 40 years, he has witnessed a huge shift in the profile of the children's writer, in part aided by the Children's Laureate award he devised with his friend Ted Hughes. He reflects on the reasons for the shift and the impact on his career of the War Horse phenomenon, as it became a play and then a film. The final shortlisted author in the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 is Lavinia Greenlaw, who'll be discussing her entry We Are Watching Something Terrible Happening. Love and science collide in the chaos of a disintegrating relationship, a civil war and the trajectory of meteorites. The story will be read on Radio 4 tomorrow afternoon at 3.30. A new film by Margarethe von Trotta explores Hannah Arendt's experience of covering Adolf Eichmann's war crimes trial for the New Yorker. This became the basis for her most famous work Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. Shahidha Bari reviews the film. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson Comedian and actor Johnny Vegas - real name Michael Pennington - talks to Mark about dropping out of seminary school before embarking on a career in stand-up comedy and how his drunken persona threatened to take over entirely. His autobiography Becoming Johnny Vegas takes a candid look back at the person behind the persona. This week sees the publication of Solo in which a 45-year-old James Bond, haunted by his memories of his service at the D-Day landings, is sent from 1960s London to help end a war in the fictional African state of Zanzarim. William Boyd discusses how he went through the Fleming canon to learn about the UK's most celebrated spy, writing him from a modern day perspective which meant dealing with his 70-a-day cigarette habit and ferocious drinking, plus why he includes a recipe for Bond's salad dressing. The next writer in Front Row's series of interviews with the contenders for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 is Lucy Wood, whose story is about a group of ghosts that watch over a Cornish house and its changing inhabitants. Notes from the House Spirits is broadcast tomorrow at 3.30pm on Radio 4. Producer Ella-mai Robey.

With Mark Lawson. The artworks competing to occupy Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth in 2015 and 2016 were unveiled today. Shortlisted artists Marcus Coates and Liliane Lijn discuss their designs, along with Ekow Eshun, chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, who make the final decision about which two artworks will be successful. Stephen King publishes a sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining today. The boy Danny Torrance has grown up, but has he managed to escape the legacy of his alcoholic psychopathic father? Rachel Cooke reviews Doctor Sleep. Lionel Shriver is the latest writer in our series of interviews with the contenders for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013. Her story called Prepositions is set around events during 9/11 and takes the form of a letter between two women. Prepositions is broadcast on Wednesday at 3.30pm on Radio 4. Alfred Brendel, one of the world's greatest pianists, retired from playing in public in 2008, although at the age of 82 he still performs his own poems and is about to take part in a poetry and music event with his son, the cellist Adrian Brendel. They reflect on their artistic relationship and what it is like to perform together as father and son. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Mark Lawson Hugh Jackman returns to our cinema screens this week, starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the thriller Prisoners, about a man who takes the law into his own hands when his young daughter goes missing. Jackman discusses his latest role, a far cry from playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. The Wrong Mans is a new TV comedy drama written by and starring James Corden and Horrible Histories' Mathew Baynton, about two office workers who accidentally get entangled in a criminal conspiracy. Rebecca Nicholson reviews. The next writer in Front Row's series of interviews with the contenders for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 is Lisa Blower, whose story is about a disastrous family trip to Barmouth. You can hear her story tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday). Last night the Netflix drama House of Cards became the first internet streamed programme to win an Emmy Award, as its director David Fincher picked up Best Director of a Drama Series. And Breaking Bad, also available on Netflix, won Outstanding Drama Series. Mark talks to Ted Sarandos, head of content for the video on demand service, about the change in how we consume entertainment. Producer Timothy Prosser.

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, who interviews writer and director Woody Allen. Allen's new film Blue Jasmine stars Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, a wealthy Manhattan socialite, and Sally Hawkins as Ginger, her poor sister in San Francisco. They end up together when Jasmine's husband is declared bankrupt. Blue Jasmine is already one of Woody Allen's most financially successful films, proving a hit at the US box office. In this Front Row special, Mark talks to Woody Allen about Blue Jasmine, his unique methods of working and why he never watches his own films. And there are interviews with Mike Leigh, who Allen cites as one of his favourite directors, and actress Sally Hawkins, who has worked with both directors. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson. David Walliams and Sheridan Smith talk about working together in a new staging of A Midsummer's Night's Dream, with Walliams in the role of Bottom and Smith as Titania/Hippolyta. They discuss the difficulties of taking on Shakespeare, the dark sensuality of the play and theatrical rituals and pranks. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is currently open to writers from the UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth - but in changes confirmed today, any novel originally written in English and published in the UK could be a contender, opening the Prize to writers from the USA in particular. Ion Trewin, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, reveals the details. The distinguished Welsh poet Dannie Abse celebrates his 90th birthday on Sunday. Although best-known for his poetry, Dannie Abse is also a doctor, playwright and author - and he discusses his long career. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With John Wilson. Sting discusses The Last Ship, his latest album and the first original material he has released for nearly a decade. Based on Sting's experiences growing up in a shipbuilding community on Tyneside, The Last Ship is a narrative about the demise of the industry seen through the eyes of a range of characters. Sting talks about the autobiographical element of the songs, and how he is writing a Broadway musical about the same subject, which is due to open next year. Australia, at the Royal Academy in London, is the first major survey of Australian art in the UK for over 50 years, and includes work by early 19th century settlers, aboriginal artists, impressionists, and 20th century painters such as Sidney Nolan. Charlotte Mullins reviews. Front Row announces the winner of Gramophone magazine's Recording Of The Year 2013, and John talks to the winning artist. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Sir Derek Jacobi's acting career spans half a century. As he publishes an autobiography, he reflects on his early desire to act, stage fright, and still wanting to surprise in his 70s. Orphan Black is a new 10 part TV drama serial which focuses on human cloning. Sarah Manning is the anti-heroine, and orphan, who stumbles into an intriguing set of circumstances that force her to realise she's not alone. Novelist Nicholas Royle reviews. Naomi Watts discusses playing Diana, Princess of Wales, in a film which covers the final two years of her life and her relationship with Dr Hasnat Khan. She talks about preparing for the role, the problems associated with telling Diana's story and the balance between real life events and an artistic interpretation of them. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Kirsty Lang. Mark Rylance is currently taking a break from acting, and is concentrating on directing a new production of Much Ado About Nothing, which stars Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. He discusses his approach to the play, and reflects on the success of his role in Jez Butterworth's play Jerusalem, for which he won numerous awards as hard-living Johnny 'Rooster' Byron. Prisons and the lives of prisoners have provided an enduring fascination for film and TV producers and viewers alike, with series such as Porridge and Prisoner Cell Block H, and more recently Bad Girls and Prisoners' Wives. This summer has seen two new prison dramas - Wentworth Prison, Channel 5's re-imagining of Prisoner Cell Block H, and Orange Is the New Black, the Netflix series which has proved a great success for the streaming network. To examine why prisons offer such a draw, Front Row brought together Dick Clement, co-creator and writer of Porridge, Pete McTighe, scriptwriter for Wentworth Prison, and Maureen Chadwick co-creator and writer of the ITV series Bad Girls. As actor Dominic West makes a speaking appearance on Rizzle Kicks' new album, David Quantick considers the other thespians who have lent their voices to pop records, from Brian Blessed to Vincent Price and Stephen Fry. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With John Wilson. As a new exhibition bringing together works by Henry Moore and Francis Bacon opens at the Ashmolean in Oxford, art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston reviews the show and discusses artistic pairings. Manic Street Preachers' 11th studio album is out next week. Bassist and lyricist Nicky Wire reveals how Rewind the Film is a new departure for the band, as they acknowledge the passing of the years and reflect on the longevity of their musical career. Viv Groskup reviews In a World, a quirky rom-com set in the cut-throat world of movie trailers, where a handful of voice-over artists compete to say those immortal lines - In a world.... Lake Bell wrote, directed and stars in the film, which won the Best Screenplay award at Sundance. The comedian Jason Byrne discusses his BBC One show Father Figure, a new sitcom involving an Irish grandmother, slapstick and a studio audience, and is adapted from Byrne's series on Radio 2. Producer Ella-mai Robey.

With Mark Lawson, including news of the shortlist for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for album of the year, announced today. Travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, who died in 2011, walked from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople in the early 1930s. This resulted in two best-selling books, A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. Colin Thubron and biographer Artemis Cooper discuss how they pieced together Leigh Fermor's unfinished manuscript and diaries to produce the final part of the trilogy, The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos. And Dennis Kelly, who wrote the book for the hit musical Matilda and created the cult Channel 4 series Utopia, on his debut play for the Royal Court Theatre in London. The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas is about a man who tries to make his fortune by telling lies. Producer Tim Prosser.

With John Wilson. Comedian Lee Evans returns to stage in Barking in Essex, the last play written by screenwriter Clive Exton (Entertaining Mr Sloane, 10 Rillington Place, Jeeves and Wooster) before his death in 2007. The play centres on a dysfunctional criminal family from Essex and co-stars Sheila Hancock and Keeley Hawes. Lee Evans discusses swearing, Samuel Beckett, and the plumber providing inspiration for his forthcoming tour. Roland Emmerich, director of disaster movies Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, is about to release his latest, White House Down, in which a heavily-armed group of paramilitary invaders target the President of the United States. Kate Muir reviews. The shortlist for the Man Booker Prize for fiction was announced today. Contenders for the £50,000 prize are Jim Crace, Colm Toibin, Eleanor Catton, Jhumpa Lahiri, NoViolet Bulawayo and Ruth Ozeki. Chair of judges Robert Macfarlane and judge Natalie Haynes discuss their selection. The winner is announced on 15 October. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. The 1970s Formula 1 rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt is the focus of a new film Rush, directed by Ron Howard with a script by Peter Morgan. Alyson Rudd reviews the film that includes Lauda's 1976 crash that nearly claimed the driver's life. The Wipers Times is a 90-minute TV drama about the men behind a satirical newspaper created for soldiers on the Western Front in the First World War. Co-writers Ian Hislop and Nick Newman discuss their project which is based on a true story, and stars Michael Palin and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Thomas Pynchon's new novel Bleeding Edge is a historical romance set in New York at a time between the early days of the internet and the events of September 11, 2001. Novelist and Pynchon expert Lawrence Norfolk reviews the eighth novel from this famously private author, who once told CNN "my belief is that recluse is a code word generated by journalists ... meaning, 'doesn't like to talk to reporters...'". And Mark reports on a literary first: the new novel by the Scottish writer Angus Peter Campbell will be published simultaneously in Scots Gaelic and in English. Angus Peter has written two versions of the book, which is mostly set on the Isle of Mull, an English language edition entitled The Girl on the Ferryboat and a Gaelic-language edition called An Nighean Air an Aiseig. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Kirsty Lang. Actor Cillian Murphy, who reached a global audience in films such as Batman Begins and Inception, now stars as a gang leader in the BBC Two drama Peaky Blinders, set in Birmingham in 1919. He reflects on the historical background to the drama, and the blurring of the divide between film and TV. Director Mira Nair discusses her film The Reluctant Fundamentalist, based on the novel by Mohsin Hamid, in which Riz Ahmed plays a Pakistani financier whose life in America is dramatically altered by the attacks of September 11 2001. The film is about to be released on DVD. The Million Second Quiz is a new high-profile TV show, about to start in America, in which contestants compete over 11 days, 24 hours a day, aiming to win the biggest prize in game show history - $3 million. Stephen Lambert, the British producer who has created the show, talks about his desire to create a TV event for viewers watching live. Singer Alexandra Burke has released a track called Day Dream, reportedly about her former partner, footballer Jermain Defoe, which contains pointed lyrics about his behaviour. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift accepted an award for her track I Knew You Were Trouble and thanked "the person who inspired this song." Many have assumed that she was talking about Harry Styles from One Direction. Jane Graham discusses the history of revenge songs about high-profile partners, from Carly Simon to Justin Timberlake. Producer Tim Prosser.

With Kirsty Lang. Skinny jeans, phone calls and cameramen recording intimate footage all appear in a mediaeval setting, in a new National Theatre production of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II. Making his debut at the National Theatre, director Joe Hill-Gibbins adds a modern twist to this erotic and brutal play, which stars John Heffernan in the title role. Jerry Brotton reviews. Alan Cumming stars in the film Any Day Now, set in the late 70s and based on a true story about a gay couple who become guardians of an abandoned young boy with Down's Syndrome. Everyone's delighted with the progress the child makes under their care - until the fact that they're gay becomes public knowledge. Alan Cumming discusses institutional homophobia both in the story and today, working on the US TV hit series The Good Wife - and cabaret-singing with Liza Minnelli. The exhibition Victoriana: The Art Of Revival features new art inspired by the Victorian era, with pieces from 28 artists including Grayson Perry, Paula Rego, and Jake and Dinos Chapman, and work ranging from ceramics to photography to taxidermy. Rachel Cooke reflects on what 21st century artists take from the 19th century. As the dust settles on this year's Edinburgh Fringe, one of the biggest stories to emerge from the festival was the rise of feminist comedy, culminating when Bridget Christie won the Fosters Comedy Award for her stand-up show, A Bic For Her. Nadia Kamil and Mary Bourke, who both brought feminist shows to Edinburgh this year, discuss how they went about making feminism funny. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Tamsin Greig, familiar to Radio 4 listeners as Debbie Aldridge in The Archers, is also well known from TV comedies such as Black Books and Green Wing, along with numerous acclaimed stage roles. This week she stars in the TV drama series The Guilty, as a mother who is also leading a police investigation into the death of a young boy. She reflects on the relationship between comedy and tragedy, corpsing on stage and the importance of pauses. Jonathan Coe, best known for What a Carve Up! and The Rotters Club, discusses his new novel Expo 58. It's set at the 1958 World Fair in Belgium, where a naïve young civil servant is sent to run the British pavilion against a backdrop of the Cold War. Jonathan Coe discusses spies and intrigue in his latest comic novel. A rare photograph of one of Vincent Van Gogh's sunflower paintings has been tracked down by writer Martin Bailey. The original painting, Six Sunflowers, was destroyed in Japan, during bombings in 1945. Martin Bailey explains how he found the image, and how he believes it enhances our understanding of Van Gogh's work. As Cliff Richard prepares to release his 100th album, The Fabulous Rock 'n' Roll Songbook, David Hepworth attempts to chart which band or artist has recorded the most albums. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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. About Time, a new film written and directed by Richard Curtis, is the story a 21 year old, played by Domhnall Gleeson, who is told by his father (Bill Nighy) that he has the ability to travel back in time and change events. He uses this ability to woo future girlfriend Mary, played by Rachel McAdams. Camilla Long reviews. British reggae group UB40 are back with Getting Over the Storm, their 20th studio album, which includes new versions of country and western songs, including covers of tracks made famous by Jim Reeves and Willie Nelson. Saxophonist Brian Travers and drummer Jimmy Brown, original members of the band, discuss the inspiration behind the album, and reflect on recent financial troubles. Two new TV documentary series starting this week go behind the scenes at two very different schools. Sky 1's Harrow: A Very British School charts life at one of the UK's most famous boarding schools, while Channel 4's Educating Yorkshire follows staff and pupils at Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury. Former Education Secretary Baroness Estelle Morris and free school founder Toby Young review. As actor Dominic West makes a cameo appearance on the new album by British rappers Rizzle Kicks, David Quantick examines the tradition of using actors' voices on records, including songs featuring Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed and Sadie Frost.

Mark Lawson reflects on the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney, whose death was announced today. Writers including Edna O'Brien, Colm Toibin, Michael Longley and Hermione Lee consider Seamus Heaney's long writing career, and there's another chance to hear part of a special Front Row interview, recorded before an audience on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Kirsty Lang Historian Simon Schama discusses the challenge of bringing his latest project The Story of the Jews to television, the importance of story-telling to the Jewish experience, and how his former professor inspired him to focus on bringing history to popular audiences. The vast and ever-growing amount of information now stored on computer servers around the world has become a ready source of inspiration for artists. With an estimated 90 per cent of the world's data having been created in the last two years, there is plenty to call on. Artists Stanza and R Luke Dubois explain how they mine so-called "Big Data" to create images and music, and curator Hannah Redler describes how data has been used to make art since the early days of the internet. The British Film Institute kicks off its Gothic Season with a restored print of cult classic Night Of The Demon. This 1957 horror, by Cat People director Jacques Tourneur, stars Dana Andrews as a psychologist who enters a battle of wills against a psychic and cult leader called Karswell. The film partly owes its cult status to its monster, one of the most famous in British film history, and Matthew Sweet goes on its trail. Producer Ella-mai Robey.

With Mark Lawson. American conductor Marin Alsop discusses becoming the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. She also reflects on toying with the idea of conducting with one hand after injuring her wrist, and falling in love with Leonard Bernstein at the age of nine. As Philip French puts away his pen after being The Observer's film critic for 50 years, coinciding with his 80th birthday today, he discusses the 2,500 films he has watched and the changes he has seen in cinema in that time. As Bonjour Tristesse is re-released in cinemas, the tragic life of actress Jean Seberg is re-assessed by her biographer Garry McGee. The star of A Bout De Souffle and Saint Joan was a political activist and supporter of the Black Panther movement and became the subject of an investigation by the FBI. She committed suicide in 1979, after her film career had faded away amid bad press and conspiracy theories. American drama series The Newsroom, created by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network), returns to our TV screens this week for a second series, and Bad Education, a comedy written by and starring Jack Whitehall, also begins its second run. TV critic Chris Dunkley considers different ways to approach the potentially tricky second series. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock's latest film is a 3D documentary about the boy band One Direction. The film promises a behind-the-scenes look at the famous five-piece who were brought together on The X Factor in 2010. Rosie Swash gives her verdict. Scottish playwright and artist John Byrne has added his distinctive visual style to the King's Theatre in Edinburgh, where he has created a new mural for the auditorium's dome. He explains how the commission emerged from a visit to the theatre to watch a production of The Ladykillers. Nic Roeg, the acclaimed director of classic films such as Walkabout and Don't Look Now, discusses his career, sex scenes and much more besides, in the light of his newly-published memoir. With the announcement of the death of comedian Mike Winters, half of a double-act with his brother Bernie, comedy performer and writer Steve Punt considers the role of the 'straight man' in comedy. Producer Kate Bullivant.

