Front Row

Actor Joel Edgerton on his role as an itinerant lumberjack in 1900s Idaho, in Clint Bentley's Train Dreams, an adaptation of a novel by Denis Johnson which is being tipped for Oscar success.The Harris in Preston and Poole Museum in Dorset recently threw their doors open after multi million pound refurbishment projects. We hear how these museums have been transformed and how local communities are responding to their reopening. Photographer Craig Easton tells us about his project An Extremely Un-get-atable Place in which he reflects on the time writer George Orwell spent on the island of Jura in the 1940s. And from South Georgia in the South Atlantic, artist Michael Visocchi joins us to talk about the physical and emotional demands of installing a permanent sculpture to over 100,000 whales slaughtered by the whaling industry. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Screenwriter Vince Gilligan is the creative mind behind the multi-awardwinning television dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His latest offering is Pluribus - a post-apocalyptic science fiction tale where it's up to the only miserable human being on earth to save the world.The news that Durham's Lumiere festival is coming to an end has led to a political row in the North East. Helen Marriage, Artistic Director of Artichoke, the arts organisation behind the event, on creating Lumiere and why this year's edition could be the final one.Cherie Federico, Director of the York-based Aesthetica Short Film Festival, and Philip Illson, Artistic Director of the London Short Film Festival discuss how short films are rising up the cultural agenda.Reselling tickets to live events for a profit is to be banned by the government. Annabella Coldrick, CEO of the Music Managers Forum started the FanFair campaign back in 2016 to take a stand against profiteering in the secondary ticketing market. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Actors Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste discuss their production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Director Jon M Chu reveals the influence of watching The Wizard of Oz , as a boy growing up. And how he cast his very own Wicked: For Good. Samira is joined by food writers Diana Henry and Nikkitha Bakshani - who also happens to be an award winning novelist - to talk about the art of great food writing. And dynamic pricing in theatre - is it more (or less) fair for market forces to decide how high ticket prices can rise.Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Tom and guests review The Hunger Games... now a stage play at a brand new theatre in London's Canary Wharf. The new film Nuremberg, starring Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring, tells the story of the psychiatrist who was recruited to analyse Hitler's second-in-command at the 1946 war crimes trial. The new BBC TV series Wild Cherry, about a scandal in a private girls' school and the relationships between mothers and daughters as well as toxic secrets and lies that ripple throughout their community. And Alan Cumming talks to Tom about his inaugural season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Actor Fiona Shaw discusses her latest film Park Avenue, director Gaby Dellal's 'tense and witty drama about mother-daughter relationships set in New York. Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay talks to us about her new film Die My Love, a portrait of postpartum psychosis starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. 50 years on from the band's first gig, music writer Jon Savage and photographer Dennis Morris discuss the impact and influence of punk pioneers Sex Pistols. We also hear about the transformation of a historic and sacred well by artist Joanna Kessel. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Do Vermeer's paintings contain hidden religious symbolism? Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon argues that the enigmatic painter's membership of a radical Christian group has been long overlooked.Writer John Updike became a sensation when is candid and controversial novel Rabbit, Run was published in 1960. Now his posthumously published letters shine a new light on his work and relationships with the women in his life - from his mother and mother-in-law to lovers and wives. We discuss this legacy with James Schiff, the man who edited them, as well as his "successor" Gish Jen and literary critic Suzi Feay. Director Edgar Wright is on to discuss new dystopian action thriller The Running Man.And to mark Commemoration Day, a reading of The Mother by May Herschel Clark, from a new collection of women's World War One poetry.

David Szalay, the prize-winning novelist whose book Flesh clinched the coveted award, shares insights from his acceptance speech. He explores the aesthetic risks he embraced in his writing journey. Joining him is Penelope Lively, an acclaimed author who champions the transformative power of children's literature. Roddy Doyle, the chair of the judges, discusses the intense selection process and the emotional stakes behind choosing the winner. This lively discussion dives deep into the art of novel-making and the impact of literature across ages.

Andrew Miller, a British novelist, discusses his Booker Prize-nominated work, The Land in Winter, delving into its gothic tone and complex character portrayals. Katie Kitamura shares insights on her novel Audition, exploring the intersections of performance and social media. David Szalay reflects on the themes of alienation in Flesh, emphasizing narrative gaps and emotional resonance. Susan Choi highlights disappearance and loss in Flashlight, tying her research in Japan to her story's haunting motifs.

On this week's Front Row review, we discuss a new production of Othello with David Harewood as the Moor and Toby Jones as Iago. Tom speaks with Daniel Day Lewis about his return to the big screen in a film directed by his son Ronan: Anemone. And The Choral; a new film written by Alan Bennett, directed by Nicholas Hytner and with a stellar cast, how good is it?Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Benedict Cumberbatch, renowned for his captivating roles, shares insights into his character as a grieving father in the film adaptation of Max Porter's Grief Is the Thing with Feathers. He explores the interplay of humor and poignancy, emphasizing the importance of his own parenting experience in shaping the role. Joining him is Helen Garner, the acclaimed Australian writer, who reveals her journey in diary publishing and the ethical dilemmas involved. Garner discusses how her diaries have influenced her writing style and her views on literary prizes.