PODCAST · society
Front Row: Archive 2011
by BBC Radio 4
Magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.
Episodes
-
Writers including PD James and Anthony Horowitz take on classic characters
Mark Lawson talks to novelists who have taken on another writer's characters, including P D James, who wrote a Pride and Prejudice sequel, Anthony Horowitz, creator of a new Sherlock Holmes story, Jeffery Deaver, author of the latest James Bond book, and Frank Cottrell Boyce, who took on another…
more -
Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Bruce Forsyth and Jack Jones
John Wilson talks to singers Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Jack Jones and Bruce Forsyth, whose careers began before rock and roll, and whose combined performing experience totals over 200 years. They reflect on the art of 'intimate singing', their inspirations, and the art of sustaining a career…
more -
Writers from India and Pakistan
Kirsty Lang examines how writers from India and Pakistan are tackling social and political shifts, with Booker-winner Aravind Adiga, Aatish Taseer, Mohammed Hanif and Moni Mohsin. All have published fiction in the past year with a focus on complex current issues in their respective countries,...
-
Singers Joseph Calleja, Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore and Iestyn Davies
Mark Lawson talks to three tenors and a counter-tenor: Joseph Calleja (pictured), Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore and Iestyn Davies reflect on repertoire, singing teachers and the perils of phlegm. Producer Georgia Mann.
-
Dominic West; Tracey Emin; Tom Hooper; Great British Bake Off; Inbetweeners
Mark Lawson unwraps a further selection of new interviews with arts headline makers of 2011. Stage and screen actor Dominic West discusses playing serial murderer Fred West, Shakespeare's Iago, and upper-class anchorman Hector Madden in The Hour. Tracey Emin, newly-appointed Professor of Drawing…
more -
Julian Barnes, Andrea Arnold, Sir David Chipperfield
Mark Lawson unwraps a selection of new interviews with arts headline makers of 2011. Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes explains why he no longer refuses to read his reviews, and poet Jo Shapcott, winner of the Costa Prize for her collection Of Mutability, discusses why the book's subject, her...
-
Paul Merton; Neon Artwork; Adele's producer Paul Epworth
With John Wilson. Paul Merton reviews the new silent film The Artist, which with six Golden Globe nominations is already the surprise hit of this year's Hollywood awards season. Adele's producer Paul Epworth discusses his part in creating this year's biggest album, 21, for which he has received...
-
Michelle Yeoh, 2011 music picks, book cover design
With John Wilson. Michelle Yeoh, star of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies, on playing Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in The Lady. Luc Besson's film tells the extraordinary story of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who sacrificed her personal life for her people,...
-
Jennifer Saunders; the new Mission: Impossible film
With Mark Lawson. Jennifer Saunders reflects on the return of Absolutely Fabulous, 20 years after Patsy and Eddy first staggered onto our screens. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the latest instalment of the action-packed franchise. The film sees Tom Cruise return as undercover operative...
-
Former Python Terry Jones, young James Herriot and Morse on TV
With Mark Lawson. Former Monty Python star Terry Jones has now written 26 books. His latest, Evil Machines, is a collection of 13 short stories which explore what happens when everyday objects take on a life of their own. He discusses the inspiration for the book, life as a Python and his...
-
David Fincher; Crime Books; Vikram Seth
With Mark Lawson. David Fincher's directing credits include The Social Network, Fight Club, Se7en and Alien3, and his latest film is an adaptation of Stieg Larsson's book The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig. Fincher discusses his approach to filming a book that has already sold...
-
Simon Schama interviewed
With John Wilson. Historian Simon Schama has selected his pick of works from the Government Art Collection for an exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. While hanging the exhibition, he reveals how his choices were inspired by the British romance with travelling. Dame Edna Everage, Ann Widdecombe...
-
Sir David Jason and the return of Sherlock Holmes
With Mark Lawson Two decades after the last series of Only Fools and Horses, Sir David Jason returns to BBC One as the star of a new comedy series. He discusses his role as the incompetent bodyguard of the Queen, his close relationship with Ronnie Barker, and whether he can predict which lines…
more -
Meryl Streep on playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady
With Kirsty Lang. Meryl Streep is hotly tipped for Oscar success for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in the forthcoming film The Iron Lady. She discusses how she mastered Thatcher's famous voice, why she decided to donate her fee for the film to charity and how she feels about her daughters...