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 John Wilson. Film director and former Python Terry Gilliam discusses the re-mastering of his classic film Time Bandits, for a new DVD release, as his new film The Zero Theorem heads for the Venice Film Festival. Jennifer Aniston stars as a stripper turned pretend suburban wife and mother in the film We're The Millers. She becomes involved in the plans of a small-time drug dealer, played by Jason Sudekis, who enlists a fake family to help him smuggle marijuana across the Mexican border. Mark Eccleston reviews. The Scottish band Franz Ferdinand, who won the Mercury Music Prize in 2004, are back with a new album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, their first release for four years. Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy discuss creating a live sound on a studio album and how a line on a vintage postcard discovered in a London market led to the opening lyric of the title track. As an exhibition of pastel portraits by Bob Dylan opens at the National Portrait Gallery in London, music journalist Kate Mossman discusses Dylan's art and the portraits in his lyrics. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Fran Healy, lead singer of the band Travis, discusses their first new album for six years, and reflects on a career which includes the hits Why Does it Always Rain on Me, Driftwood and Sing. At the recent Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, Mark talked to three writers about how new technology makes it more difficult for characters to disappear without trace, or to hide or change their identities. With Lottie Moggach, Colette McBeth and Michael Robotham. Simon Bird, one of the stars of The Inbetweeners, and Jonny Sweet discuss their TV comedy series Chickens, which they co-wrote with Joe Thomas. It focuses on three young men who have avoided active service in the First World War. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson. Mark meets Vince Gilligan, the creator of hit American TV series Breaking Bad, about a chemistry teacher who becomes a drugs overload after being diagnosed with cancer. Meg Rosoff reviews the film What Maisie Knew. Based on the 1897 novel by Henry James, the film is set in modern day New York and stars Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan as parents going through an acrimonious custody battle, in which their young daughter Maisie has become a pawn. Nadifa Mohamed, the award winning author of Black Mamba Boy, discusses her second novel The Orchard of Lost Souls. Set in her birthplace of Somalia, the novel tells the stories of two women and a young girl who are living through the destruction of the 1988 civil war. Mohamed talks about the difficulties of writing the book, her relationship with Somalia and the experience of moving to London. A London theatre has had to cancel some performances of one of its productions as a cast member is indisposed and there are no understudies. Actor Michael Simkins discusses the balancing act between cancelling a performance, carrying on with the show despite illness or injury and calling in an understudy at the last minute. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

John Wilson meets Naughty Boy, the British-born Pakistani songwriter, musician and producer, who has worked with Emeli Sande and Britney Spears and is now releasing his debut album Hotel Cabana. Zoe Williams reviews the film Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried as Deep Throat actress Linda Lovelace. An extract from John's 2002 interview with the American crime writer Elmore Leonard, whose death was announced today. And Harry Nilsson's biographer Alyn Shipton discusses the life and career of the singer whose hits included Everybody's Talking, Without You, and Coconut. Producer Timothy Prosser.

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.

John Wilson brings the Cultural Exchange project to a close, with Armando Iannucci, Laura Mvula, Germaine Greer, Paul Weller, Terence Stamp, the Archbishop of Canterbury and others choosing their favourite artwork. John looks back at the 75 selections made over the past four months, and identifies trends and surprises. Visit the Cultural Exchange website for all 75 interviews and archive clips featuring Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis, Nina Simone and more. Also on the Cultural Exchange website: John Wilson and Mark Lawson make their choices. Producer Timothy Prosser.

With Mark Lawson. Reginald D. Hunter discusses race, sex and anatomy in his latest Edinburgh show In the Midst of Crackers. He reflects on fourteen years of coming to the festival and explains why he thinks the world has become a more stupid place in that time. Novelist David Peace is best known for the Red Riding Quartet and The Damned United, a fictional portrait of Brian Clough's spell at Leeds United. His new novel, Red or Dead, focuses on the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. Cabaret performers Sarah-Louise Young and Michael Roulston bring a taste of Hollywood royalty to the BBC tent with an extract from their homage to Julie Andrews, Julie Madly Deeply. Politics has been a common theme among a variety of genres at the Fringe this year. Kevin Toolis, creator of dramatic monologue The Confessions of Gordon Brown, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, starring as David Cameron in The Three Lions and Gráinne Maguire, comedian and creator of One Hour All Night Election Show, discuss different approaches to tackling politics on stage. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Edinburgh born artist Peter Doig moved in Trinidad in 2002, and his new exhibition No Foreign Lands concentrates on the work he has painted since he has lived there. Showing at Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh it is the first major exhibition of his work to be shown in the country of his birth. Art critic Moira Jeffrey reviews. Crime-writer Chris Brookmyre's new novel Flesh Wounds is the third in a series to follow private investigator Jasmine Sharp and Detective Superintendent Catherine McLeod amongst the Glasgow criminal underworld. Brookmyre talks to John about writing from female perspective, how Glasgow has changed and why his name and titles are getting shorter. Based on a Stephen King novel and produced by Steven Spielberg, Under The Dome is a hit American TV series about a small town which suddenly finds itself cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious force field. Critic and writer Andrew Collins delivers his verdict. In for the Cultural Exchange is actor and musician Riz Ahmed, best known for his starring roles in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Four Lions. His choice is the first video game to be picked for the Cultural Exchange, Street Fighter II, which was released in arcades in 1991. Producer Kate Bullivant.

With Mark Lawson David Walliams writes, and stars in Big School as the Deputy Head of Chemistry in a comprehensive school who's smitten by the new French teacher, Catherine Tate, but finds a love rival in the shape of PE master Philip Glenister. Critic and ex-teacher Natalie Haynes delivers her verdict. Award winning poet John Agard received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry earlier this year. Agard, who was born in Guyana and moved to Britain in 1977, talks about what the award means to him. He also discusses how his dual heritage and cricket were sources of inspiration for his latest collection Travel Light Travel Dark. Jerry Lewis' film about a clown who entertains children in a concentration camp, The Day the Clown Cried, has never been shown to the public after the comedian decided he was too embarrassed for it to be screened. Yesterday, footage from a behind-the-scenes documentary emerged online over 40 years after it was made, allowing us a glimpse of a film we never thought we'd see. Critic Adam Smith considers other films that suffered the same fate. Plus in tonight's Cultural Exchange, C J Sansom - author of the historical crime series Shardlake - picks the first incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, William Hartnell.

With John Wilson. The Clash were the noisy sound of rebellion in the late 1970s, a band who refused to perform on Top of the Pops, sold their double album for the price of a single LP, and won an international audience and critical acclaim. Three decades after their acrimonious split, band members Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky 'Topper' Headon re-unite to reflect on their career and their legacy, as they prepare to release a box set of all their music. And from the Front Row archives, we hear from the band's charismatic front-man Joe Strummer, recorded in 1999, three years before his death at the age of 50: 'musicians don't know what they're doing in a creative way, it's more like blundering around - and certainly we had no idea what sort of impact we were going to make with our blunderings'. Editor John Goudie.

With Mark Lawson. Ruth Rendell won the Theakstons Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award last month. She speaks to Mark about writing sixty novels in fifty years, how she's managing Inspector Wexford's retirement, her friendship with PD James and her second career as a Life Peer in the House of Lords. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star as two undercover agents attempting to infiltrate a drugs cartel by posing as criminals - but neither are aware of the others true identity. Directed by Icelandic film and theatre director Baltasar Kormákur, the film is based on a graphic novel series. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. The recession has so far been fertile ground for TV producers and this week sees the beginning of two new series looking at work, and lack of it, in Britain. The writer Tony Parsons and historian Kathryn Hughes review Benefits Britain 1949 on Channel 4 and Paul O'Grady's Working Britain on BBC One. Theatre director Michael Grandage offers his choice for the Cultural Exchange. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Kirsty Lang. Booker Prize-winning Irish author Roddy Doyle discusses why he decided to resurrect one of his earliest characters - Jimmy Rabbitte who first appeared in The Commitments 25 years ago - in his new novel The Guts. He also reflects on topics of conversation among men his own age, and offers his top tip to stop snoring. Sir Richard Eyre has returned to the National Theatre to direct Liola, a drama by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. Set in rural Sicily at the end of the 19th century, the play centres on Liola - a charming young man who has caused controversy by fathering three sons with different women. Andrew Dickson reviews the new version by Tanya Ronder, which is performed by an Irish cast. The theatre director Josie Rourke brings the 1987 comedy drama film Broadcast News, starring William Hurt and Holly Hunter, to the Cultural Exchange. Disney's summer blockbuster The Lone Ranger, which stars Johnny Depp as Tonto, has flopped at the US box office and is expected to lose millions of dollars. Adam Smith explains why, despite many attempts to re-vamp the genre, Westerns from Wild Wild West, via Cowboys and Aliens to Jonah Hex have failed to deliver. Producer Olivia Skinner.

Novelist Naomi Alderman reports on the art of translating fiction, with writers Ian McEwan, A S Byatt, Ali Smith and David Baddiel. Every novelist dreams of being translated into dozens of foreign languages, but the relationship between author and translator can be fraught. If it goes right, it can lead to close friendship - but what happens when it goes wrong? And is a translation ultimately closer to being an original work than we might think? Naomi also joins three professionals for a translation slam. Adriana Hunter, Daniel Hahn and Frank Wynne discuss their different English versions of paragraphs from the French novel Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.

With Kirsty Lang. In Johnny Depp's latest film, he plays Tonto, the loyal companion to the Lone Ranger, played by Armie Hammer. The masked hero and his Native American friend fought injustice together in the Wild West, in a popular American TV series of the 1950s - but will the 21st century cinema version of The Lone Ranger be as successful? Writer Matt Thorne gives his verdict. Artist Conrad Shawcross has transformed the Roundhouse in London into a giant clock for his latest work Timepiece. However, it's a clock with a difference, as it has no face and incorporates a sun-dial which casts shadows on the floor of the performance venue. With this year's Edinburgh Festival fringe now in full swing, Stephen Armstrong reports on the comedy which has caught his eye so far. Actress Gemma Chan nominates the 1987 film The Princess Bride for the Cultural Exchange. It's arguably the best of times of jazz fans hoping to build a collection of classic albums, as LPs by jazz legends of the past are re-issued on CD at bargain prices, often in box sets. Kevin Le Gendre considers the pleasures and pitfalls of the piles of cut-price jazz classics. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang. Foxfire is a new film adapted from Joyce Carol Oates' award-winning bestseller, set in America in 1953. Five headstrong teenage girls form a secret society, the Foxfire gang, in defiance of the violent male-dominated culture of their small town. American writer Diane Roberts reviews. Nick Payne's new play, The Same Deep Water As Me, explores the murky world of personal injury claims. Lawyers Andrew and Barry are focussing on legitimate clients until Andrew's old school friend appears with a plan to make a quick buck. Payne's last play, Constellations, was a love story set against a background of quantum physics - and he talks about choosing weighty topics for his dramas. Artist Cornelia Parker, best-known for blowing up a garden shed and suspending the fragments, reveals her Cultural Exchange choice: Dust Breeding, a photograph by the American surrealist, Man Ray. Charlotte Mendelson discusses her latest novel, Almost English, which has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for fiction. The heroine, Marina, is a 16 year old brought up by loving but embarrassing elderly Hungarian relatives. In a bid to become a polished and elegant woman, Marina goes to a very English boarding school. Charlotte Mendelson talks about her own family's complicated history and learning to spell the Hungarian words in her novel. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Kirsty Lang. The writer Louis de Bernières, best known for his novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, discusses his first volume of poetry, Imagining Alexandria. De Bernieres has been writing poems since he was 12, but didn't want to publish until he felt he had 'hit his peak'. He discusses how he was inspired by his love of the Greek poet Cavafy to write about the ancient world, love affairs and the fleeting nature of youth. We assess the form of the bookies' favourites for the next Doctor Who, including Peter Capaldi, better known as foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It. Singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews reveals her choice for Cultural Exchange. As John Burningham's first book Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers reaches its 50th anniversary, Kirsty visits the illustrator and author in his home and talks about the books, his unconventional education, and his addiction to online auctions. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Kirsty Lang. The acclaimed Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov is best known in the UK for his cult novel Death and the Penguin. He reflects on the origins of his new book, The Gardener from Ochakov, a dark satire where a young man can time travel between 2010 and 1957 Ukraine, with the help of a vintage Soviet police uniform. Two new TV documentary series begin tonight, aiming to reveal what it is like to work in retail and sales at the moment. Channel 4's The Dealership shows Essex car salesmen in action, while BBC Three's Shoplife follows a group of young people who are employed at the Metrocentre in Gateshead. Tiffany Stevenson gives her verdict. With three Australian circus troupes taking to the stage at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and another currently entertaining audiences in London, Kirsty talks to the creative minds behind two of these shows - Wunderkammer and Limbo - to find out why Australian circus seems to be soaring. For Cultural Exchange, writer Jeffrey Archer chooses the painting Ecce Homo by the 19th Century Italian artist Antonio Ciseri, which depicts the moment Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to a hostile crowd. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Kirsty Lang. The Heat is the latest gross-out comedy from Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids. It stars one of its alumni, Melissa McCarthy, as an unorthodox cop who has to team up with an officious, highly strung FBI agent, played by Sandra Bullock. Critic Jane Graham delivers her verdict on this odd couple comedy. Catherine O'Flynn won the Costa First Novel Award in 2008 with her book What Was Lost, set in and around her native Birmingham. Her new novel, Mr Lynch's Holiday, focuses on a decaying new development in Spain. Among the British ex-pats scratching a living there is Eamonn, who is taken by surprise when his father - a retired Birmingham bus driver - turns up out of the blue. Catherine O'Flynn reflects on her choice of locations and her research trips to a Birmingham bus garage. Milton Jones is a stand up comedian best known for his dead pan one liners, zany shirts and sticky-up hairdo. As he prepares to take his current touring show to the Edinburgh Festival, he talks to Kirsty about life on the road, his grandfather and how Mock the Week really works. For Cultural Exchange, His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman chooses a song by the French singer-songwriter and poet Georges Brassens (1921-1981). Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète translates as Plea to be buried on the beach at Sète, Brassens' home town. It is inspired by Paul Valéry's poem Le Cimetière Marin. Producer Karla Sweet.

With John Wilson. Ryan Gosling and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Pusher) team up again for the crime thriller Only God Forgives. Set in the Bangkok underworld, the film has divided critics with its use of violence and an unconventional narrative structure, and even Gosling has admitted the film could alienate audiences. Crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell gives her verdict. Violinist Nicola Benedetti nominates a favourite concerto for Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share an artistic passion. Sculptor Antony Gormley pays tribute to fellow artist Walter De Maria, who has died at the age of 77. Walter De Maria's most renowned work is The Lightning Field, in which he placed 400 stainless steel poles in a vast grid in a remote area of New Mexico. Antony Gormley share his memories of De Maria, who became a reclusive figure, and was rarely photographed or interviewed - although he performed as a musician alongside Lou Reed and John Cale in New York in the 1960s. A new exhibition Mass Observation: This is Your Photo offers an examination of the role of photography in the Mass Observation Archive. Mass Observation was founded in 1937 as a radical experiment in social science, art and documentary to create a kaleidoscopic view of 'ordinary life'. Iain Sinclair responds to the exhibition at the Photographers Gallery in London.

With John Wilson. Tony Grisoni, writer of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the Red Riding TV series, discusses his latest project: Southcliffe is a new four-part drama for Channel 4, about a random killer on the loose in a small English rural town. Architect Richard Rogers nominates a favourite public space for Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share a cultural passion. As the Imperial War Museum London partially re-opens its doors during its major redevelopment, John takes a look at the two new art exhibitions on display. Architecture of War examines the impact of conflict on the landscape and environment, and 5000 Feet is the Best - Omer Fast's multi-layered film about drone warfare - launches IWM Contemporary. Artist and illustrator Ralph Steadman discusses his contribution to a festival about Surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp in Herne Bay, inspired by a trip Duchamp took to the Kentish coast in 1913. He wrote a postcard back to Paris declaring "I am not dead... I am in Herne Bay", and on his return started working on his famous ready-mades, fuelled by his experiences of the English seaside. Steadman reveals why he's donating his own urinal, which started life in the gentlemen's convenience of the Hackney Empire. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With John Wilson. In 2010 Dawn Brancheau, a trainer at the Seaworld theme park, died after being dragged into the water by Tilikum, Seaworld's largest performing Orca. A new documentary, Blackfish, explores how Tilikum came to be in captivity and asks whether whales kept as performing animals will inevitably become aggressive. Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan Or The Whale, reviews. The vocal group Naturally 7 are about to perform at this year's BBC Proms. They demonstrate how they create the sounds of a variety of instruments using just their voices, and reveal how they build up a song, layer by layer. A big new library is the flagship project of Birmingham City Council's plans for the regeneration of the city. Ahead of the opening early in September, John takes a tour of the £188 million building, with project director Brian Gambles, and Birmingham-born author Jonathan Coe. Author Kamila Shamsie reveals her Cultural Exchange choice: the 1950 classic movie All About Eve, with Bette Davis as an aging Broadway star. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Kevin McNally has acted on stage opposite Jude Law and Kenneth Branagh, and has appeared in more than two dozen films, including all four Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He now stars in The Mill, a new four-part TV drama, which depicts events in rural-industrial England in 1833 and is based on the extensive archive of Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire. He discusses the appeal of playing characters who are far from likeable, and reveals how he thinks it helped that he was a little tipsy when he auditioned for Pirates Of The Caribbean. The latest artwork to be commissioned for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square has been unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson. Hahn / Cock by the German artist Katharina Fritsch is a sculpture of a giant blue cockerel. Katharina Fritsch and Boris Johnson explain what the latest statue to occupy the plinth means to them. For Cultural Exchange, Monty Python's Terry Jones selects Under Milk Wood, the play for voices by Dylan Thomas, which was narrated by Richard Burton and first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in 1954. Producer Karla Sweet.

