Front Row

Noah Hawley talks about creating Alien: Earth which is the first ever TV series based on the blockbuster Alien films created by Ridley Scott. TV and film critic Rhianna Dhillon and poet, critic and editor of The Little Review Tristram Fane Saunders join Tom Sutcliffe to give their thoughts on Alien: Earth. They also review Celine Song's new romantic comedy-drama Materialists starring Dakota Johnson as a New York Matchmaker. Finally, John Burnside was considered one of the finest poets of his generation. After his death last year, The Empire of Forgetting is his last collection of new poems which Tom and guests talk about.

A special edition of the programme recorded in front of an audience at the Edinburgh Festivals earlier this week. Emmy and Olivier Award-winning actor Brian Cox discusses his role as the ghost of economist Adam Smith in James Graham's satirical play Make It Happen. The National Theatre of Scotland production at the Edinburgh International Festival chronicles the rise and downfall (in 2008) of the world's biggest bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and also features an actor playing the role of the bank's former chief executive, Fred Goodwin, and an onstage chorus. We're joined by Zainab Johnson - a black female Muslim comedian from Harlem whose show Toxically Optimistic is her debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and by comedian, Taskmaster star and the voice of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle Desiree Burch, whose show The Golden Wrath tackles themes including death, menopause, spirituality and nationality. Plus music from leading trumpeter Jay Phelps, whose show Miles at the Fringe reflects on the legacy of the bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, and from The Bengsons, an Obie-winning husband and wife indie folk duo whose production Ohio is a celebratory true story about losing faith and finding hope in the darkest of places and is produced by the team behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Tom Sutcliffe speaks to Sean Hayes, best known for his role as Jack in Will and Grace. Now he's playing pianist Oscar Levant in Broadway hit Good Night Oscar, which has just opened at the Barbican in London.Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Symphony No 5 under massive pressure, having been denounced by Stalin the year before during the great purge of 1936. The success of Symphony No 5 saved his career, and now it's being performed from memory by the Aurora Orchestra for the BBC Proms. Nicholas Collon, Conductor of the Aurora Orchestra and Professor Marina Frolovo-Walker discuss.K-Pop Demon Hunters has just become the most successful animation ever on Netflix, and the show’s music, by a fictional band, has made it to number one in charts both sides of the Atlantic. The BBC's Julie Yoonnyung Lee tells us about the surprising trend of 2025.Two playwrights on the Edinburgh fringe are putting white supremacy under the spotlight: Priyanka Shetty’s #Charlottesville, and Gabriel Jason Dean’s play Rift. Both draw on the personal experiences of their writers. Priyanka and Gabriel join us on the line from Edinburgh.

Freakier Friday is an update on the 2003 hit body-swap movie, and it features the return of the original stars - Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan. Samira, with film critic Larushka Ivan-Zedah and Jesse Green, the chief New York Times' theatre critic, look at the legacy and impact of the book on which the films were based. Auction house Sotheby's is returning a set of sacred jewels believed to be linked to the Buddha's remains, to India - William Dalrymple joins Front Row to discuss the gems' remarkable history. The BFI is launching a season of films starring an Italian screen icon. Sophia Loren: Hollywood Style, Neapolitan Spirit. Now 90 years old, she has 7 decades of film work under her belt. How and why did she become such an astonishing global cinema titan. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Hanna Flint, a film and culture writer, joins writer Ekow Eshun and conductor Sofi Jeannin to dive into pop culture's intriguing intersections. They discuss Liam Neeson taking on a comedic role in the new Naked Gun film while examining the nostalgic humor it brings. Conversations shift to Madonna's remix album and Paul Weller's emotional evolution, with insights into their artistic integrity. Sofi shares her preparations for conducting Tavener's eight-hour piece, navigating the challenges of long performances with grace and anticipation.

Artist Andy Goldsworthy on his retrospective exhibition, which spans a five decade career. Best known for his work in the landscape, this exhibition sees the artist create dramatic large scale works for the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh - including an avenue of oak branches, a room of reeds suspended from the ceiling, and a room full of stones gathered from graveyards in Galloway, as well as films and photography of his ephemeral works made with ice and snow. New on the auction of a masterpiece of modernist architecture in the Scottish Borders. A coalition of heritage organisations has formed to save and restore the dilapidated Bernat Klein Studio, where the celebrated textile designer and his wife Margaret produced work for international design houses. But were they successful at the sale earlier today? We hear from two novelists whose books centre on motherhood and adoption: Yrsa Dailey Ward and Claire Adam. And we pay tribute to Sylvia Young, whose Theatre School in central London helped to launch the careers of generations of performers - including Billie Piper, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa and Nicholas Hoult, and whose death was announced today. Presenter: KIrsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Motherland writer Helen Serafinowicz on putting Wayne and Coleen Rooney at the heart of her debut play - The Legend of Rooney's Ring - which has just opened at the Royal Court in Liverpool.Literary critic Alex Clark examines the Booker Prize longlist which was announced today.Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash Aw Universality by Natasha Brown One Boat by Jonathan Buckley Flashlight by Susan Choi The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Audition by Katie Kitamura The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller Endling by Maria Reva Flesh by David Szalay Seascraper by Benjamin Wood Misinterpretation by Ledia XhogaThis month the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford presented the final stage in its £6.8 million redevelopment with the opening of its new Sound and Vision Galleries. The museum's director, Jo Quinton-Tulloch discusses how the redevelopment has changed what the museum now offers.The artist William Kentridge, known for his charcoal drawings, animations, and films, is presenting his first major sculpture show in the UK - The Pull Of Gravity at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Jo Sperryn-Jones, a Fine Art assistant professor and sculptor reviews.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Richard Stilgoe pays tribute to the great American humorist and songwriter Tom Lehrer, who has died at the age of 97. Samira discusses newly released and previously unheard songs by Nick Drake. Petra Volpe talks about her acclaimed film Late Shift, which tells the story of nurse's night shift in a Swiss hospital. Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Graham

Tom is joined by poet and writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes and dance critic Lyndsey Winship to review the latest big screen to stage musical adaptation Burlesque the Musical, Matthias Glasner's German-language family drama Dying, and Disney Plus series Washington Black based on the hit book by Esi Edugyan.Plus, as the UK government announces an overhaul of water regulation, an installation at the Folkestone Triennial called Ministry of Sewers allows people to air their grievances about the state of the country's waterways. Co-creator Daniel Fernandez Pascual joins Tom to discuss.And what is UNESCO? Following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the UN organisation, journalist Mara Hvistendahl explains what the organisation does, and what this news means for its future. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Terry George, an Academy Award-winning writer and director, shares his firsthand prison experiences that inspired his new play, The Tunnel. Jay Capperauld, a composer, discusses Anton Bruckner's eerie fascination with death masks in his piece Bruckner's Skull, blending classical themes with modern influences. Neil McCormick pays tribute to Ozzy Osbourne's unforgettable musical legacy, reflecting on his final concert, which raised an astounding £140 million for charity. The podcast offers a captivating mix of arts, personal stories, and the impact of culture.