-
Comedy DVDs; Haunted Child; Graham Sutherland
With Kirsty Lang. Lee Evans, Peter Kay, Ross Noble, Sarah Millican, Alan Carr and Milton Jones are among the host of comedians releasing new DVDs aimed at Christmas shoppers. Comedy critic Stephen Armstrong discusses the stand-up boom, and whether any of the DVDs is worth a second viewing. Sophie...
-
Annie Lennox; Nick Park; The Ladykillers
With Kirsty Lang. Singer Annie Lennox reflects on a career which has seen her push boundaries in both music and fashion, as she releases an album of Christmas songs and sees her V&A exhibition, The House Of Annie Lennox, go on tour early next year. The Ladykillers, the classic Ealing comedy film,...
-
Vikram Seth; Carole King; Richard II
With Mark Lawson. Singer and songwriter Carole King enjoyed her first hit fifty years ago, and released her landmark album Tapestry four decades ago. She discusses her career so far and her first-ever seasonal album, A Christmas Carole, including a Chanukah Prayer recorded with her daughter and...
-
Amy Winehouse Review; Brian Sewell; New Year's Eve
With Mark Lawson. Amy Winehouse's posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures was released yesterday and is already topping the midweek charts. Editor of NME magazine Krissi Murison gives her critical verdict on the disc, and considers the issues surrounding the release of recordings after an...
-
John Cleese interview
With Mark Lawson. Writer and comedy performer John Cleese reflects on his career, including the rivalries between the Monty Python team, the creation of Fawlty Towers and the film A Fish Called Wanda. He also discusses breaking taboos, morality in comedy and the multi-million dollar divorce...
-
Robin Hood at the RSC, Tracy Chevalier and Joanna Trollope
The Heart of Robin Hood is the new family show at the RSC. But it's the Robin Hood story with a twist. The production is directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson, who has a reputation for challenging staging. Andrew Dickson reviews. Novelists Joanna Trollope and Tracy Chevalier discuss how a selection of...
-
Stephen Schwartz; The Big Year
With Kirsty Lang. Kirsty meets Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose hugely successful musicals include Godspell and Wicked, and whose 1972 show Pippin now receives a new British production. Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black star in the film The Big Year, in which they...
-
Lenny Henry in The Comedy of Errors; Rob Brydon
Lenny Henry was acclaimed when he made his stage debut as Othello, and now he returns to Shakespeare as Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, in a new production at the National Theatre. Rachel Cooke reviews. Comedy performer and actor Rob Brydon reflects on his career so far, including...
-
Ricky Gervais; Wayne McGregor
With Mark Lawson. Ricky Gervais discusses the response to his TV comedy series Life's Too Short, which stars Warwick Davies as a "showbiz dwarf", and his return as host of the Golden Globes, following this year's insult-packed ceremony. Choreographer Wayne McGregor and composer Mark-Anthony…
more -
Martin Scorsese's Hugo 3D; Sports Book of the Year
Martin Scorsese has directed his first film in 3D. Adapted from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo is the tale of a boy who lives in a Paris railway station in the 1930s, and features Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Sacha Baron Cohen. Naomi Alderman reviews. The winner of…
more -
The Shakespeare Thefts; Desperate Scousewives review
With Kirsty Lang. Shakespeare scholar Eric Rasmussen has spent the last decade tracking down every extant copy of one of the world's most sought-after books: Shakespeare's First Folio. With fewer than 750 printed in 1623, the first edition of Shakespeare's collected works has proved a magnet for...
-
The Deep Blue Sea; John Craven
With Kirsty Lang. Film-maker Terence Davies has adapted and directed The Deep Blue Sea, based on the play by Terence Rattigan. It stars Rachel Weisz as a woman who walks out on her husband and her comfortable life, to move in with a young former RAF pilot. Peter Kemp give his verdict. As piano…
more -
Sir Bruce Forsyth; Moneyball review; Ashmolean
With John Wilson As he releases an album of his favourite songs, Sir Bruce Forsyth reflects on seven decades in show business, from duetting with Nat King Cole at the Palladium to his pre-show nerves at last weekend's Wembley Arena edition of Strictly Come Dancing. Brad Pitt stars in Moneyball, a...