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. Hugh Jackman returns to the role of Wolverine in his new film, embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews The Wolverine. The late singer-songwriter Ian Dury is best known as the front man for Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for writing songs including Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. But before he became an entertainer, Dury trained at the Royal College of Art and had a career as an artist that lasted nearly a decade. As an exhibition of his work opens at the RCA, Dury's daughter Jemima and his old Kilburn and the Highroads band-mate Humphrey Ocean discuss his art and his legacy. Following today's announcement of the longlist for this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction, Robert Macfarlane, chair of judges, joins John to discuss the 13 books and their authors. The shortlist will be announced on 10 September, and the winner - who will receive a £50,000 prize - will be announced on 15 October. For Cultural Exchange, the musician James Blake chooses Stalker, a film made in 1979 film by the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West star as the ultimate celebrity couple, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, in a new BBC Drama written by William Ivory. Focusing on the period when they appeared together on Broadway in Noel Coward's Private Lives, Burton and Taylor imagines the complex relationship between the ex-husband and wife. Linda Grant reviews. Writer Denise Mina has received the Theakstons Old Peculier crime novel award, for the second year running. Her winning novel, For Gods and Beasts, weaves together three stories of Glasgow's criminal underworld. She explains why she had to re-write it over a weekend and reveals the flaws in her books. Director Noah Baumbach discusses Frances Ha, his acclaimed black and white drama about the misadventures of a twentysomething dancer, played by co-writer Greta Gerwig. He also reveals what his parents thought of his break-through film, The Squid And The Whale, which was inspired by the fall-out from their divorce For Cultural Exchange, dramatis Mark Ravenhill chooses Casanova, the first television series from Dennis Potter, starring Frank Finley as Casanova. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With John Wilson. Wadjda is the first film from Saudi Arabia to be directed by a woman, Haifaa Al Mansour. It's the story of an 11-year-old girl who enters a Koran recitation competition in order to buy a bike with the winnings, even though women are discouraged from cycling and are banned from driving cars. Critic Shahidha Bari delivers her verdict. American writer Philipp Meyer's ambitious new novel, The Son, maps the legacy of violence in the western United States. When a young man is taken captive by the Comanches, he learns to adapt to their way of life before their tribe is destroyed by disease, starvation and an overwhelming number of armed, white settlers. Philipp Meyer discusses the breadth of scope - and the five years it took to research and write - of his epic 560-page novel. Starring trumpet soloist Alison Balsom, Gabriel opens at Shakespeare's Globe this evening. The play, set during the Glorious Revolution, showcases the music of Purcell through a combination of drama, instrumentals and songs. John talks to Balsom, as well as the play's director Dominic Dromgoole, about the project. Producer Karla Sweet.

With John Wilson. Susannah Clapp reviews the new Punchdrunk production The Drowned Man, A Hollywood Fable. The company is known for not using stages or even seats, and their groundbreaking immersive style - in previous shows like Sleep No More - has had a huge influence in contemporary theatre. As an Eduardo Paolozzi retrospective opens in Chichester, John meets the artist's lifelong friend Sir Terence Conran. Conran, who has since had success in design, retail and restaurants, remembers helping Paolozzi put together some of his early sculptures. In Cultural Exchange, singer Laura Mvula chooses the song Four Women by Nina Simone. Released on the 1966 album Wild is the Wind, it tells the story of four different African-American women. The shortlist for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize was announced today. This year's list, in which housing features prominently, includes the regenerated Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield. Architect and Chair of the Judges Philip Gumuchdjian, and journalist Tom Dyckhoff discuss the six buildings that have been nominated. Producer Kate Bullivant.

With Mark Lawson. Writer and poet Clive James discusses his ambitious version of Dante's 14th century epic poem The Divine Comedy. He reflects on the challenge and pleasure of translating the 14,233 lines which took him several years, while struggling with ill health which made him wonder whether he'd live to see it published. Directed by Joe Wright and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the UK premiere of A Season in the Congo by Aimé Césaire opens on stage this week. Set in the Congo during the country's first year of independence, the play charts the life of Patrice Lumumba from his campaigning against Belgian rule, to becoming Prime Minster, to his assassination. Novelist Justin Cartwright gives his verdict. Screenwriter Paula Milne offers her choice for Cultural Exchange - Five Easy Pieces, an influential 1970 film starring Jack Nicholson as a frustrated musician who drifts from job to job and embarks on a road trip to see his seriously ill father. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Christopher Guest, the writer best known for This Is Spinal Tap, makes his BBC debut with Family Tree, a TV comedy series about an ancestral quest starring Chris O'Dowd from Bridesmaids and The IT Crowd. Antonia Quirke discusses whether Guest has turned the laughs all the way up to 11. Josephine and I, written by and starring Cush Jumbo, is a one-woman show about the life of dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker. Jumbo reflects on why she wanted to bring Baker's story to the stage. Easy Money is the latest slab of Nordic Noir to hit the big screen. It's an adaptation of Jens Lapidus' debut novel about a student who gets caught up in a drug heist. Jeff Park decides whether this noir should have seen the light of day. Artist Conrad Shawcross offers his choice for Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds nominate a favourite work. His selection is Monet's painting Water-Lilies, currently on show at Tate Modern. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. The World's End is a new comedy film from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright, completing a trilogy which began with Shaun of the Dead and continued with Hot Fuzz. Adam Smith reviews. Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning dramatist Marsha Norman discusses how she adapted Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple as a musical for the stage. The show is about to receive its British premiere. Marsha Norman also reflects on how she teaches the art of writing for musicals. Badults is a new TV comedy which follows the exploits of three childhood friends who made a pact to live together when they grew up, but find themselves struggling to adapt to adult life. The show is written by and stars Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry, also known as the comedy troupe Pappy's. They discuss their move from the live comedy circuit to the small screen. In tonight's Cultural Exchange, American writer David Sedaris chooses the TV programme Ru Paul's Drag Race. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

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. Top of the Lake is a new TV drama series, directed by Oscar-winner Jane Campion, whose works include The Piano and Portrait of a Lady. The series, set in the remote mountains of New Zealand, stars Holly Hunter and Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss. When a 12 year old girl disappears, Moss's character takes a keen interest in the police case, and returns to her hometown to pick up the investigating duties. Rachel Cooke reviews. Rachel Joyce's novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, was the bestselling debut of 2012. She talks discusses her new book, Perfect, in which the usual parent/child roles are reversed, when the life mother of a ten year old boy starts to unravel. The England and Wales Cricket Board has released a poem entitled #Rise For England, which is on the front cover of programmes throughout the Ashes series and features in a short film played on screen at all five match venues. Actor and cricket lover Michael Simkins reflects on the long tradition of poetry about the game and assesses whether poetry can inspire the players. For Cultural Exchange, Booker Prize-winning novelist Pat Barker nominates Benjamin Britten's song cycle Who Are These Children?. Producer Karla Sweet.

With Mark Lawson. Composer Murray Gold discusses his music for Doctor Who, to be performed in two BBC Proms concerts this weekend. He also explains his aims when writing for such a much-loved series, and how advances in technology have affected his work. Run is a four part Channel 4 series of interlinked stories, with each episode concentrating on a different character. The cast includes Olivia Colman, Lennie James, Katie Leung and Jamie Winstone, and the first episode stars Olivia Colman as a single mother with some difficult choices to make, whilst trying to keep her family together after an act of random violence. Writer Dreda Say Mitchell reviews. Black and white films have returned to the big screen in recent weeks, with Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing and Ben Wheatley's A Field in England, and Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha arrives in the UK later this month. Film critic Ryan Gilbey reflects on why these directors have forsaken colour photography, and considers other directors who have followed a similar route recently. Artist Maggi Hambling discusses her Cultural Exchange choice: the Bacchus series of cascading blood red paintings by the American painter Cy Twombly. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Sir Kenneth Branagh returns to performing and directing Shakespeare, taking the title role in a new production of Macbeth at the Manchester International Festival. This follows a decade-long hiatus in his long relationship with Shakespeare - from his RSC years, through the Renaissance Theatre Company and films including Henry V, Hamlet and Love's Labours Lost. Dramatist Charlotte Keatley reviews. Monsters University is a prequel to Monsters, Inc, the 2001 film from the animation studio Pixar. The film sees Mike and Sulley (voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman) attend the classes of Dean Abigail Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), to learn how to scare children. Mark Eccleston reviews. When the South London band The xx released their debut album in 2009, its quiet ambience gained critical acclaim, became the soundtrack for several TV programmes and won the Mercury Music Prize. Its follow up, Coexist, topped the UK charts. As they prepare for start of their Manchester International Festival residency, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim of The xx discuss playing in a small secret venue. For Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds share a favourite art-work or design, Penelope Curtis, Director at Tate Britain, chooses buildings designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon at the University of Leeds. Created in the 1960s and 70s, and including the Grade II* listed Roger Stevens Building, the designs are seen as key examples of modernist architecture. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson at the Manchester International Festival. Film-maker Adam Curtis and the band Massive Attack are the co-creators of the event that launched this year's Manchester International Festival. Adam Curtis discusses his approach to directing a film which works with the live music, to create an experience that he and the band hope will redefine the idea of the gig. During the 1980s and 1990s, Garry Kasparov dominated the world of chess. His much-publicised match against the IBM computer, Deep Blue, is the inspiration for a new play by Matt Charman, called The Machine. Matt and the play's director Josie Rourke discuss dramatizing a game of chess with only one human player. At 4am this morning Mark arrived at the Whitworth Gallery for the start of a show which will last about 65 hours. In the Gallery, the performance artist Nikhil Chopra aims to connect his native India with Manchester through a variety of personal and political explorations. Just before sunrise, he reflected on becoming a live artwork, and Mark also returned to the Gallery during the afternoon to find out how the show is progressing. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson. A Field In England is the first British film to be simultaneously released in cinemas, on DVD, video on demand and terrestrial television. Directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Reece Shearsmith from The League Of Gentlemen, it's a Civil War drama about a group of soldiers who ingest some magic mushrooms and encounter a mysterious figure who may, or may not, be the devil. Professor Roger Luckhurst decides whether it's a trip worth taking. With a CV that includes EastEnders, The Iron Lady and West End productions of Mamma Mia! and Yes, Prime Minister, Michael Simkins has a wide range of acting experience. He talks to Mark about his book which offers a practical guide to aspiring actors, including tips on what to do on stage if someone misses their cue and why you should always read the whole script. Eagle-eyed viewers of the new film Chasing Mavericks might notice that the new surf drama is credited to two directors, because Michael Apted completed the last few weeks of photography when the original director, Curtis Hanson, had to drop out for health reasons. But it isn't the first movie to have two or more directors in the credits, as critic Catherine Bray explains. Tonight's Cultural Exchange is by the outspoken art critic and historian Brian Sewell - who has chosen a painting by the Spanish artist Diego Velazquez (1599 - 1660) depicting Christ after the Flagellation. Called Christ Contemplated by the Christian Soul, the work is on display at the National Gallery in London. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With John Wilson. Elton John reflects on his return to musical basics on his forthcoming album The Diving Board, to be released later this year. He also considers the impact of early fame on young performers, the continuing influence of soul and classical music on his own songs and the effect of his two young sons on his performing career. Producer John Goudie.

With John Wilson. Emma Watson stars in The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola's film about a teenage gang who raid the Hollywood homes of young celebrities. Jason Solomons reviews. Actress Anna Chancellor discusses her role as Amanda in Noel Coward's Private Lives on stage. Anna won acclaim for roles on TV in Spooks and Pramface and was nominated for a BAFTA for BBC One's The Hour - and is still remembered as Hugh Grant's jilted fiancée Duckface in Four Weddings and a Funeral. For Cultural Exchange, actor and musician Clarke Peters selects an anthropological book: They Came Before Columbus, by Dr Ivan Van Sertima. Dr Van Sertima argued that the Indians whom Columbus encountered had already met Africans, long before Columbus had got there. This would mean that Africans had first arrived in the Americas not as slaves, but far earlier - as explorers and traders. A new apocalyptic comedy This is the End features James Franco, Seth Rogen and Emily Watson playing James Franco, Seth Rogen and Emily Watson. And this week Status Quo make their movie debut in action-comedy caper Bula Quo!, playing none other than Status Quo. Critic Adam Smith looks into this cinematic habit of actors playing alternative versions of themselves in films. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman and Jesse Eisenberg star in a new film Now You See Me, in which four illusionists pull off bank heists during their elaborate shows and reward the audiences with the money. But the FBI and Interpol are on their case. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. The Swedish writer Henning Mankell is best known for his series of novels featuring Inspector Kurt Wallander, but this accounts for only a fraction of his work, which includes books for children, plays, and novels set in Africa, where he spends half his time. Henning Mankell discusses his latest novel, A Treacherous Paradise, set in Mozambique, and how his Wallander series has tended to overshadow his other output. For the first time in its history, Tate Modern is focussing on the rarely told story of African and Arabic modernism. Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi gets his first major exhibition in the UK, with a retrospective that spans five decades and over one hundred paintings. Meanwhile Benin-born artist Meschac Gaba has created a temporary museum of contemporary African art inside the gallery, complete with its own shop. In Cultural Exchange, Julia Donaldson, the former Children's Laureate, talks about the stories by American writer Arnold Lobel. Best known for his series Frog and Toad which are for young children beginning to read, Julia chooses and reads from Grasshopper on the Road.

With John Wilson. American film-maker Alex Gibney won the 2008 Best Documentary Oscar for Taxi To The Dark Side - about the American government's use of torture. He talks to John about Julian Assange, the subject of his latest film, We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks, and reveals that his next project is about the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. Amy Winehouse's personal pictures, outfits, record collection and items from her school days are in a new exhibition co-curated by her brother Alex. As the second anniversary of her death approaches, Rosie Swash assesses what this exhibition reveals about the singer, and considers her posthumous influence on fashion, writers and other musicians, including Patti Smith and Green Day. Amanda Levete, the architect whose buildings include the Media Centre at Lord's Cricket Ground and the Selfridges Department Store in Birmingham, chooses a house - Casa Malaparte on Capri - for her Cultural Exchange. She explains how the unusual building, which is on an isolated cliff top on the Italian island, captured her imagination. Stories We Tell is a new documentary from Oscar-nominated director Sarah Polley. The film follows Polley, through interviews with her family members and old friends, as she attempts to find out the truth about her biological father. The genre-bending documentary investigates narrative, the nature of story-telling and the complexity of family relations. Briony Hanson reviews.

With John Wilson. Mary, Queen of Scots: betrayed Catholic martyr or murdering adulteress? A new exhibition at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh re-examines Mary Stewart through portraits, documents, jewellery and furniture. Poet and dramatist Liz Lochhead - whose play, Mary Queen Of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, looked at the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth I - reviews the exhibition. Film director Mike Figgis is best-known for Timecode and Leaving Las Vegas, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His latest project is Suspension Of Disbelief, a noir thriller which focuses on the art of film-making and narrative. He discusses storytelling in cinema, the current state of the UK film industry and his experiences directing James Gandolfini on the set of The Sopranos. Front Row pays tribute to stage designer Mark Fisher, who completely transformed the way that rock shows took place, and designed for The Rolling Stones, U2, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd, as well as for the Beijing and London Olympics, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert. Oscar-nominated actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, currently starring in The Amen Corner at the National Theatre, reveals her choice for Cultural Exchange: jazz trumpeter Miles Davis's influential album, Kind Of Blue. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Natalie Haynes reviews the new West End stage musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, and starring Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. The Chancellor George Osborne today announced a 7% cut in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's budget, and a 5% cut to budgets for arts organisations, as part of the government's spending review. Broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, music commentator Norman Lebrecht and Richard Mantle of Opera North suggest areas of the arts which they believe should receive less funding. The playwright and screenwriter Lee Hall selects his Cultural Exchange. He explains why Briggflatts, an autobiographical poem by Basil Bunting, has revealed new layers of meaning over the 30 years that he has been re-reading it. The concert promoter AEG has been warned by the Advertising Standards Authority after they described a Kanye West gig as a "one off" London show, only to announce more dates. Lawyer Duncan Lamont discusses the legal issues around advertising "one offs" and "farewell tours." Producer: Olivia Skinner.

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. Lowry and the Painting of Modern Life, a new exhibition at Tate Britain, compares Lancashire born artist L S Lowry with the French tradition of the time and argues for his pre-eminence as a painter of the industrial city. Rachel Cooke reviews. The writer Jonathan Dee, whose novel The Privileges was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, discusses his latest work. A Thousand Pardons explores what it means to apologise and the tradition of apology and forgiveness in public life. Jonathan Dee talks about receiving an angry e-mail from a reader shocked by the novel's dramatic twist. This is the End is the latest collaboration from Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, following Superbad and Pineapple Express. It's set at a glamorous party, where James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill play versions of themselves, with cameos from stars including Rihanna and Emma Watson. The festivities are in full swing when the apocalypse arrives. Viv Groskop reviews. The writer Brian Aldiss, best known for his science fiction, chooses his Cultural Exchange. He explains how The Journal of Marie Bashkirtseff, the diary of a young artist written between 1860 and 1884, influenced him when he discovered it as a young boy. Scared To Get Happy is a 5 CD, 134 track box set which charts the history of indie music from 1980 to 1990. An exhaustive collection, it includes tracks from famous names such as The Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions as well as less familiar groups like Trixie's Big Red Motorbike and Tallulah Gosh, featuring 2013 Turner Prize winner Elizabeth Price. Andrew Collins traces the sound that defined a generation. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson. Disco legend, music producer and Oscar-winner Giorgio Moroder is the man behind hits from Donna Summer, The Three Degrees and Sparks. In a rare interview, Moroder reflects on his humble beginnings, his rise to fame and his recent comeback with Daft Punk. As Roger Hiorns' blue crystal sculpture Seizure is moved from a derelict council flat in south London to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, artist Richard Wilson and critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston consider the importance of site-specific art and what happens when an installation is transferred to an environment other than its original location. Tim Firth, writer of the stage version of Calendar Girls - one of the most successful plays in recent British theatre - has turned his hand to a musical. The result is This Is My Family, which explores family life from the perspective of a 13 year old girl, and opens this week in Sheffield. Tim Firth and Daniel Evans, artistic director of Sheffield Theatres, discuss the project. For Cultural Exchange, Francine Stock chooses The Apple, a film made by Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf in 1998, when she was only 18 years old. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson The business side of aviation and the logistics of the industry are the focus of a series of TV documentaries this week. The bosses of easyJet and Ryanair reveal their business models tonight in Flights and Fights: Inside the Low-Cost Airlines, and Airport Live concludes with its final report from Heathrow. Henry Sutton, whose novels include Flying, reviews both. Northern Irish novelist Glenn Patterson selects his Cultural Exchange, the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy starring James Cagney, about the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan. Tomorrow the Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton will open an art house cinema named after Hollywood screen icon Errol Flynn. Flynn, who was born in Australia, became famous in the 1930s for playing swashbuckler roles in films including The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk. But the actor spent his early acting career with the Northampton Repertory Company. Mark visits the Errol Flynn Filmhouse to talk to Royal & Derngate Chief Executive Martin Sutherland and Errol Flynn biographer Gerry Connelly to find out more about the actor's connection to the town. David Edgar's new play If Only imagines what will happen to the coalition in 2014. He tells Mark what will happen to his play if life mirrors art. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With John Wilson. Lenny Henry returns to the stage after a succesful run playing Othello. He now stars in the Pulitzer prize-winning play Fences by American playwright August Wilson. Lenny Henry discusses the importance of the play and the challenge of memorising his lines in a role where he's rarely off the stage. The winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration is announced today. Previous winners include Raymond Briggs, Shirley Hughes, Lauren Child and Quentin Blake. John talks to this year's winner. The foghorn is a disappearing sound from the British coastline - increasingly made redundant by the advances of GPS technology. Now an ambitious project is using GPS technology in the service of a Foghorn Requiem. Composed by Orlando Gough, the requiem features three brass bands, a flotilla of vessels positioned offshore, and the Souter Lighthouse Foghorn itself. Composer Orlando Gough and artist Lise Autogena discuss a one-off musical performance that aims to fuse the sounds from land and sea. In tonight's Cultural Exchange, Joan Bakewell discusses her choice - Luchino Visconti's sumptuous 1963 film adaptation of di Lampedusa's novel The Leopard.

