Front Row: Archive 2013

With Mark LawsonBreathless 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 Hu

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 tha

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,

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 ho

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

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 i

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 meteo

With Mark LawsonComedian 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 wat

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 t

With Mark LawsonHugh 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 Dra

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

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-

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 Jero

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