-
Kate Bush interview; My Week With Marilyn
With John Wilson. Kate Bush talks about 50 Words for Snow, her first album of brand new material for six years. She discusses her fears about the demise of the album as a format, and reveals that she is already working on new songs. The film My Week With Marilyn stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn...
-
Gillian Slovo on The Riots; WWII film Resistance
With Kirsty Lang The Riots, a new play by Gillian Slovo, draws on 55 hours of interviews with people who were involved in the disturbances earlier this year, ranging from policemen to the rioters themselves. She reflects on whether theatre can help to uncover the truth behind the unrest. A sound...
-
Tim Minchin interviewed; Rihanna reassessed
With Kirsty Lang. Tim Minchin describes himself as an Australian musician, composer, songwriter, actor, comedian and writer. He wrote the songs for Matilda: The Musical, the RSC's acclaimed adaptation of Roald Dahl's book about a girl with special powers. He discusses how he writes, and reveals…
more -
The Killing series two; comedian Sean Hughes
With Kirsty Lang. The first series of The Killing, the 20 part Danish crime drama, was widely acclaimed as a TV highlight of the year. Now Detective Inspector Sarah Lund returns with a new investigation. With a double-bill of the first two episodes of the second series being screened this…
more -
Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley on stage, and Ugly Betty's America Ferrera
With Mark Lawson. Joanna Lumley and Robert Lindsay star in Trevor Nunn's new production of The Lion in Winter, taking the roles made famous by Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole in the 1968 film, the tale of a dysfunctional family Christmas with the Plantaganets. Kathryn Hughes reviews. America...
-
Sir Terence Conran; Costa Book Awards Shortlists
With Mark Lawson. Sir Terence Conran, designer, restaurateur and founder of the Habitat chain, celebrated his 80th birthday last month, and tomorrow sees the opening of a major retrospective at the Design Museum in London. The Way We Live Now explores Conran's impact, legacy and approach to…
more -
Neil LaBute on new play with Billie Piper; Ian Rankin on undercover TV
With Mark Lawson. Playwright and film director Neil LaBute discusses his new play Reasons to be Pretty, starring Billie Piper, which asks if conventional beauty can be a curse. Writer Ian Rankin reviews two new TV shows which focus on undercover operators: Confessions of an Undercover Cop, and...
-
Pan Am; Simon Keenlyside interview
With Kirsty Lang. Pan Am, a new American TV drama, lands on BBC Two next week. The series follows the lives and loves of a group of air hostesses in the early 1960s, who are apparently empowered by their new profession. Janet Street Porter reviews. Songs of War is a new disc by award-winning...
-
Jeffrey Eugenides; Hamlet; Tabloid
With Mark Lawson. Michael Sheen stars in the Young Vic's new production of Hamlet. Director Ian Rickson sets the play in the Elsinore Mental Asylum, an institution the audience must also check in to. Hermione Lee reviews. Kelvin Mackenzie, former editor of The Sun, gives the critical verdict on...
-
Rum Diary; Nile Rodgers interview
With John Wilson. Johnny Depp's latest cinematic tribute to Hunter S Thompson, The Rum Diary, is based on the late journalist's novel of the same name. The semi-autobiographical story follows the boozy and increasingly unhinged exploits of a young American reporter in Puerto Rico in the late…
more -
Leonardo da Vinci exhibition; tenor Joseph Calleja
With Mark Lawson. As queues form for the largest-ever show of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings at the National Gallery, artist Tom Phillips reviews and considers whether the exhibition justifies the hype. At just 33, Maltese singer Joseph Calleja is tipped as one of the most promising tenors of the...