With Mark Lawson Before Midnight is the last instalment in the acclaimed film trilogy that began with Before Sunset and continued with Before Sunrise. Jesse and Celine, who enjoyed brief encounters in Vienna and Paris, are now married with children, but as their summer holiday in Greece comes to an end, the light seems to be going out of their relationship. Antonia Quirke delivers her verdict on one of modern cinema's most famous and enduring couples, played by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Neil Hannon (frontman and founder of The Divine Comedy) and musician Thomas Walsh discuss their second cricket-inspired album Sticky Wickets, and the formation of their band The Duckworth Lewis Method. They also reveal how they arranged special guests including Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry and Henry Blofeld. The Weir, a series of ghost stories told in an Irish pub, was a huge hit for playwright Conor McPherson over a decade ago. His latest play The Night Alive returns to the theme of how the past can haunt the present in unexpected ways. Conor McPherson talks to Mark about the experiences that have informed his writing. Artist Rachel Whiteread makes her selection for the Cultural Exchange - a painting by Bridget Riley, which she kept as a postcard.

With Mark Lawson. Daniel Radcliffe discusses playing the title role of Billy in the darkly comic stage play The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh (writer and director of In Bruges). Radcliffe describes the challenges of taking on a distinct west coast Irish accent and portraying someone with severe disabilities, who wants to leave his remote island home when a Hollywood film crew comes to town. The actor also talks about his career choices post-Harry Potter and a potential return to his famous role, why he expects people to dislike him, and whether he would want to take the lead in Doctor Who. Adapted from Max Brooks' novel with the same name, World War Z is the latest zombie apocalypse film. It stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a United Nations investigator who travels the world to try work out a cure for the zombie pandemic. Jenny McCartney gives her verdict. Neil Gaiman, whose books include Stardust and Coraline, chooses a work by the Victorian artist Richard Dadd - The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke - painted whilst Dadd was incarcerated at Bedlam hospital. Produced by Kate Bullivant.

I Am Nasrine is the BAFTA-nominated debut film from Tina Gharavi. It follows teenage refugee Nasrine, forced to leave Iran and start a new life in the UK after a run-in with the police. Tina Gharavi explains how her own life and work with refugees in the north east of England contributed to the script, and how she filmed parts of the footage undercover in Iran. The White Queen is TV adaptation of Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel, The Cousin's War. Set during the War of the Roses, the battle between the Houses of York and Lancaster is seen through the eyes of the women at the heart of the action. Critic Rebecca Nicholson considers the growing appetite for historical drama and how The White Queen, with its underlying themes of magic and fantasy, compares to Game Of Thrones. For the Cultural Exchange, Paul Weller nominates The Zombies' album Odessey And Oracle - released in 1968. For the past twelve years, weavers at the West Dean tapestry studio have been recreating seven sixteenth century tapestries, known as The Hunt For The Unicorn series, for Stirling Castle in Scotland. As the final tapestry is cut from the loom, marking the completion of biggest British weaving project for two hundred years, John Wilson hears about the medieval techniques involved.

With Mark Lawson. Kim Cattrall plays a fading Hollywood star in a new staging of Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. Marianne Elliott directs the play, which is set in the late 1950s in the American South. Sarah Churchwell reviews. The artist Cornelia Parker is best known for installations involving the exploding of a garden shed, Tilda Swinton sleeping in a glass case and the wrapping of Rodin's The Kiss in a mile of string. She reflects on her latest exhibition, and a new book on her work. For Cultural Exchange, Gwyneth Lewis - the inaugural Poet Laureate of Wales - chooses a dance routine from the Laurel and Hardy film Way Out West (1937). Novelist Brian Aldiss discusses his final science fiction work Finches Of Mars, which he's published at the age of 87. He also reveals why he has been writing a short story every day for the last year and casts his mind back over a long career that included a brief stint as an erotic novelist. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. James Baldwin's play, The Amen Corner, tells the story of Margaret, the uncompromising pastor of a Harlem church, who has to face a secret from her past. Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars in a new National Theatre production, featuring a gospel choir. Writer and critic Bidisha gives her verdict. Best-selling crime writer Peter James discusses his latest book Dead Man's Time, the ninth novel in the Roy Grace Series, and reveals the high-profile real-life inspiration for his character Amis Smallbone. For Cultural Exchange, concert pianist Stephen Hough chooses a song called The Hurdy Gurdy Man by Franz Schubert, from his 1828 song cycle Die Winterreise. After directing the blockbuster Avengers Assemble, Joss Whedon now releases a very different film: a modern-day version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, shot in his own home, in black and white, and featuring a cast of his friends - most of whom appeared in his various cult TV series. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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. Author and illustrator Judith Kerr is best known for her much-loved children's books, which include The Tiger who Came to Tea and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. In the week of her 90th birthday, she discusses her latest book, Judith Kerr's Creatures, which celebrates her life, family and work. She talks about the inspiration for her books and her family's remarkable story of escape from Nazi Germany. Admission is a new comedy set at Princeton University. Tina Fey is an admissions officer who's approached by a teacher (Paul Rudd) trying to persuade her to accept his brilliant but troubled pupil. Critic and writer Elaine Showalter, who used to teach at Princeton, gives her verdict. Dates, a new TV drama series, focuses on the uncomfortable, funny and complex situations arising when people meet for a first date. The series, created by Bryan Elsley, who also launched Skins, features a cast including Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Oona Chaplin and Gemma Chan. Writer and advice columnist Bel Mooney reviews. In Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds share a cultural passion, novelist Mark Haddon nominates the Uffington White Horse, a giant prehistoric chalk figure on the Berkshire Downs. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson. Marc Chagall's paintings filled with colour, floating figures and Jewish motifs are among the most distinctive in art. A new exhibition at Tate Liverpool traces the creation of Chagall's style by following his early years as an artist in Paris and his native Russia. Jackie Wullschlager, author of the biography Chagall: Love and Exile, reviews. St Colmcille, the patron saint of Derry/Londonderry, returns for a public pageant on a city-wide scale, starting this evening. Frank Cottrell Boyce, the writer behind the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, discusses how he created the story for this weekend's events in the UK's City of Culture. Many aspects of the city's history are celebrated, culminating in a showdown on the river front between St. Colmcille and his monstrous nemesis. Singer-songwriter Laura Marling reflects on her new album Once I was an Eagle, and explains why she has chosen to base herself in Los Angeles. She also brings her guitar to the Front Row studio, to perform. And the Irish writer Colm Tóibín makes his selection for the Cultural Exchange: Poem by Elizabeth Bishop, a reflection on a small painting of a scene in rural Nova Scotia, where the poet spent time as a child. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Writer and comedy performer Miranda Hart reflects on her career so far, as her book Is It Just Me? appears in paperback. Martin Amis discusses his 13th novel Lionel Asbo: State of England, a black comedy about a very violent and not very successful criminal and his nephew Desmond Pepperdine. Playwright and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah, currently Artistic Director of Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland, selects his Cultural Exchange: Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson As actress Anne-Marie Duff (The Virgin Queen, Shameless) takes to the stage as Nina in Eugene O'Neill's 1923 play Strange Interlude, she talks to Mark about the soliloquy technique, madness, shyness, and Doctor Who. Formerly known as the Orange Prize, this year's Women's Prize for Fiction will be awarded this evening. The shortlist includes Hilary Mantel, Barbara Kingsolver, Zadie Smith, A.M. Homes, Kate Atkinson and Maria Semple. Mark speaks to the winner live from the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall. Now in its 245th year, the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London is about to open. It is the world's largest open-submission exhibition, displaying more than 1,000 works in all styles and media, including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architectural models and film. Curators Eva Jiricna and Norman Ackroyd discuss the range of works chosen by the Academicians. And for this evening's Cultural Exchange, novelist and poet Sarah Hall chooses the 1992 Director's Cut of Blade Runner - Ridley Scott's dystopian science fiction film. Producer Ella-mai Robey.

John Wilson has news of the winner of the £100 000 Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year, as he presents the programme live from the ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The 10 contenders are: BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury Dulwich Picture Gallery, London The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield Horniman Museum & Gardens, London Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge Narberth Museum, Pembrokeshire Preston Park Museum, Stockton-on-Tees William Morris Gallery, London John hears from each of the museums in the running, as well as speaking to the judges of the Prize, including Stephen Deuchar of the Art Fund, Bettany Hughes, Sarah Crompton and artist Bob and Roberta Smith. Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, discusses the current role of museums, and Ian Hislop will announce the winning museum live on the programme. Producer Ella-mai Robey.

With Mark Lawson Comedian Julian Clary reviews Steven Soderbergh's film Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as Liberace, with Matt Damon as his lover Scott Thorson. American composer Philip Glass discusses his latest opera, The Perfect American, which imagines the last few months of Walt Disney's life. It's based on the novel by Peter Stephan Jungk and directed by Phelim McDermott, and is Philip Glass's 24th opera. Novelist P D James reveals her choice for the Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share their passion for a favourite work. She nominates a poem by Philip Larkin. Channel 4's first subtitled drama for two decades, French zombie drama The Returned, is reviewed by novelist Denise Mina. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Kirsty Lang. The artist Alfred Munnings is best remembered as a painter of English rural scenes and horses. An ill- judged speech to the Royal Academy in 1949, in which he attacked Picasso, Henry Moore and modern art in general, led him to be seen as a reactionary and conservative figure. But a new film about his early life, Summer in February, reveals another side to Munnings. Set in an artists' colony in Cornwall, the film explores the bohemian existence and love affairs of painters including Sir Alfred Munnings and Dame Laura Knight before they became established. Kirsty Lang discovers the love triangle that tore young Munnings's life apart and asks whether his outspoken views and traditional approach to art in later life has led him to be overlooked as a painter. Producer Olivia Skinner.

John Wilson charts the progress of artist Jeremy Deller, as he creates a range of new work for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The journey begins in Jeremy's flat, and includes visits to a recording studio and a record pressing plant, before the final unveiling of the works in Venice. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson. Award-winning documentary maker Norma Percy's latest series, The Iraq War, investigates the events that led Britain and America to go to war with Iraq, with testimony from major players including Tony Blair, Jack Straw and key figures in the Iraqi government. Chris Mullin and Richard Ottaway MP discuss whether the series give us a new insight into how the war came about. To celebrate the centenary of Stravinsky's controversial ballet The Rite of Spring, dancer and choreographer Akram Khan has created a new interpretation of the piece with an original score by Nitin Sawnhey, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Akram Khan discusses his new work ITMOi (In the Mind of Igor) and explains how he went about following in Stravinsky's footsteps. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share a cultural passion, historian Antonia Fraser champions J M W Turner's painting The Fighting Temeraire. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) play mother and daughter in Neil Jordan's vampire film Byzantium. After setting up home in a run-down seaside guest house, schoolgirl Eleanor (Ronan) confides to a friend that she survives on human blood. Natalie Haynes reviews. Lucy Kirkwood's new play Chimerica opens in Beijing in 1989. As the tanks roll into Tiananmen Square, an American photographer captures a piece of history - which comes back to haunt him as he works on the U S presidential elections in New York 2012. Lucy Kirkwood and director Lyndsey Turner talk to Mark about working together on the play. Novelist Audrey Niffenegger, who wrote the best-seller The Time Traveller's Wife, has now collaborated with the Royal Ballet on Raven Girl. Based on a fairy tale written by Niffenegger, Raven Girl tells the story of a girl who wants to fly. Audrey Niffenegger reflects on how the creative partnership worked. For the Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share a cultural passion, Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre, nominates Mozart's opera, The Marriage of Figaro. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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 John Wilson. Writer and critic Paul Morley discusses his new book The North: (And Almost Everything In It). The book is part memoir and part history, exploring what it means to be northern and the contribution the area has made to English cultural and political life. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds reflect on a favourite cultural experience, soprano Angela Gheorghiu nominates fellow Romanian Virginia Zeani singing Bellini's I Puritani. Critic Jason Solomons considers the runners and riders for this year's Palme D'Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Coen Brothers new offering Inside Llewyn Davis and Blue Is The Warmest Colour, a love story that has already made history for containing the most explicit lesbian sex scenes in a mainstream movie. Singer-songwriter John Grant has revealed his anguish after his laptop, containing music and notes for lyrics, was stolen after a recent gig in Brighton. Jazz musician Soweto Kinch was also the victim of theft, but is now reunited with his beloved saxophone, and Beth Orton recovered a lost guitar after help from footballer Joey Barton. All three musicians reflect on their losses - and Soweto Kinch plays his returned saxophone in the Front Row studio. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Berlin-born photographer Erwin Blumenfeld (1897-1969) was one of the most internationally sought-after portrait and fashion photographers in the 1940s and 1950s. America's leading magazines, including Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, hired him for his imaginative and highly individual shots. Erwin's grandson Remy and critic Joanna Pitman assess his legacy as a new exhibition Blumenfeld Studio: New York, 1941-1960 opens. Lydia Davis won The Man Booker International Prize last night for a career which includes a novel, translations of Proust and Flaubert and a large repertoire of very short stories, some only one sentence long. She explains how momentary observations inspire her work, including something she spotted on the London Underground yesterday. For Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds reflect on a favourite cultural experience, violinist Nigel Kennedy selects Black and Blue, by Louis Armstrong. John Constable's renowned landscape painting Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows has been bought for the nation at a price of £23.1m - a record figure for a work by Constable. Art reviewer William Feaver reflects on the painting's worth, and looks back at how it was received when first exhibited in 1831. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Khaled Hosseini's debut novel The Kite Runner was an international best-seller. As he publishes a new novel, And the Mountains Echoed, Hosseini reflects on being a writer in exile, his creative process, and censorship in his native Afghanistan. Saints Alive is the new project from the artist Michael Landy, who once destroyed all his possessions for a work called Break Down. Images of saints from the National Gallery's collection have been cast in three dimensions and assembled using materials he sourced from car boot sales and flea markets. He shows Mark around the exhibition. Novelist A S Byatt reveals her choice for Front Row's Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds nominate a favourite artwork. DJ and film critic Andrew Collins presents his top 10 of disc jockeys in film, as The King Of Marvin Gardens is re-released, starring Jack Nicholson as a late-night talk show host. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown discusses his latest novel about code-breaking called Inferno, a Dante inspired crime thriller set in the streets, museums and ancient buildings of Florence. Richard Wagner is loved and loathed in almost equal measure. The composer of the musically ground-breaking Ring Cycle, Tristan and Isolde and Meistersingers is also known for his extreme political views, including anti-Semitism. Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of his birth. Former England cricketer and Wagner fan Ed Smith debates if it's possible to look beyond Wagner's politics and celebrate his music. Comedy writer Eddie Braben, best known for his work with Morecambe and Wise, has died aged 82. The radio critic Gillian Reynolds, who was a lifelong friend of Braben, reflects on his career and legacy. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds reflect on a favourite cultural experience, Mary Beard chooses Laocoön and His Sons, a sculpture from Ancient Greece which depicts a key scene from the Trojan War. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton star in The Big Wedding, playing an ex-married couple who must pretend to be together for their adopted son's wedding. The starry cast also includes Susan Sarandon, Amanda Seyfried and Robin Williams as the priest. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh delivers her verdict. A new series on the Tudors begins on BBC TV this week - so why is this historical period so popular with TV executives, and which other parts of British history deserve the TV treatment? Historians Henrietta Leyser and Don Spaeth pitch their alternatives. Veteran American writer James Salter has just published his first novel in 34 years. All That Is comes garlanded with praise from writers on both sides of the Atlantic, and draws together many of the themes of Salter's lifetime's work: war, love, sex and marriage. Often considered the great overlooked writer, 87 year old Salter discusses the novel's long gestation, and his trademark economy of prose. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds reflect on a favourite cultural experience, David Walliams discusses the work of Harold Pinter, and recalls the guidance Pinter gave him when he performed in No Man's Land. Producer Penny Murphy.

With John Wilson Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells was released 40 years ago this month - the first disc on Richard Branson's Virgin Records label. Since then, the album has sold millions of copies, featured in the London 2012 opening ceremony, and is now being performed by a duo in the show Tubular Bells For Two on a UK tour. Richard Branson reflects on the genesis of the album, his relationship with Mike Oldfield, and the concert that cost him a car. This year's Cannes Film Festival opened on Wednesday: critic Jason Solomons reports on the hits and misses so far. Trumpeter Alison Balsom reveals her choice for Cultural Exchange: a recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion. She first heard it in her 20s, and feels the work sums up every possible human emotion. The music doesn't feature any trumpets - but she says adding one would spoil its perfection. The film Fast And Furious 6 has just been released - the fifth sequel to 2001's original, The Fast And The Furious. Film critic Adam Smith considers the art of naming sequels. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With John Wilson. The photographer Rankin is known for his cutting-edge fashion and advertising images, and his celebrity portraits. His new show at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool is called ALIVE: In The Face Of Death, where he has turned his attention to death and mortality. He talks to John about his experience of photographing people as they face the prospect of death. Actor Terence Stamp chooses The Razor's Edge (1946) for Cultural Exchange. Based on Somerset Maugham's novel, it tells the story of an American pilot played by Tyrone Power who, traumatized by his experiences in World War I, sets off to India in search of transcendent meaning in his life. Terence talks about the huge impact this film has had on his own life. Brilliant Adventures is a new play by Alistair McDowall. which won the Judges' Award in the 2011 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Set on a Middlesbrough council estate, the play focuses on the relationship between two brothers, one of whom has built a time machine. Writer Charlotte Keatley reviews. The new Daft Punk album, Random Access Memories, is the French duo's fourth long-player after a seven year silence. Regarded as dance music pioneers, on this record Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo are joined by other luminaries of the music world including Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder. Writer and DJ Dave Haslam gives his verdict. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson, Andrew Lloyd Webber discusses the new restoration of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one of London's oldest theatres. The first theatre building was opened in May 1663, an event recorded in Samuel Pepys's diary. The Grand Saloon, rotunda and main staircases have been restored by Lord Lloyd Webber in a £4 million project. He reflects on the importance of London's historical theatres, how an interview on Front Row led to his next musical, and why he doesn't want a theatre named after him. In the new BBC One drama Frankie, Ken Bruce is a radio presence weaved into the series. He discusses the difficulties involved in playing himself, and Kirsty Wark and Richard Bacon also reflect on their experiences of appearing as themselves in TV dramas. In tonight's Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds select a favourite work, writer Will Self nominates The Man Who Was Thursday, a novel by G K Chesterton. Producer Penny Murphy.

