Simon Bird, Whiteness, Ruth Patterson, Tony Walsh

It’s as the clever but put-upon Will Mackenzie in The Inbetweeners or the elder son Adam in Friday Night Dinner that Simon Bird has come to public attention but now the star of these successful sitcoms has stepped behind the cameras to direct his first feature film. Simon joins Front Row to discuss Days of the Bagnold Summer.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota Police has led to worldwide protests and calls for the end of systemic racism. What part can white artists and writers play to illuminate a subject that so many white people find difficult to understand and address? Playwright and performer Professor Eliza Bent, and writer and author Professor Jess Row discuss the subject of Whiteness and how it obscures racism.

Musicians have been deeply affected by the loss of concerts, shows, and tours but an overlooked area has been Artist-In-Residencies programmes which many of our national music institutions offer to musicians for their career development. Ruth Patterson, lead singer of Newcastle-based folk-rock band Holy Moly & The Crackers, was an Artist-In-Residence at Sage Gateshead this year to enable her to develop as a solo performer. She joins Front Row to discuss her debut single as a singer-songwriter, performing as a musician in wheelchair, and she’ll be singing live on the show.

As the lockdown eases for some next week, those heading into Manchester city centre will see posters featuring a new poem by Tony Walsh, aka Longfella, called The Sum of Us. Tony came to public attention with the poem, This Is The Place, that he performed in the city in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing. He joins Front Row to talk about the new work and perform an extract from it.

Presenter: Katie Popperwell Producer: Ekene Akalawu