Oscar Contenders, Movie Moguls and Silent Film Stars

Matthew Sweet is joined by critics Ryan Gilbey and Ellen E Jones to look at the films nominated for this year's Academy Awards and the tradition of films with a campaigning message. Film historian Vanda Krefft charts the complicated life of William Fox, the man who founded the Fox Film Corporation. Comedian Lucy Porter and author Steve Massa celebrate the women of the silent era who starred alongside the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

The Man Who Made the Movies: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of William Fox is by Vanda Krefft.

Slapstick Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy is by Steve Massa.

Producer: Craig Templeton Smith