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. Writer Allan Cubitt discusses his new TV drama The Fall. Set in Belfast, it stars Gillian Anderson as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, who has been brought in from the Metropolitan Police to review an unsolved murder. Allan Cubitt discusses creating the tense atmosphere and tangled plot lines of the new crime drama. In the latest Cultural Exchange, The Archbishop of Canterbury shares his passion for Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, and also reflects on how we should commemorate the forthcoming centenary of the 1914-18 war. Shakepeare's Titus Andronicus includes a notorious scene requiring a pie with gruesome ingredients. As a new production of the play opens at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Craig Almond, Senior Prop Technician at the RSC, discuss the art of creating food on stage, and Alycia Smith-Howard, author of The Food of Love, examines Shakespeare's other culinary demands. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson. Karl Hyde, of electronic duo Underworld, has worked with prominent film directors Danny Boyle and Anthony Minghella. Along with his partner Rick Smith, he was also the musical director of the London 2012 Olympics. Hyde talks about his latest project, Edgeland - a soundtrack for The Outer Edges, a film about Essex - and reveals the real inspiration behind their trance anthem Born Slippy. Harold Pinter's The Hothouse is in a rare revival on the London stage, starring John Simm and Simon Russell Beale. Writer Iain Sinclair delivers his verdict on the play about a bureaucratic mental institution run by a sadist. Poet Kate Clanchy won the National Short Story award in 2009 with her story The Not-Dead and the Saved. Now she has taken the next literary leap by writing her first novel Meeting the English. She explains how the book came about, despite her vow that she'd never write a novel. In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, best-selling author Jodi Picoult nominates Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu is one of opera's best-known performers, appearing in the world's most prestigious opera houses and concert halls. She reflects on her controversial reputation and the breakdown of her marriage to tenor Roberto Alagna. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the film adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's novel. Directed by Mira Nair and starring Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson, it's the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man who finds success working in Wall Street. When the 9/11 attacks happen he begins to notice a change in how his adopted society responds to him. Writer and critic Shahidha Bari reviews the film. In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Peter Bazalgette, chairman of Arts Council England, nominates a portrait of Edith Sitwell by the writer and painter Wyndham Lewis. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Matthew McConaughey stars as a fugitive befriended by two children in Mud, a new drama from acclaimed director Jeff Nichols. The kids try to help him avoid capture and reunite him with his first love, but not everything goes to plan. Critic Ryan Gilbey delivers his verdict. M D Villiers was nominated for the Crime Writers Association's Debut Dagger award for her novel City of Blood. The book is set in Johannesburg and was inspired by a real murder which took place on the streets of the city. She explains how she started to write about her home country. In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Booker Prize-winning novelist Howard Jacobson nominates Carnal Knowledge, the 1971 film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson. This week further allegations arose about abuse in Britain's specialist music schools. Martin Roscoe is a music teacher who has voiced his concern about how schools are run. Paul Lewis is a world-renowned pianist and former pupil at Chetham's. Both talk to Mark about one-to-one teaching and how the culture of musical education should change. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. A diamond ring given by King Charles I to his young wife is one of the highlights of a new exhibition opening this week at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion aims to show how much clothes, jewellery and armour told us about their wearers and their status. A N Wilson gives his verdict. In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Germaine Greer nominates the The Getting of Wisdom, a novel by the Australian writer Henry Handel Richardson, published in 1910. Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg star in J J Abrams' return to the Star Trek film franchise. Captain Kirk and crew embark on a mission to Earth, now a war zone, to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction in Star Trek Into Darkness. Naomi Alderman reviews. The Vulcan bomber takes centre stage in James Hamilton-Paterson's new novel Under the Radar, about the lives of British aircrew at the height of the Cold War. The writer discusses the book which is set in 1961, as the aircrew brace themselves for an imminent Soviet nuclear attack. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. British actor, director and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah is now Artistic Director of the Center Stage theatre in Baltimore. Mark spent a day with Kwame, discussing his new play, race relations and the differences between UK and US theatre. Producer Penny Murphy.

With John Wilson. Agnetha Fältskog talks about her years with Abba, the painful break-up from her marriage to Björn, her solo career and her new album - the first of original material for 25 years - which is called simply A. Hannibal Lecter, the psychiatrist and cannibalistic killer created by Thomas Harris, is about to reappear - this time in a TV series starring Mads Mikkelsen, set before Red Dragon and The Silence Of The Lambs. Hannibal is employed by the FBI to help an unusually gifted criminal profiler, Will Graham, who's haunted by his ability to see into the minds of serial killers. Crime writer Mark Billingham reviews. In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie nominates Tutu, a painting by Igbo Nigerian painter and sculptor Ben Enwonwu. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Zoe Wanamaker, familiar to TV and cinema audiences from her roles in My Family, Poirot and the Harry Potter films, returns to the stage in a new production of Passion Play by Peter Nichols - a drama about marriage and temptation. She reflects on her approach to theatre, and remembers her father Sam, founder of Shakespeare's Globe theatre. Swedish novelist and critic Jan Arnald uses the pen-name Arne Dahl when writing crime-fiction. His novels about Paul Hjelm and his colleagues in the Intercrime Group, an elite team of Swedish detectives, were adapted for Swedish TV, and are currently being broadcast on BBC Four. The books themselves are now being published in English. He discusses the advantages of having a team of detectives, rather than an individual, and about the reaction in Sweden to the British passion for Scandi Noir fiction. In the latest edition of 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, Suggs from Madness nominates the poem On a Portrait of a Deaf Man by John Betjeman. It's 50 years since The Beatles first topped the UK singles chart with From Me to You, which was a hit in May 1963. But what else was in the Top 40 back then? David Hepworth considers whether this was a turning-point in pop history, and identifies some other classics in that week's chart. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush stars alongside Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis in The Eye of the Storm, a film based on Patrick White's novel about sharp family tensions, as a middle-aged brother and sister return to the home of their dying mother. Geoffrey Rush talks about his career on stage and in films such as Shine, Pirates of the Caribbean and The King's Speech. In the latest edition of 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, Melvyn Bragg shares his long-standing love of a Rembrandt self-portrait from 1658. The artist Ellen Gallagher discusses her new exhibition, AxME, which opens this week at the Tate Modern. Gallagher's work includes painting, collage and film installations, and she often uses newspaper cuttings and advertisements from vintage magazines to explore race and identity. She discusses how she moved from being an aspiring writer to working as an artist via jobs as a baker and a carpenter, and the challenges of creating work using plasticine. In 1963 John Profumo, the then war minister, resigned over his affair with Christine Keeler. The scandal damaged the government and led to the suicide of Stephen Ward - the man who'd introduced Keeler to Profumo. Whilst preparing a display to mark the 50th anniversary of the Profumo Affair, the National Portrait Gallery made an incredible discovery: on the reverse of Stephen Ward's pastel drawing of Christine there's a similar drawing of an unknown young woman. Richard Davenport-Hines, author of a book about the scandal, talks to Mark about the enduring appeal of the Profumo affair, and speculates on the identity of the woman. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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, Nijinsky is known as one of the greatest dancers and most experimental choreographers of the 20th century, but his career was curtailed by mental illness. Lucy Moore has written the first English language biography of Nijinsky for more than 30 years, and she discusses the myths which surround him, his complex relationship with the impresario Diaghilev, and the possible reasons for his breakdown and inability to work again. 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 Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci nominates Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita. Dead Man Down is the first Hollywood film from Niels Arden Oplev, the Danish director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This dark thriller stars Colin Farrell as a hit man working for a New York crime boss and Noomi Rapace, who Arden Oplev worked with on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as a damaged woman seeking his help in her own revenge plot. Mark Eccleston discusses the film and considers the choices European directors have made when making their Hollywood debut. With less than a year to go until the first exhibition opens in the British Museum's new Exhibitions Gallery, John gets a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the £135 million project is progressing. British Museum director Neil MacGregor explains how the new part of the building will aid conservators and museum scientists in their work, provide a new display areas - and not add a single penny to the museum's current heating or lighting bills. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With John Wilson. Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit of America's biggest-selling band The Eagles discuss a new documentary, History of the Eagles, which charts the ups and downs of their career and the stories behind their classic songs. 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 editor Diana Athill explains why Byron's letters have had such a lasting effect on her. The Weir by Conor McPherson, set in a remote Irish pub, and the musical version of Once, which has been transposed to a bustling Dublin pub, are both currently running in London. Josie Rourke, who is directing The Weir, and Declan Bennett, who stars in Once, reflect on the process of creating an authentic pub atmosphere on stage, and P J Mathews considers the theatrical history of the Irish pub. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. David Tennant and Emily Watson star in a new three part TV drama, The Politician's Husband. Written by Paula Milne, it centres on the family life, and career prospects of husband and wife MPs. As his fortunes wane, hers rise, with considerable repercussions. Baroness Virginia and Sir Peter Bottomley discuss whether it's a realistic depiction of a power couple. 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 actor Adrian Lester contributes Bob Marley's Redemption Song and explains why it struck such a chord when he heard it first in 1981 when he was 12. A Delicate Truth is the new novel by John le Carré and it finds the author returning to the world of espionage and diplomacy for which he is best known. The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall gives her verdict. In The Fog, an award-winning World War II film set in the Soviet Union, centres around the developing relationship between a Nazi collaborator and two members of the resistance movement who have been sent to kill him. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson Animator Nick Park has adapted his most famous characters Wallace & Gromit for the small screen, the big screen, the BBC Proms and now the theme park. He invites Mark to take a turn on his new ride - the Thrill-O-Matic - as it opens at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 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 Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, selects the groundbreaking sci-fi novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. The 1937 book is a history of life in the universe, in which a human from England is transported out of his body and finds himself able to explore space and other planets. Considered by Arthur C Clarke as one of the finest science fiction books ever written, Star Maker also was loved by Winston Churchill and Virginia Woolf. Nicholas Hytner gives Othello a modern military setting, in a new staging starring Adrian Lester in the title role, with Rory Kinnear as Iago. Hermione Lee assesses whether this National Theatre production casts a fresh light on the play. ITV's latest sitcom, Vicious, features Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi as an elderly gay couple, with Frances de la Tour as their best friend. Writer and critic Philip Hoare has watched it and discusses whether Vicious lives up to its name. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With John Wilson In Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as super-hero of the Marvel comics. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebecca Hall. Naomi Alderman reviews. 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 ballerina Tamara Rojo selects the pioneering choreographer who inspired her to dance, Mats Ek. At the age of 10 in Madrid, Tamara saw the Swedish choreographer's groundbreaking ballet Bernarda, based on the Lorca play The House of Bernarda Alba. As a staff photographer for the Magnum agency, Rene Burri captured some of the defining moments of the 20th century. As he publishes a new book of colour photographs, he describes the moment he captured an image of his hero, Pablo Picasso. Art collector Frank Cohen, who made his fortune by creating a chain of DIY stores, and his business partner Nicolai Frahm are opening a new free gallery in London, on the vast site of a former dairy. Where milk bottles used to be washed and stored, contemporary art from around the world will now hang. They discuss their approach to art collecting, and the desire to put it on show. Producer Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson. Tonight Front Row launches Cultural Exchange, in which 75 creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art. Tonight Tracey Emin reflects on her favourite painting - Vermeer's Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. The ITV series Broadchurch reaches its climax tonight, when the murderer of Danny Latimer is revealed. It's reported that even the actor playing the killer didn't know they were the guilty party until the last moment. Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall and John Yorke, author of Into the Woods, A Five Act Journey into Story, discuss the art of suspense in TV drama. Jack Black stars as a funeral director who strikes up an unlikely relationship with an elderly widow played by Shirley MacLaine in the film Bernie, a black comedy based on a macabre true story. Novelist Lionel Shriver delivers her verdict. Playwright Graham Reid discusses his latest play Love, Billy. It's the fifth part of a series which focuses on a Belfast based family, first seen on TV in 1982 with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role. In this latest instalment Billy returns to Belfast after 25 years away. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

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 John Wilson. Matt Damon's new film, Promised Land, based on a story by Dave Eggers, focuses on fracking - extracting gas by fracturing rock layers. Damon plays Steve Butler, an executive sent to a rural town to gain drilling rights, who comes into conflict with an environmental campaigner. The film reunites Damon with Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant. Natalie Haynes reviews. Radio 3 and Proms Controller Roger Wright reveals highlights of this summer's BBC Proms season - including Marin Alsop, the first woman to conduct The Last Night Of The Proms. Singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves has taken US country and western music by storm, topping the country charts with her songs inspired by the darker side of life in small-town America. Guitar in hand, Kacey Musgraves reflects on her inspirations, and how she hopes to confound the expectations of the music industry. The contenders for this year's Deutsche Börse Prize for photography include two projects in which the photographers have curated images they have found online, rather than photos they have taken themselves. Mishka Henner, who has gathered images from Google Streetview, and duo Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, who borrow images from the war on terror, discuss changing ideas about how photographers can capture the world. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. On 3 April 2011, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing airport. He disappeared for 81 days and on his release the government claimed his imprisonment related to tax evasion. Howard Brenton's latest play is based on an account of conversations with Ai, in which he told the story of that imprisonment. Howard Brenton discusses the creation of the play, and also the DVD release of his memorable but never repeated 1986 noir BBC series Dead Head. William McIlvanney's Laidlaw trilogy of crime novels created a hard-drinking, Glaswegian, middle-aged cop with marital issues that inspired a generation of fellow Scottish writers including Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre, Val McDermid and Denise Mina. As the Laidlaw series is republished, William McIlvanney talks about Raymond Chandler, poetry and the moment he realized that not everybody's mother read the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Io e Te (Me and You) is the latest film from Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director of Last Tango in Paris. Adapted from a novel by Niccolo Ammantini , Io e Te follows Lorenzo, a teenage boy who, keen to be alone, pretends to be on a school trip while he hides out in a basement, only to find himself unexpectedly joined by his half-sister. Gaylene Gould reviews. The contenders for the Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, announced today, include an unexpected name: the composer Dmitri Shostakovich receives a co-writing nomination in the Best Contemporary Song category - because his music was sampled on a song by rapper and singer Plan B. Steve Yates looks at other unusual borrowings by contemporary stars. Producer Olivia Skinner.

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. Front Row reveals the Best of Young British Novelists, as selected by Granta magazine, and featuring 20 writers under 40. The prestigious list, which was first published in 1983, is released once a decade: the class of 1983 included Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and Rose Tremain. The editor of Granta John Freeman and writer A L Kennedy, who was selected in both 1993 and 2003, unveil the new list and reflect on their judging process. The White House is the setting for the action film Olympus Has Fallen, starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman. After the US president is taken hostage by terrorists, a disgraced former guard (Butler) finds himself playing a vital role. Elaine Showalter reviews. Mark reports from Derry-Londonderry, as it celebrates its 100th Day as City of Culture 2013. Throughout the year hundreds of events will take place, involving both international artists and local people. Mark speaks to the organisers of a photography project which aims to show the personal history of the city, not the news headlines from the Troubles. A record shop owner and local band Strength discuss their participation, and author Brian McGilloway talks about the City of Culture legacy. The conductor Sir Colin Davis died yesterday at the age of 85. Nicholas Kenyon, director of the Barbican Centre, London, reflects on the career of a musician who won international acclaim, most notably for his performances of works by Berlioz and Sibelius. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson Director Oliver Stone's latest project is an ambitious ten-part TV documentary series called Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States. He's teamed up with writer Peter Kuznick to look back at events that at the time went under-reported, but that shaped America over the 20th century. Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick discuss the challenge of such a large undertaking and the inevitable controversy that it has attracted. First Position is a film about the ballet world. It shows a group of 11-17 year olds as they prepare to enter the Youth America Grand Prix, where scholarships to ballet schools and dancing contracts can be won. Dance critic Judith Mackrell reviews the film. Cloud Atlas writer David Mitchell and composer Michel van der Aa have collaborated on a new opera, The Sunken Garden, which opens tonight at the Barbican in London. Including 3-D film, and singers on stage as well as film, the story is about a 'soul stealer'. They talk to Mark Lawson about the project and how they worked together. Produced by Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson. Dominic Cooke is leaving London's Royal Court Theatre after seven years as Artistic Director. He looks back at his often controversial tenancy and discusses his final production, The Low Road by Bruce Norris. And in the week that Nicholas Hytner announced the date for his departure as Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Kenneth Branagh, Marianne Elliott, Sam Mendes and Kwame Kwei-Armah reveal where they stand as potential contenders for the top job. Michael Dobbs, who was Conservative Chief of Staff under Margaret Thatcher, and Haydn Gwynne who is currently portraying Thatcher on stage in The Audience, reflect on the ways that the former Prime Minister has been represented in culture. And two exhibitions by leading women artists open in London this week. In her new show Detached, Rachel Whiteread continues her exploration of casting the inside of objects including sheds, doors and windows. And sculptor Elisabeth Frink, who died twenty years ago, has an anniversary retrospective which celebrates the four decades of the artist's life in sculptures, drawings and paintings. Rachel Cooke reviews. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Writer and poet Maya Angelou, who has just celebrated her 85th birthday, reflects on her life and career, in conversation with Mark Lawson. She discusses her six volume autobiography, which began with I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, a book which is now taught in schools around the world. Dr Angelou is frank about her extraordinary life, family and the issue of race in modern America. Producer Penny Murphy.