-
Wuthering Heights; screenwriter Peter Morgan
With Mark Lawson. Andrea Arnold's latest film is a re-telling of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The director of Red Road and Fish Tank cast mainly non-professional actors in the film, which aims to escape the conventions of a costume drama. Sarah Crompton reviews. Oscar-nominated screenwriter...
-
REM interviewed; 2012 Olympic posters revealed
With Kirsty Lang. Singer Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills from the band REM discuss what it feels like to 'call it a day as a band' after 30 years, 15 studio albums and 85 million albums sold. They reflect on their career in the light of a new retrospective double album called REM, Part Lies,...
-
Anthony Horowitz on Sherlock Holmes; Skyfall
With Mark Lawson. Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Ryder spy series, has written a new Sherlock Holmes novel. He discusses how he has approached the distinctive narrative voice, and reflects on the potential pitfalls in taking on such well-loved characters. Alice in Wonderland, an exhibition…
more -
Novelist PD James; Steven Isserlis; Stalin on stage
With Mark Lawson. At the age of 91, P D James has published a new crime novel, which is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Death Comes To Pemberley is set in Mr Darcy's ancestral home, where he and Elizabeth Bennet are living in marital bliss, which is suddenly ruptured by a brutal murder on the...
-
In Time review; David Bowie in the 70s
With John Wilson. Justin Timberlake stars in the sci-fi thriller In Time, set in a world where you die after your 25th birthday unless you can afford to buy more time. Timberlake teams up with a young heiress, played by Amanda Seyfried, to try to destroy the system. Natalie Haynes reviews. David...
-
Top Boy writer Ronan Bennett; Andrew Lloyd Webber
With John Wilson, including an interview with novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett, whose new TV drama series Top Boy focuses on young drug dealers in Hackney, London. Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals the winners of the first English Heritage Angel Awards, which he founded earlier this year to...
-
Yo-Yo Ma, Emma Donoghue, Soviet Architecture
With Kirsty Lang. Emma Donoghue is the bestselling author of Room, the Booker-nominated novel inspired by the real life Josef Fritzl case. Her latest book is The Sealed Letter, a historical romp that deals with a scandalous 19th Century divorce case. She talks to Kirsty about why she always…
more -
Gerard Butler; Kate Prince from Zoo Nation
With Kirsty Lang. The enduring fascination with Wallis Simpson continues in The Last of the Duchess, a new play by Nicholas Wright. Juliet Gardiner reviews Richard Eyre's production, and considers Simpson's recent popularity in film, television and literature. Gerard Butler discusses his role in...
-
David Attenborough; Jeanette Winterson
With Mark Lawson. George Clooney directs and stars in The Ides of March, a political drama set on the US primary campaign trail. Ryan Gosling plays an up and coming political strategist, whose idealism is threatened by the discovery of a dirty secret. Baroness Shirley Williams reviews. Jeanette...
-
Umberto Eco in a Front Row special
Kirsty Lang meets Italian intellectual and novelist Umberto Eco, now nearly 80, at his home in Milan. The writer looks back at the surprise success of his first novel The Name of the Rose, published when he was 48, which has sold 50 million copies. Following successes with subsequent novels...
-
Anonymous review; Stephan Solzhenitsyn
With Mark Lawson. Anonymous, directed by Roland Emmerich, claims Shakespeare didn't write any plays or sonnets: the real author was the Earl of Oxford - played by Rhys Ifans - who wrote them all in secret. Ryan Gilbey reviews. Stephan Solzhenitsyn, son of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Aleksandr...
-
Tintin; Brian Wilson interview.
With John Wilson. Brian Wilson and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys reflect on their never-released album Smile, recorded in 1966 and 1967 and now made available for the first time. Brian Wilson remembers the destructive role drugs played in the creation of this legendary 'lost' album, and music...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Front Row: Archive 2011 have?
Front Row: Archive 2011 currently has 84 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Front Row: Archive 2011 about?
Magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.
How often does Front Row: Archive 2011 release new episodes?
Front Row: Archive 2011 has 84 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Front Row: Archive 2011?
You can listen to Front Row: Archive 2011 on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Front Row: Archive 2011?
Front Row: Archive 2011 is created and hosted by BBC Radio 4.
URL copied to clipboard!