With John Wilson. Sarah Brightman became a household name when her group Hot Gossip had a number 1 hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper. She went on to perform in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, eventually marrying Lloyd Webber. Aptly enough her latest project is a trip into space, and she discusses her plans for the journey and the album it has inspired. The Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado has just opened his new exhibition, Genesis, at the Natural History Museum in London. Like his two ambitious earlier projects - Workers and Migrations - Genesis is a long-term exploration of global issues, in a series of large-scale monochrome prints which on this occasion celebrate nature and examine the balance of human relationships with the planet. In a rare interview Sebastiao Salgado discusses the challenge, which was eight years in the making, and which took him to 32 countries and some of the remotest and most inhospitable locations in the world. The Gatekeepers is a documentary telling the story of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. Directed by Dror Moreh, the film includes interviews with six former heads of the service, none of whom had ever spoken on camera before. The BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera reviews the film which was nominated for an Oscar. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With John Wilson. Tamara Rojo is the artistic director of the English National Ballet. This is her first season in charge of a company, after years as principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet, where she danced all the major roles. She talks to John about her vision for the ENB. The film The Place Beyond The Pines, an epic story of fathers and sons, crime and punishment, stars Ryan Gosling as a motorcycle rider and bank robber whose sins are visited upon his only child. Antonia Quirke delivers her verdict. James Blake was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2011 for his self-titled debut album of melancholy electronica, largely made in his bedroom while still at university. His second album Overgrown is released today. He explains how the success of his first release has informed the new record. On the first day of the MIP TV programmes sales conference at Cannes, TV buyers from around the world are out in force looking for the next drama, format or documentary most likely to prove a global hit. Peter White from Broadcast magazine reports live on the trends coming through so far. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. John travels to Amsterdam to visit the Rijksmuseum, re-opening after a decade of renovations. The 19th century building - home to Rembrandt's masterpiece The Nightwatch - not only has a new Asian Pavilion and restored galleries, but also the display of its collection has been transformed: visitors can now see the 8,000 exhibits chronologically, following the story of 800 years of Dutch art and history. Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) and Selena Gomez (Wizards Of Waverley Place) are set to shed their clean-cut tween appeal as they star in the film Spring Breakers, alongside James Franco. Four college girls experience the darker side of hedonism after robbing a bank to fund their vacation. Critic Leslie Felperin reviews. The lead singer of Wire, Colin Newman, discusses the influence of his post-punk band on groups like Blur, Franz Ferdinand and REM, and why they are resurrecting old ideas for their new album Change Becomes Us Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Richard Bean's play One Man, Two Guvnors, a re-working of A Servant of Two Masters, has proved one of the biggest theatrical hits of recent years. His earlier play Smack Family Robinson - a dark comedy about the family of a well-to-do drug dealer - now receives a new production starring Keith Allen and Denise Welch. Richard Bean reflects on drugs, gags, and being labelled a right wing playwright. Actress Olga Kurylenko, who reached a global audience in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, discusses her latest role in Oblivion, a dystopian thriller which also stars Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. The Ukrainian-born actress, who moved to France when a teenager to work as a model, talks about her journey from small town Ukraine to Hollywood. A new Nordic crime drama starts on BBC Four this weekend. Arne Dahl, from Sweden, follows a team of detectives in pursuit of a serial killer, and follows the popular Scandinavian dramas The Killing, Borgen and Wallander. Arne Dahl is the pseudonym of writer Jan Arnald, on whose books the series is based. Jeff Park, who has read the books, discusses whether they work on screen. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 for his novel The Sense of an Ending, following the award the same year of the David Cohen Prize for lifetime achievement, which celebrated his work including Flaubert's Parrot and A History of the World in 10 and a Half Chapters. However, during this period of public recognition and spotlight, Barnes was privately grieving after the death of his wife, the literary agent Pat Kavanagh, from cancer in 2008. His new book Levels of Life travels from a history of hot air ballooning, via a short story about the French actress Sarah Bernhardt to his memoir of becoming a widower. In this special interview Julian Barnes explains why despite being fiercely private, he was drawn to write about his experience of grief and reflects on why his work has always defied easy classification. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. The film A Late Quartet stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken as members of a world renowned string ensemble, struggling to deal with illness, ego and lust on the cusp of their 25th anniversary. Composer Michael Berkeley reviews. Front Row announces the ten contenders for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2013. Judges Stephen Deuchar and Bettany Hughes discuss the shortlist, and how they compare large scale building projects with public outreach programmes and imaginative curatorial ideas. Greg Bellow reflects on his father, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Saul Bellow, and the experience of finding moments of family life appearing in his father's fiction. He also considers the divisions between the public perceptions of Saul Bellow as a literary heavyweight, and his own feelings about him as a father. Tom Hanks, star of Forrest Gump, Apollo 13 and Sleepless in Seattle, is making his Broadway theatre debut in Lucky Guy, a play by Nora Ephron. Tara Gadomski reflects on how audiences are reacting to the sight of this Hollywood star on stage. Producer Nicki Paxman.

Kirsty Lang reports on how British culture is hoping to find new markets and audiences in China. Cultural exports heading east range from musicals such as Mamma Mia!, which aims to fill newly-built theatres, to films, where producers have to negotiate a system of quotas for foreign movies, and success is not always predictable. Kirsty also speaks to singer Mary-Jess Leaverland, whose singing career was launched after she won a Chinese TV talent show, and to architect Chris Wilkinson, from the practice Wilkinson Eyre, one of the British teams winning commissions in China. Producer Penny Murphy.

A rare interview with writer Anne Tyler, who talks to Mark Lawson in her home in Baltimore. She reflects on her approach to writing novels, including Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Digging to America and The Accidental Tourist. She discusses her interests and influences, and her 20th novel, which she's currently writing. Producer Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson. Film-maker Penny Woolcock reflects on how she took to the streets of Birmingham with members of rival gangs, in an attempt to resolve long-standing and often violent divisions between them. Her documentary, One Mile Away, follows on from her film 1 Day, a fictional account of criminal gangs in the same location. Singer-songwriter Michael Bolton has sold more than 50 million records and won multiple Grammy awards in a career spanning 25 years. More recently he's reached a new younger audience with his spoof music video Captain Jack Sparrow, made in collaboration with comedians from Saturday Night Live. He explains how he was persuaded to parody himself and why it paid off. Tomorrow night's Front Row is a rare interview with the acclaimed novelist Anne Tyler. Mark looks ahead to the interview, and Anne Tyler discusses a final sentence which won praise from one of America's most revered writers.

With Mark Lawson. The art of storytelling, from earliest writings to today's TV soaps, is the subject of a new book Into the Woods: A Five Act Journey Into Story by John Yorke. Yorke has been Head of Channel 4 Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, overseeing programmes including Skins, Shameless, EastEnders, Spooks, Casualty and Omagh, as well as The Archers on Radio 4. He discusses what lies behind our fascination and hunger for stories, and what makes a story work. As the latest theatre award shortlists make the news, actor Michael Simkins reveals what it's like for performers who are not nominated for awards when their co-stars are. Novelist Glenn Patterson discusses Good Vibrations, his bio-pic of Ulster's punk pioneer Terri Hooley, the record shop owner who discovered The Undertones. Two new TV programmes - The Great British Sewing Bee and The Intern - take familiar formats and apply a twist. Viv Groskop gives her verdict. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. Playwright John Logan is also known as the writer of award-winning films like Gladiator, Skyfall and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. This week he returns to the London stage with Peter And Alice, based on a real-life meeting between the people who inspired two classics of children's fiction, Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan - Alice Liddell Hargreaves and Peter Llewellyn Davies, played by Judi Dench and Ben Wishaw. Kristin Scott Thomas stars in Francois Ozon's latest film, In the House. It's a comedy about a school student and his literature teacher. The boy displays a rare spark of creative-writing talent and his stories hook the teacher and his wife with devastating results, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Rachel Cooke reviews. Suggs, the lead singer of Madness, is about to embark on a UK tour in which he looks back over his life, from his birth in Hastings to the disappearance of his father and his time with the band. Suggs, aka Graham McPherson, discusses the show and the continuing success of Madness who first formed in 1976. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Danny Boyle - director of Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire - this week releases his first film since his Olympic opening ceremony last year. In Trance, starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel, an art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals, joins up with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting. Mark Eccleston reviews. Keeping Britain Alive: The NHS in a Day is a new eight part series filmed over on one day across the NHS. The programme aims to highlight the increasing demands that the service faces and how these have changed since its inception 70 years ago. Executive producer Amy Flanagan and director Shona Thompson discuss the challenges involved in the production. Choreographer Gillian Lynne is to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Laurence Olivier Awards. Her long career includes dancing for George VI, choreographing Yentl and Man of La Mancha, along with two of Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest successes - Cats and Phantom of the Opera. She argues that reality TV casting shows are harming musical theatre, and reveals why, at the age of 87, she is still working with no plans to retire. As 12 In A Box, starring Miranda Hart, arrives in cinemas seven years after it was made, Andrew Collins considers the other films that have been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With John Wilson The Broadway hit musical The Book Of Mormon has opened in London. The show is a satirical tale of Mormon missionaries visiting a Ugandan village threatened by a brutal warlord. Book, lyrics and music are by Trey Parker and Matt Stone - creators of the animated comedy, South Park - and Robert Lopez, composer of Avenue Q. Grace Dent reviews. Comedian Lee Mack, writer and star of TV sitcom Not Going Out, talks about surviving the death of British sitcom, the perfect gag-rate and filming two alternative endings for the new series - depending on whether Lee and Lucy finally get together or not. ZSL London Zoo's new "tiger territory" was designed in collaboration with the zoo keepers, and the new enclosure aims to provide the tigers with the most suitable environment. The zoo is known for its famous buildings, and the Lubetkin penguin pool and Snowdon aviary are architectural icons. Michael Kozdon, the architect who designed the new tiger enclosure, zoo keeper Teague Stubbington and architecture critic Owen Hatherley discuss how zoo buildings have changed to accommodate the animals, rather than to make an architectural statement. Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri pays tribute to his celebrated countryman Chinua Achebe, who has died aged 82. A novelist, essayist and poet, Achebe is best-known for his novel, Things Fall Apart, which has become the most widely-read book in modern African literature. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With John Wilson. Maverick violin virtuoso Nigel Kennedy talks about his admiration for Fats Waller, Dave Brubeck, Ravi Shankar and Bach - all of whose music features in his new album. And he reveals an unexpected side-effect of wearing Jimi Hendrix's old bandana during a live performance. The Village is a new TV drama series with an epic ambition: to chart the life and times of one English village across the 20th century. Starring John Simm, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson, the story centres on Bert Middleton, now 112 years old but only 12 and the son of an impoverished farmer when the story begins. Author Kate Saunders gives her verdict. The bombed-out St. Luke's church in Liverpool tonight stages the premiere of Tony Teardrop - a play that focuses on the lives of a group of homeless people. The church itself was the inspiration for playwright Esther Wilson, who also wrote the Radio 4 drama serial The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles. She discusses how she creates drama from the experiences of the homeless people she's met, and explains why drama struggles to compete with real life. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. Alan Bennett has been a feature of British cultural life for over 50 years, first as an actor in Beyond the Fringe and later as a dramatist, screenwriter and diarist, creating theatrical smashes such as The Madness of King George, The History Boys and most recently People. As a double-bill of his autobiographical plays, Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, arrives in the West End of London, he reflects on how it feels to see himself being portrayed on stage, and the influence of his parents on his work. He also addresses allegations that his recent play People attacked the National Trust, and explains why he is keen to avoid the National Treasure tag. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson In the film Compliance, a police officer phones a fast food restaurant and tells the middle-aged manageress that a young employee is accused of stealing. He asks her to detain the girl until the police arrive. She complies. As the situation develops, in near real time, it becomes uncomfortable to remember that the film is based on real events. Jenny McCartney reviews. Writer and producer Kay Mellor discusses the return of her TV drama The Syndicate, which stars Alison Steadman and Jimi Mistry. This time it's the turn of five low-paid workers at a Bradford hospital to win the Euro millions jackpot. Kay Mellor discusses writing about the experience of gaining sudden wealth against a backdrop of economic austerity. A new version of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler tranports the play to Birmingham in the early 1960s, with the central character now called Heather Gardner. Similarly, Strindberg's Miss Julie has been reworked to become Mies Julie, set in the Karoo, South Africa. Writers Robin French and Yael Farber discuss their current productions, and Patrick Marber reflects on relocating Strindberg to Britain in 1945, in his play After Miss Julie. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

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 Mark Lawson. Michael Waldman is a TV documentary maker who has gained unprecedented access to the royal family to make Our Queen. The programme follows the Queen during 2012 as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and observes the usually secretive meetings she hold with the Prime Minister. He explains how he gained access and what he learned about the royal family. Beyond The Hills, an award-winning film from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, is based on a true story about a suspected case of demonic possession in a monastery. Briony Hanson delivers her verdict. Last year the octogenarian American poet John Ashbery was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama at the White House. In a rare interview from his New York home, John Ashbery discusses his latest collection Quick Question, and reflects on the challenge some readers and critics have found in the complexity of the language he uses. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Gustavo Dudamel, the young Venezuelan conductor of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, has become one of the most high-profile classical musicians in the world. He returns to the UK this week as Musical Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, to perform a series of concerts. Dudamel discusses the residency and his work advocating music as a way to enrich children's lives. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With John Wilson. Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum is the British Museum's giant examination of daily life in the cities destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. John takes an advance peek at the exhibition ahead of its opening with curator Paul Roberts. A new prize for literature in English by writers from around the world is being launched at the British Library today. John meets one of the founders of the new prize, Andrew Kidd and one of the authors supporting the award, Kamila Shamsie, and wonders whether the prize was founded in response to the 2011 Man Booker shortlist. In the Flesh is a new BBC3 drama which imagines life after a zombie apocalypse, and how former zombies try to fit back in to the community. Writer Natalie Haynes reviews. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time transfers to the West End this week and composer Adrian Sutton's score plays a prominent role in the production. What may not be so obvious are the mathematical rules he has hidden in the score, an attempt to stay true to the protagonist's love of prime numbers. Adrian and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, who is holding a forthcoming event about the maths in Mozart's The Magic Flute, discuss the musical appeal of prime numbers. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Edmund de Waal, author of the bestselling memoir The Hare with the Amber Eyes, reflects on finding novels written by his grandmother, Elisabeth. She grew up in Vienna, and escaped when Hitler's troops marched into Austria on 12 March 1938, 75 years ago today. Her novel The Exiles Return examines the stories of five exiles returning to Vienna after World War II, and is now being published for the very first time. The Paperboy is the latest film from Lee Daniels, the director of the award-winning Precious. It caused a sensation amongst critics at last year's Cannes festival, thanks to a notorious scene involving Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and a well-known antidote for a jellyfish sting. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh considers whether this swampy Southern melodrama has any real bite. The first major UK retrospective of the American realist painter George Bellows opens this week. At the time of his death in 1925, at the age of just 42, Bellows was considered one of the greatest artists America had ever produced. He left 600 paintings of urban New York, boxing matches, social scenes and portraits, making him a chronicler of early 20th Century New York life. Sarah Churchwell reviews. A leading bookshop chain is offering an exclusive edition of the new paperback by Joanne Harris, featuring an epilogue unavailable elsewhere. Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, considers this latest move in the fierce battle between traditional shops and online retailers. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Mark Lawson Stephenie Meyer is the author of the phenomenally successful Twilight series. The latest of her young adult books to be adapted for the screen is The Host. She reflects on how the success of the films affected her writing and why despite inspiring the 50 Shades series, she has never read it. Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey star as rival Vegas magicians in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Critic Mark Eccleston assesses the film's power to amaze. Simon Starling became one of the Turner Prize's most controversial winners when he took the 2005 title for his travelling hut, ShedboatShed. He discusses his creation for this year's Tate Britain Commission. Phantom Ride is inspired by early cinema, Blitz damage in London and ghost stories. Almost half of the musicians playing in the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra during World War II were also members of the Nazi party, according to new research. And 13 members of the orchestra at that time were driven out for being Jewish, or married to Jews. How far should this new information shape our understanding of the orchestra and its history? The cultural commentator Norman Lebrecht considers the issue with Mark. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. Novelist William Boyd has taken two short stories by Chekhov and turned them into his first stage play, called Longing. Starring Tamsin Greig, Iain Glen and John Sessions, Longing contains many Chekhovian themes, including long-buried emotions and a yearning for Moscow. Peter Kemp reviews. Hilary Mantel has added the David Cohen Prize for Literature to her recent success in the Man Booker Prize and the Costa Award. The biennial award celebrates an author's entire career rather than one work. The author of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies considers her success, and gives her unapologetic reaction to the media storm which followed her recent thoughts about the Duchess of Cambridge. Marianne Faithfull, Soweto Kinch, Paul Heaton and conductor André de Ridder reflect on music inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins. Jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch reveals why he became the voice of temptation on his latest album, The Legend Of Mike Smith, and Paul Heaton explains why he added an eighth sin. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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 Mark Lawson. Actor Mark Strong is familiar from TV dramas including Our Friends in the North, Prime Suspect and The Long Firm, and feature films such as Green Lantern, Sherlock Holmes and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He now co-stars in Welcome To The Punch, playing a notorious criminal alongside James McAvoy's embittered cop. He reflects on playing villains, acting in slow motion and the art of wearing wigs. Author Tash Aw discusses his new novel, Five Star Billionaire. Set in Shanghai, the story is told from the perspective of five migrant Malaysian workers. Sketch comedy duo Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have a new TV series starting this week, which showcases their comic creations and satirizes well-known TV formats. They discuss their new characters and continuing the long tradition of comedy double acts. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson. Side Effects is a new psychological thriller from director Steven Soderbergh. He claims that it is his final film for cinema, in a career which began with Sex, Lies and Videotape in 1989. Rooney Mara stars as a woman who suffers unexpected side effects from medication prescribed by her psychiatrist, played by Jude Law. Antonia Quirke reviews. The American artist Chuck Close discusses his highly-detailed portraits, created from hundreds of smaller images. He explains why his inability to recognise faces, a consequence of a disability, has led to his focus on portraiture. A new TV series, Bluestone 42, covers unusual ground for a comedy as it follows the fortunes of a bomb disposal squad in Afghanistan. Writers James Cary and Richard Hurst discuss how they researched the storylines with the help of army advisors, and consider the moral dilemmas involved in getting laughs from a war in which soldiers are still serving. The video game icon Lara Croft is making a comeback, five years after the last Tomb Raider game was released. Written by Rhianna Pratchett, the new game explores Lara Croft's origins as a young archaeologist. Helen Lewis reflects on the significance of Lara Croft for a generation of female gamers. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Sam Raimi's film Oz The Great and Powerful is an imagined prequel to L. Frank Baum's novel The Wizard of Oz. James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, a circus magician from Kansas who encounters three witches, played by Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis in the land of Oz. Writer Sally Gardner reviews. Composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp reflect on their new opera, Written on Skin, receiving its UK premiere at the Royal Opera House this week. Based on a medieval folk tale of love and violence, the opera is directed by Katie Mitchell and features Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan in the pivotal role of Agnes. Author Julia O'Faolain discusses Trespassers: A Memoir, the story of her own life and her relationship with her father, the acclaimed writer Sean O'Faolain, who was also Director of Publicity for the IRA during the Irish Civil War. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. Haydn Gwynne, Nathaniel Parker and Paul Ritter reflect on the experience of playing Margaret Thatcher, Gordon Brown and John Major respectively in Peter Morgan's new play The Audience. Helen Mirren returns to the role of Queen Elizabeth II as the play imagines the meetings between the monarch and the prime ministers who have served during her reign. As the first major UK show dedicated to the work of Yinka Shonibare opens at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the artist discusses the importance of humour in art, the impact of the success of his Trafalgar Square fourth plinth artwork, Nelson's Ship In A Bottle, and his love of opera. The British Board of Film Classification has today launched a survey asking people about their choice of viewing, their attitudes to topics such as strong language, and their views about current film certificates. So how will the BBFC use this information? BBFC Assistant Director David Austin talks about how their guidelines relate to public opinion. Producer Ellie Bury.

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 Mark Lawson. Director Joe Wright, whose film credits include Atonement and Anna Karenina, makes his stage debut with a new production of Pinero's Trelawny of the Wells. Described as Pinero's love letter to theatre, the play pokes fun at the cliches associated with life on the stage. Writer and comedian Viv Groskop gives her verdict. Broadchurch and Mayday are two new TV thriller series starting next week. In Broadchurch, David Tennant and Olivia Colman star as detectives in a small coastal town trying to understand what lay behind the death of a young boy whose body was found at the foot of a cliff. Mayday has a similar theme, as a small community tries to find out what happened to a 14 year old who vanished without trace. Crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell and crime fiction specialist Jeff Park review the two series. Veteran American short story writer Edith Pearlman has received great acclaim for her new collection, Binocular Vision. The stories span 40 years of writing, with settings including tsarist Russia and London during the Blitz. Edith Pearlman discusses the appeal of the short form. As Pope Benedict XVI enjoys his last full day in office before retiring on Thursday, writer Peter Stanford considers the papacy in fiction from Morris West's bestseller The Shoes Of The Fisherman to the bio-pics of the short life of Pope Joan. Producer Ellie Bury.

With John Wilson. Claire Foy stars with James McAvoy in a new production of Macbeth, set in a post-apocalyptic Scotland riven with war and climate disaster. She reflects on the challenges of bringing something new to the role of Lady Macbeth. Artist Dinos Chapman discusses his latest project - an album of electronic dance music named after a Norwegian chocolate bar, Luftbobler. Dinos explains why Kylie Minogue has made a guest appearance without her knowledge and why he may form a musical duo with his brother Jake. The Bay is an eco-horror film, loosely based on actual events, about mutant parasites that attack fish and humans alike in the waters off a holiday resort. Critic Ryan Gilbey delivers his verdict Comedian Beppe Grillo and his Five Star Movement have made an unexpected impact on the Italian elections. Correspondent Annalisa Piras discusses Grillo's brand of comedy. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. Sue Perkins is the writer and star of the new TV sitcom Heading Out about a gay vet who is struggling to come out to her parents. She reflects on the process of creating a character for herself to play. Richard Gere's new film is the thriller Arbitrage. He plays a hedge-fund magnate whose world falls apart on his 60th birthday, when a deal goes wrong and he desperately needs $400m to cover his losses. Susan Sarandon co-stars as his wife. Rachel Cooke gives her verdict. Twenty years after their eponymous debut album and a decade after their last recording, Suede have finally returned to the studio with Bloodsports. Lead singer Brett Anderson discusses Britpop, reunions and comebacks. Most struggling writers long for the book that will make them a literary star, but how many consider the danger of writing a book so good they can never escape from its shadow? Erich Kästner is best known for Emil and the Detectives. As Going to the Dogs, one of his less famous titles, is republished, Professor John Sutherland reflects on the dangers of creating a classic. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With John Wilson Damien Hirst talks about humour in art, on the day that a limited edition of 50 signed prints of his diamond encrusted skull go on sale for Red Nose Day. Entitled, For The Love Of Comic Relief, the prints show the skull wearing a glittery red nose, and each is priced at £2500. All proceeds go to Comic Relief. To The Wonder, a new film directed by Terrence Malick and starring Ben Affleck, explores themes of love and separation. Critic Briony Hanson reviews the latest art house film from the director who made his name with Badlands and Days Of Heaven. American-born painter R.B. Kitaj was one of The School Of London: a group of artists, which included Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, who pioneered a new, figurative art. In 1994 a Tate exhibition of his work provoked a torrent of negative reviews, which Kitaj termed The Tate War. This, coupled with the sudden death of his wife, prompted him to leave London for Los Angeles a couple of years later. He died in 2007. Now, in the first major exhibition since then, two galleries are jointly displaying a retrospective of his paintings. Art critic Richard Cork joins John to consider Kitaj's work, and assess the rights and wrongs of The Tate War. Director Marc Isaacs takes John down the stretch of the A5 which inspired his documentary The Road: A Story Of Life And Death. It tells the stories of immigrants who seek a better life in London - facing struggles, loneliness and sometimes tragedy. Starting at London's Marble Arch, Isaacs discusses the areas and characters he met, and how he made the film. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

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. A Chorus Line, the musical based on the true stories of aspiring dancers, was the longest running show in the history of New York theatre. Now a major new staging of the musical has opened in London for the first time since the 1970s. Sarah Churchwell considers whether it has stood the test of time. Song for Marion stars Terence Stamp as a grumpy pensioner persuaded to take part in his dying wife's choir. In common with recent films The Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet, senior citizens are at the heart of the action. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews the film, which also stars Vanessa Redgrave and Gemma Arterton. Walter Tull, the first black outfield player to play in the top division of English football and the first black commissioned infantry officer in the British Army, has inspired a novel, and a television drama. His life is now the subject of a new play - Tull. As well as visiting the memorial to Walter Tull in Northampton, Mark talks to the play's writer Phil Vasili, director David Thacker, and to current Northampton Town player and chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, Clarke Carlisle.

Nicole Kidman has taken on two emotionally challenging roles in the psychological horror Stoker and the thriller The Paperboy. She talks to Mark Lawson about her decision to take risks with the roles she chooses and why she never googles herself. David Mitchell's award-winning novel, Cloud Atlas, consists of six interweaving stories set in different times - from a slave on a 19th century ship, to a composer in 1930s England, to a clone in 22nd century Korea, to a tribe in a post-apocalyptic 24th century. It's now been turned into a film, written, produced and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski (of Matrix fame) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). The film version features a set of lead actors including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant, who all play different roles in each of the storylines - and are sometimes almost unrecognisable under heavy make-up. Author and critic Adam Mars-Jones joins Mark to assess how successfully the film captures the spirit of the novel. Writer Margaret Forster discusses her latest novel, The Unknown Bridesmaid, inspired by a chance discovery in a second-hand bookshop, and explains why she is content to be left behind by advances in technology. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. The pioneering pop artist Roy Lichtenstein found inspiration in comic books and advertisements. As a major exhibition of his work opens at Tate Modern in London, writer Lionel Shriver re-assesses the art of the painter who brought the comic-strip Whaam! into the gallery. The writer and producer Paul Abbott reflects on the end of Shameless, his acclaimed TV drama about life on a Manchester estate, which first arrived on our screens in 2004. The final series begins next week. Abbott discusses his approach to the finale, the differences between UK and US television, and why his idea for a Doctor Who episode was turned down. The death of the actor Richard Briers was announced today. Front Row pays tribute, with an interview from 2010, in which Richard Briers considered the success of The Good Life, and the importance of light comedies in his early career.

With Kirsty Lang. Sixteen years ago a small British film, set in Sheffield, about a group of redundant steelworkers who decide that stripping could be a way out of their problems, became an international hit. As The Full Monty makes its stage debut, the writer Simon Beaufoy talks to Kirsty about why he wants to turn a celluloid success into theatre gold. The first artist to be announced for this year's Glastonbury festival was singer Rokia Traore from Mali. And in an intended act of solidarity with the war-torn country, Malian bands will open the Pyramid stage each day of the festival. Kirsty talks to Rokia Traore, and to Salif Keita, one of the earliest Malian performers to become an international star, about their new albums and the role of musicians in Mali now. The bestselling New York author John Green's latest novel The Fault In Our Stars has attracted a great deal of attention, because it deals with a young girl suffering advanced stages of cancer yet manages to be a darkly humorous read. John Green discusses the background to the novel, which came to him while working as a chaplain in a children's hospital, and how he found the voice of the protagonist, Hazel. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Kirsty Lang. Skyfall, the highest-grossing Bond film of all time, is about to appear on DVD. Daniel Kleinman, the designer of the dark opening title sequence with Bond underwater after being shot in the chest, discusses his vision for the classic ingredient of every Bond film, originally established by the late Maurice Binder. Richard Crompton is a new name in crime fiction. Nairobi, where he lives, provides his location, and his first novel, The Honey Guide, introduces us to his protagonist Mollel, a former Maasai warrior-turned-police detective. He reflects on his approach to writing about crime in Kenya. Becoming Picasso is a new exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Its focus is 1901, seen as the painter's breakthrough year, when at the age of just 19 he created the work that formed his first Paris exhibition. Becoming Picasso charts the momentous year and shows the start of many of the themes he developed later in his long career. Art critic Sarah Kent reviews. The way we watch television is changing forever, as programmes are now being shown on-line before they reach TV screens and sales of DVDs are dwindling as downloads are on the rise. And this has an effect on how and where we watch films and programmes, as the television in the lounge is slowly being usurped by the computer in the bedroom. Naomi Alderman considers the pleasures and dangers of our new bedtime habits.

With Mark Lawson. The artist Marcel Duchamp is the focus of a new exhibition at the Barbican, London. The Bride and the Bachelors explores his influence on four great modern masters - composer John Cage, choreographer Merce Cunningham, and visual artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Critic Jackie Wullschlager reviews the exhibition and discusses Duchamp's role in contemporary art. Spooks star David Oyelowo returns to undercover duty in a new one-off TV drama Complicit. Oyelowo plays Edward, an MI5 officer doggedly on the trail of a suspected terrorist he believes is plotting an atrocity in the UK. On the line from Los Angeles, David Oyelowo discusses the appeal of drama based on the secret service. While his translation of Brecht's A Life of Galileo opens at the RSC, playwright Mark Ravenhill is training for this year's London Marathon. Mark Lawson puts on his running shoes and joins Ravenhill at an early morning training session. While on the move, Ravenhill explains the parallels between acting and running, and why the Pope's surprise resignation is perfect timing for the production. And in the week when it was announced that the TV drama The Hour would not be returning for a third series, leaving Freddie's fate undecided, ex-EastEnders supremo and TV producer Mal Young discusses the thorny subject of unresolved cliffhangers. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI happens to coincide with the release this week of a new cinema documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, which features the departing Pontiff. Alex Gibney's film charts the claims of sexual abuse made by individuals who were in the care of Catholic priests in the US, and how many similar claims from across the world made their way to the highest level in Rome. Kate Saunders reviews. Writer and director Ray Cooney, who is now 80, talks about creating a film version of his most successful farce, Run for Your Wife, which ran for eight years on the London stage. The film has a host of British stars in cameo roles - including Judi Dench, Cliff Richard and Richard Briers. Marianne Elliott's credits as a director include War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and most recently Simon Stephens' play Port, all for the National Theatre. She reflects on the process of directing, her theatrical family and whether she wants to run the National Theatre in the future. Business is the focus of two TV series starting this evening. The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track goes behind the scenes of the UK's rail network, while businesswoman Alex Polizzi aims to turn around the fortunes of small family-run enterprises. The FT's management columnist Lucy Kellaway reviews both series. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With Mark Lawson. Ben Affleck enjoyed a triumphant night at the Baftas, winning both the best director and best film awards for Argo. He talks about how he approached making a film based on a true story of a secret mission to release hostages from Iran. This is 40 is Judd Apatow's new film, billed as the 'sort-of sequel' to his hit Knocked Up. It returns to a couple played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, now facing various mid-life crises. Natalie Haynes reviews. As Jonathan Miller and Barrie Rutter stage a rare revival of Githa Sowerby's Rutherford and Son, opening in Halifax, they discuss why they consider the play to be an overlooked masterpiece. They also reflect on its current relevance, a century after its first performance, as the industrial Rutherford family learn that they are on the brink of financial collapse. Ben Stephenson, the Controller of Drama commissioning for BBC TV, today announces his new season. He talks about his vision for the future, and considers the current state of TV drama on both sides of the Atlantic. Producer Penny Murphy.

With Kirsty Lang Tracey Thorn is best known as one half of Everything But the Girl, the band she formed with her partner Ben Watt while they were still at University in the early 1980s. Now semi-retired from music, the singer has written a memoir about her career in the music industry, Bedsit Disco Queen. Tracey Thorn talks to Kirsty Lang about her ambivalent attitude to fame and how she was so shy as a teenager that she auditioned to be the singer in a band from inside a wardrobe. Gael García Bernal discusses his Oscar-nominated film, No, set in Pinochet's Chile. García Bernal stars as an advertising executive hired to spearhead the "No" campaign against the military dictator in the 1988 referendum. Kimberley Walsh of Girls Aloud has just released her debut solo CD, Centre Stage, an album of classic songs from musicals. She joins a long list of diverse singers who have covered show tunes. Cultural commentator Sarfraz Mansoor discusses the various reasons artists are attracted to show tunes, and what it is they - and their fans - get out of it. Nicholas Hoult stars as a curiously introspective teenage Zombie in romantic comedy Warm Bodies. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews the latest twist on the "zom rom com". Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson. Glam! at Tate Liverpool is an exhibition re-assessing the pop styles and sounds of the early 1970s. The writer and former vintage clothes boutique owner Flic Everett joins John to discuss whether Glam! shines. Jake Bugg started playing guitar and singing at the age of 12, and five years later he was performing at Glastonbury. Last October, his debut album entered the charts at the No. 1 spot. He reflects on life in the fast lane. David Morrissey, the Liverpudlian actor who gave us Stephen Collins in State of Play and Gordon Brown in The Deal, talks about his latest venture, playing The Governor in the third season of the post-apocalyptic US zombie drama The Walking Dead, alongside fellow Brit, Andrew Lincoln. The latest film from the acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda is called I Wish. The film centres on the adventures of two young boys as they attempt to reunite their divorced parents. Novelist M J Hyland gives her verdict. Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With Mark Lawson. Harry Hill has returned to stand-up comedy after years fronting the television show he created, ITV's TV Burp. He discusses how stand up has changed since he was last on the comedy circuit, his attachment to his oversized collars, working on X Factor the Musical and launching a giant inflatable sausage on stage. The actor John C Reilly, best known for We Need to Talk about Kevin and his Oscar-nominated performance in Chicago, talks about starring in Wreck It Ralph, an animated film about an arcade game character. He explains how, unlike most animated films, the actors started with the dialogue and the animators created the characters based on their mannerisms. James McAvoy is about to take to the stage as Macbeth at the age of 33, and Simon Russell Beale will play King Lear next year at the age of 52 - but are they too young to take on these roles? And should Juliet always be played by a teenager? Front Row considers the optimum age for leading Shakespearian parts. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson. Anthony Hopkins plays "the Master of Suspense" in a new film which looks at how Hitchcock made one of his best known films, Psycho, and explores his relationship with his wife Alma, played by Helen Mirren. Novelist and Hitchcock aficionado Nicholas Royle reviews. Antony Sher discusses Richard III, gay marriage and taking the lead in satirical play, The Captain Of Köpenick. Described by its author, Carl Zuckmayer, as a German fairy tale, the story shows how an ex-convict shoemaker manages to impersonate an officer and as a result gains money and power. Novelist Michelle Paver, creator of a fantasy series set in the pre-agricultural Stone Age, joins Mark to discuss the British Museum's exhibition of Ice Age sculpture, ceramics and ornaments. World-renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been named as recipient of the 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. He talks to Mark about his work and why it was so useful that his own father was a cabinet-maker. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Terry Jones and his son, director Bill Jones, discuss working together on the film A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman. Based on recordings made by Chapman, the animated film also includes the voices of fellow Pythons Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam. Chiwetel Ejiofor talks about his role in Dancing on the Edge, the new TV drama from writer and director Stephen Poliakoff, in which he plays a 1930s jazz band leader. He also reflects on previous roles, which include Othello on stage. The new TV series Being Eileen continues the story of the dysfunctional Lewis family, first seen in the one-off Christmas drama Lapland. Chris Dunkley looks back at the tradition of turning one-off dramas into long-running series. The film I Give It A Year is the directorial debut of Dan Mazer, co-writer of films including Borat and Bruno. Unlike traditional rom-coms, the story unfolds after the wedding, with Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne playing newly-weds battling against a potential break-up. Gaylene Gould gives her verdict. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang The actor Charles Dance is best-known for playing quintessential Englishmen and villains. He reflects on his latest TV role as an ageing former rock-band manager, compares the experiences of working on both sides of the Atlantic, and looks back on his career. A giant white pet robot and malfunctioning computers feature in In the Beginning Was the End, the latest site-specific production by the theatre company dreamthinkspeak. In the past they have performed in a vast disused department store, and an underground abattoir. The performance takes place in a series of tunnels and offices underneath Somerset House in London. Tristan Sharps, the artistic director of dreamthinkspeak, walks us through the labyrinth of tunnels and the technology that lies within. Rene Clement was once dubbed the French Hitchcock, his war-time drama Forbidden Games won the Oscar for best foreign film in 1952, the BAFTA for best film from any source and the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. His thriller Plein Soleil is considered to be the best of the many adaptations of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley series. And yet, he is all but forgotten, even in his home country of France. The mysterious case of the disappearing director is investigated by Ginette Vincendeau, Ian Christie and Matthew Sweet. Producer: Penny Murphy.

With Kirsty Lang. It's been eight years since Lesley Garrett stepped on to the opera stage. Television, West End musicals and Strictly Come Dancing have been occupying her instead. Now she's back with Opera North, the company she began her career with, in a new production of Poulenc's one woman opera La Voix Humaine. She reflects on playing a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and sets a challenge for contemporary opera composers. Feast is a new play created by writers from Cuba, Brazil, America, Britain and Nigeria, and directed by Rufus Norris. It explores the Yoruba culture and what happened to it after slavery created a far flung diaspora. British writer Gbolahan Obisesan and director Rufus Norris discuss the genesis of the project. A new DVD From the Sea to the Land Beyond is a lyrical portrait of Britain's coastline from 1901 to the present day. The film travels through both World Wars, into peacetime and the modern age, and is all drawn from the BFI National Archive. The coast is explored as a place of leisure, industry and wild nature, and the film has been directed by Penny Woolcock, with a specially composed soundtrack by Brighton band British Sea Power. Penny Woolcock and British Sea Power's Martin Noble talk about their collaboration. An American adaptation of Michael Dobbs' political thriller House Of Cards is a genuine first, being a major TV series that is not being shown on television. Instead this big budget drama, starring Kevin Spacey, will be available only via Netflix, the download website. Mark Damazer delivers his verdict on whether this particular house of cards will stand or fall. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson Rowan Atkinson takes on his most serious role yet as the eponymous hero of Simon Gray's play Quartermaine's Terms. Atkinson and director Richard Eyre discuss the challenges of such a quiet and sedentary part, and why audiences who turn up expecting to see Mr Bean quickly adapt to the tone of the play. Hilary Mantel was announced last night as the winner of the £30,000 Costa Book of the Year award for her novel Bring Up the Bodies. She discusses her golden year, having already won the Man Booker Prize for the same novel. Samuel West discusses his role as King George VI in Roger Michell's film Hyde Park on Hudson. Also starring Bill Murray as Franklin D Roosevelt, the film focuses on the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen visited Roosevelt in an attempt to persuade America about the threat of World War II. Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, reveals his plans for the Theatre's 50th birthday celebrations, and hints at when he will end his tenure, which began in 2003. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson. Light Show at the Hayward Gallery in London is the first survey of light-based art in the UK and brings together artworks from the 1960s to the present day, from 22 artists including Dan Flavin, Olafur Eliasson and Jenny Holzer. Lighting designers Paule Constable and Patrick Woodroffe give their response to the works on show. Paul Kildea discusses his biography of Benjamin Britten, which has already made the news when he claimed that the composer's death was hastened by syphilis. Playwright Simon Stephens' new play, Port, opens at the National Theatre this week. Directed by Marianne Elliott, it tells the story of a family in Stockport. We first meet 11 year old Racheal, and six-year-old Billy in 1988, and the play follows them over the next 13 years of their lives. Peter Kemp reviews. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson. Kristin Scott Thomas and Lia Williams star in a new production of Harold Pinter's play Old Times, in which three characters are locked away in a secluded farmhouse and reminisce about their early days together in London. The two actresses discuss the play and how they are addressing the challenge of alternating roles during the show's run. The one-time Dada artist Kurt Schwitters fled the Nazis, was interned at a camp in the Isle Of Man, and spent the rest of his life after the war in a barn in the Lake District. As his work goes on show in a major new Tate exhibition, novelist Iain Sinclair delivers his verdict. Two films by the off-spring of famous directors are about to reach our cinemas. Chained is a psycho-drama directed by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of the man who gave the world Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, David Lynch; Antiviral is a futuristic satire on celebrity culture helmed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of Videodrome and Crash auteur David Cronenberg. Ryan Gilbey discusses whether sons and daughters can ever emerge from the daunting shadow cast by their famous film-making parents. And with issues of strong language in the air in Django Unchained and the edited repeats of Fawlty Towers, Mark considers how you teach books which contain words now considered unacceptable, but which are present in school set texts - such as Of Mice and Men. What kind of dilemma does this present for teachers and how do students respond? Two teachers discuss the issue. Producer Dymphna Flynn.

With John Wilson. Wilko Johnson, one of Britain's most charismatic guitarists, has terminal cancer, with doctors suggesting that he has less than a year to live. As he prepares for farewell UK concerts in March, he reflects on how his diagnosis has made him feel "vividly alive". And, guitar in hand, he demonstrates the distinctive terse sound which powered the band Dr Feelgood in the 1970s, when they became one of the UK's most influential live acts. To mark the centenary of the birth of painter William Scott, the Tate St Ives is celebrating his life and art with an exhibition of his most important work. John talks to William Scott's son about his father's life and legacy, and how he influenced Rothko's decision to bequeath his paintings to the Tate. Henry James' classic horror story The Turn Of The Screw has been adapted by Benjamin Britten into an opera, produced as a ballet by William Tuckett, turned into a film starring Deborah Kerr and become several TV dramas. Now playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz has created a stage version, co-produced by Hammer Theatre Of Horror - the company's first venture into theatre. Author Kate Saunders joins John to assess just how chilling this new incarnation is. Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang. Alexei Sayle, often described as the godfather of alternative comedy, is returning to solo stand-up shows after a break of more than 16 years. Sayle, who was known throughout the 1980s for his politically charged rants, reflects on the reasons for his stage come-back, and gives his views on the current generation of comedians. Anna Maxwell Martin, Tamzin Outhwaite and Gina McKee star in Di And Viv And Rose, a play written by Amelia Bullmore, well-known to TV audiences for her own roles in Twenty Twelve and Scott and Bailey. The play examines the relationship between three women, from a university house-share in 1983 to the traumas of middle age. Novelist Naomi Alderman reviews. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is taking a year's sabbatical from performing, in order to try to qualify as a skier in the Thai Winter Olympics team. She explains her motives and talks about why she's prepared to risk - through possible injury - her musical career. The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh celebrates its 50th birthday this year. It's marking the occasion with a competition for new playwrights, to write a play in just 500 words. The theatre is now staging the 50 winning entries. Two of the writers discuss the challenge of writing such a short drama and playwright Zinne Harris, one of the judges, considers how to make an impact with a script only one page long. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Daniel Day-Lewis is favourite to win Best Actor for his portrayal of the 16th American president Abraham Lincoln, as he fights to abolish slavery. Elaine Showalter reviews. Northern Irish crime novelist Adrian McKinty has just published the second book in his Sean Duffy trilogy. I Hear the Sirens in the Street features Duffy, a Catholic detective inspector in the RUC at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. McKinty now lives in the US and Australia, and discusses his latest novel and his recent return to his home town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, to discover that violence and demonstrations are still a potential feature of daily life. In the latest of Front Row's interviews with the winners of the Costa Book Awards, Hilary Mantel reflects on the continuing success of her novel Bring Up The Bodies, which also won the Man Booker Prize. She also discusses the forthcoming TV and stage adaptations of her work, in the light of today's announcement that the Royal Shakespeare Company will produce versions of Wolf Hall, which also won the Booker, and Bring Up The Bodies. Lesley Joseph and Brian Conley discuss what it's like still performing in panto at the end of January. Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates is running in Birmingham until the end of this week. The actors explain how the show has to change after Christmas. Producer Olivia Skinner.

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. Jessica Chastain is nominated for an Oscar for her role in Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow's film about an elite military and intelligence team hunting for Osama Bin Laden. She discusses the demands of her role in a film which has generated controversy about the role of torture in the story. The death of film-maker Michael Winner was announced today. Barry Norman, who followed Winner's movie career from the 1960s onwards, and Andrew Neil, who first employed him as a restaurant reviewer on The Sunday Times, reflect on the life of a director and writer who readily re-invented himself, and was never afraid to say what he thought. Adam Ant today releases his first album for 18 years, and David Bowie recently issued his first new track in a decade. Alex Clark, Mark Eccleston and Kate Mossman discuss the authors, film-makers and musicians who leave long gaps between one work and the next. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Kirsty Lang. The TV drama series Call the Midwife follows the working and personal lives of a team of midwives working in east London in the 1950s and is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. The second series starts on Sunday on BBC One. Writer and reviewer Dreda Say Mitchell reflects on its appeal, and whether it can sustain its success. Ruthie Henshall is an actress, singer and dancer and has starred in many popular musicals - including Les Miserables, Cats and Cabaret. She's about to begin a UK tour - where her show will include many of the greatest musical hits of the past 20 years. She discusses her career, and the demands made on musical theatre performers. What does an artist see in an election campaign? Nicola Green, whose silkscreen prints reflecting on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign go on show today at the Walker Art Gallery, and photographer Simon Roberts, the official Artist for the UK's 2010 General Election, discuss their experiences of following politicians on the campaign trail. Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson Kathleen Jamie won the 2012 Costa Poetry award for her collection The Overhaul. She translates some of the Scots dialect in the collection and explains why writing a poem is like washing the dishes. John Bramwell of I Am Kloot discusses the making of their new album Let It All In, which was produced by Elbow's Guy Garvey. John Berry, artistic director of the English National Opera discusses the company's financial woes, in the light of its recently-announced loss of more than £2m in the last financial year. Jo Blair, Senior Programmer for Picturehouse Cinemas, reveals the reasons why so many Oscar nominated films are being released late in the UK.

With John Wilson Dame Liz Forgan is the outgoing Chair of Arts Council England. Last night in her final speech in the role, she said that culture was a deep necessity for human beings, and appealed to politicians not to cut the arts budget. Dame Liz will be in the Front Row studio for a live interview. Actor Brian Cox reveals what it was like working in his hometown of Dundee for the first time in the television adaptation of the Radio 4 comedy series Bob Servant. And the star of Manhunter explains why, whenever he meets Anthony Hopkins, they never discuss Hannibal Lecter, a role they both played to great acclaim on the big screen. Vikings have a reputation as marauders and invaders. A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh aims to show who they really were and how they lived a thousand years ago. Author Janice Galloway has been to the exhibition. David Bowie's new single Where are We Now? caused a sensation when it was released online last Tuesday. The song was accompanied by a video by New York based video artist Tony Oursler, containing his signature image of faces projected onto stuffed dolls. He reflects on the experience of working with the elusive star and how Oursler's wife came to co-star in the video. Produced by Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson. Columnist Bel Mooney reviews The Sessions, a film based on the true story of poet and journalist Mark O'Brien. O'Brien was paralysed by polio as a boy and at the age of 38 set out to finally lose his virginity with the help of a sex-worker. The Sessions is directed by Ben Lewin who himself is a survivor of childhood polio. The Kennedy dynasty is the focus of a new documentary Ethel, in which Ethel Skakel gives a candid interview about life with her late husband Robert Kennedy. The couple married in 1950, and the film charts their married life together and beyond, including the McCarthy hearings, Vietnam, John F Kennedy's election as president and his assassination, and Bobby own's assassination in 1963. Mark Damazer reviews the HBO documentary. Francesca Segal, who won the Costa First Novel Award for The Innocents, inspired by Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, discusses her novel which tells the story of the relationship between Adam and Rachel who live in the Jewish community of north-west London. No Quarter is the latest offering from 26-year-old playwright Polly Stenham. The play is the conclusion to a trilogy which began with That Face, her multi-award-winning debut written when she was just 19. The playwright reflects on how, like the other two plays in the trilogy, No Quarter examines the damaging impact of dysfunctional parent-child relationships. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson. In Quentin Tarantino's latest film Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Jacqueline Springer reviews. Jonathan Lynn was the co-writer behind the British satirical sitcoms Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister in the 1980s. As a new series of Yes, Prime Minister returns to our screens with a new cast including David Haig as Jim Hacker and Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey, Jonathan Lynn looks back over more than 30 years of the political satire. And as he celebrates his 60th birthday, the actor and comedian John Sessions discusses his wide-ranging film, TV and stage career. Sessions, also an impressionist, recalls reactions from his subjects and what he's learnt from over 30 years in show business. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Kirsty Lang. A Mormon community in Lancashire provides the setting for The Friday Gospels, a novel by Betty Trask Prize-winner Jenn Ashworth. She was raised as a Mormon until she was a teenager, and she reflects on why she wanted to write about her experience as a British Mormon, when most literature focuses on American Mormon communities. My Mad Fat Diary is a new TV comedy drama series, based on the real life journals of Rae Earl, who recorded her teenage life in Lincolnshire. Stand-up comic Sharon Rooney stars as an overweight 16 year-old, recently released from a psychiatric hospital, and attempting to find a new circle of friends. Writer Grace Dent reviews. Cellist Matthew Barley is celebrating Benjamin Britten's centenary year with 100 concerts and workshops, with a focus on the composer's Third Suite For Cello - written for Rostropovich in 1971. Barley's tour, Around Britten, visits castles, hospices, lighthouses and a cave in the Peak District - as well as concert halls from Orkney to Devon. He tells Kirsty the links between Britten, Russia and his own grandfather - and the experience of recording overnight in Canterbury Cathedral. What Richard Did, the third film from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, is set in the privileged world of Dublin's young elite. Richard, who is handsome, popular and the star of the rugby team, lives a charmed life - until his carefree existence is destroyed by a violent event. Meg Rosoff discusses the film's treatment of moral choices. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson. Nominations for the 2013 Oscars were announced this afternoon. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln heads the field with 12 nominations, followed by Life of Pi with 11. Film reviewers Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Chris Tookey discuss the contenders live in the studio. Cameron Mackintosh reflects on possible British success as one of the producers of the musical film Les Miserables, which has eight nominations. Animation directors Peter Lord and Sam Fell reveal stories behind their nominated films The Pirates! Band of Misfits and ParaNorman. Mark also talks to director David O Russell, whose Silver Linings Playbook has eight nominations and is the first film to be nominated in all four acting categories since 1981, and to Michael Haneke, whose Amour is shortlisted in five categories including Best Film and Best Director. Producer Nicki Paxman.

With John Wilson. David Cameron, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and David Attenborough are among 135 people each reading a chapter a day of Herman Melville's epic novel Moby Dick, on a website curated by writer and whale enthusiast Philip Hoare. He talks about choosing an appropriate reading for the Prime Minister, and pairing chapters with works by artists such as Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and Tony Oursler - director of the video for David Bowie's new single - who created today's image of a whale's eye. To mark the 150th birthday of the London Underground tomorrow, John and author Iain Sinclair go down the escalators to discuss the Tube's contribution to our culture, from the graphic-design, murals and architecture at the stations themselves, to the ways the Tube has cropped up in art, books and films - from Henry Moore's wartime drawings to American werewolves chasing hapless commuters. Utopia is a new TV thriller which focuses on a mysterious graphic novel and the sinister events that befall a group of people when they get hold of an original manuscript of it. Graphic novel enthusiast Rachel Cooke gives her verdict. Winner of the 2013 Brits Critics' Choice award Tom Odell has been writing music since he was 13. Now aged 22, he signed a record deal after four gigs. He discusses his debut EP Songs From Another Love, and the expectations that can accompany a high-profile award. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson. Tom Hooper, director of the King's Speech, has now taken on one of the most successful musicals of all time, Les Miserables. Jason Solomons reviews the film in which actors, including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, had to sing live on set. The latest novel from Mo Yan, the Chinese winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for literature, has been published in English before Chinese. Described as a "bizarre romp through the Chinese countryside" Pow! examines life in contemporary China. Alex Clark discusses Mo Yan's take on Chinese society. Ben Miller returns to our screens this evening in the second series of Death in Paradise, a quirky TV crime drama set on the island of Guadeloupe. He reflects on playing a British police inspector who finds he is a fish out of water when he lands a job as the island's new detective. Producer Olivia Skinner.

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.

Haim - the Los Angeles guitar trio of sisters - were announced this morning as the winners of the BBC Sound of 2013. Over 200 influential music experts, DJs, bloggers and music critics created a shortlist of 15 artists as their favourite new acts for the year ahead, and chose Haim as the winners, following in the footsteps of Adele, Ellie Goulding and Michael Kiwanuka. On the line from Los Angeles Haim give their response to the news. Mr Selfridge is ITV's new Sunday night drama - telling the story of the man behind the Oxford Street store and how it began in 1909. It stars the American actor Jeremy Piven in the title role and is written by Andrew Davies. The BBC's Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders, reviews it. The Imposter was one of the best reviewed films of last year and the most popular documentary in British cinemas. The remarkable story of a Frenchman who assumes the identity of a missing American teenager is released on DVD next week and is reviewed by Sandra Hebron. Ten years after the National Theatre introduced their Travelex sponsored £10 ticket scheme, theatres are experimenting with ticketing initiatives to attract new audiences and ensure the maximum return in austere times. Dominic Hill from the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Trina Jones from the Rep Theatre in Birmingham and Josie Rourke from The Donmar Warehouse in London discuss the importance of getting the ticket price right. Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson Comedian and actor Jack Whitehall was hardly off our screens in 2012 - playing a struggling newly-qualified teacher in self-penned sitcom Bad Education and as the über-posh JP in Channel 4's Fresh Meat. He explains how he destroyed his chances of playing Harry Potter and why it's his mum's fault he's obsessed with Robert Pattinson. Danish political TV drama Borgen - the second series of which starts this weekend - follows the attempts to form and maintain a coalition government by the female Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg. Conservative Peer Michael Dobbs and Labour MP Gisela Stuart give their verdicts. Irish novelist Stuart Neville discusses his new historical thriller Ratlines, set in Ireland in the 1960s. When a German businessman is found murdered in a guest house, it transpires he is just one of a number of former Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson, including the announcement of the category winners in the Costa Book Awards 2012 for novel, first novel, biography, poetry and children's book. As the new year gets underway, Skyfall director Sam Mendes, Fifty Shades author E L James, Bring up the Bodies writer Hilary Mantel, and presenter Clare Balding look ahead to what their own 2013 holds. And nominations for this year's Oscars are announced next week and likely nominees will be four films with disability at their centre; Rust and Bone, Amour, Untouchable and The Sessions. But how far do these big screen depictions represent a watershed in portrayals of severe disability? Critic Scott Jordan Harris assesses their impact. Producer Penny Murphy.

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.