Front Row

Nancy Durrant and Jason Solomons join Tom to review: The new offering from Guy Ritchie, Mobland, with familiar themes of drug gangs and violence and starring Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Tom Hardy, amongst others. Giuseppe Penone's Thoughts in the Roots exhibition which is in and outside the Serpentine gallery, expanding on the significance of trees as a recurring motif in his work. The Most Precious of Cargoes, a new animation film which depicts some of the horrors of the Holocaust. And Tom talks to Jorge M. Perez and Darlene Perez about their philanthropic gift to Tate Modern. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Corinna Jones

Tilda Swinton, a fearless actress known for her role in 'The End,' discusses her plans to take a break from acting while reflecting on her thought-provoking musical project. Michael Sheen, artistic director of the new Welsh National Theatre, shares insights about upcoming productions and the importance of nurturing local talent. They also explore the legacy of Philip Burton, the influential teacher who shaped Richard Burton's career, emphasizing mentorship's critical role in the arts and the complexities of cultural identity.

Charlie Brooker talks about the return of his wildly popular tech and sci-fi dystopian drama Black Mirror. This new six-part series includes Paul Giamatti as a man using AI to reconnect to a lost love who has died, Emma Corrin as a digitally recreated 40s screen star and, for the first time, follow-up episodes of two of the show's most popular episodes: Bandersnatch and USS Callister.The Design Council is 80 and is celebrateing with a new book, Eight Decades of British Design. The Chief Executive of the Design Council, Minnie Moll, and Thomas Heatherwick, the designer famous for, among many projects, the cauldron for the Olympic flame at the games in London, reflect on the impact of design on our lives here in the past, now, and in the future.The Women of Llanrumney sounds as if it might be the new Gavin and Stacey, but this Llanrumney was a sugar plantation in Jamaica, the setting for Azuka Oforka's first play which examines the links of Wales with slavery, its brutality, the role of slave revolts in bringing about abolition and, looking at the lives of three women, two enslaved and one enslaver, discusses the nature of freedom. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May

Front Row looks at freedom of expression in the arts. From rows about cancel culture to allegations of censorship and the charge that the arts has become 'woke', we explore what is happening. Samira is joined by art curator, Ekow Eshun, novelist Philip Hensher, poet and author of Hounded, Jenny Lindsay and theatre critic Kate Maltby, who sits on the board of the campaign group Index On Censorship. We hear from David Austin, British Board of Film Classification Chief Exec, about how sex and violence are classified for modern audiences. And Shakespeares Globe Artistic Director Michelle Terry discusses her production of Richard III, which ignited a row over casting. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Timothy Prosser

For our review programme Tom Sutcliffe is joined by critics Dorian Lynskey and Briony Hanson. They are looking at: New comedy series The Studio, set in Hollywood and starring Seth Rogan and Catherine O’Hara. Delusions of Grandeur, Grayson Perry’s new exhibition where he selects items from the Wallace Collection, adds 40 new works and a new alter ego. And the film La Cocina, which gives an insight into the drama of a bustling New York Times Square restaurant kitchen where the largely illegal immigrant workers are serving up to 3000 covers a day. Plus an assessment of Netflix's most viewed limited series ever, Adolescence.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

Scottish actor, writer, and director Peter Capaldi, known for his music career, shares insights about his new album, Sweet Illusions, inspired by the vibrant 80s Glasgow music scene. He delves into the historical Ossian myth, a fascinating literary hoax, while discussing its cultural impact on Scottish identity. Additionally, Capaldi evaluates the short stories of Brian Friel, highlighting their emotional depth and influence on Irish literature. This conversation weaves together music, storytelling, and the nuances of creative expression.

The actor and director Peter Mullan talks about taking on the role of Bill Shankly in the new theatre production in Liverpool, Red or Dead, about the much-loved Liverpool football club manager. In April 1925 the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a seven-month exhibition of contemporary design, opened in Paris. Arts Décoratifs’ was soon shortened to Art Deco, and a movement was born. A century later Art Deco is being celebrated across the UK. Professor Bruce Peter, author of new book Art Deco in Scotland :Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age, and Dr Rachael Unsworth, who leads tours in Leeds that look at art deco buildings in the city, join Nick to discuss Art Deco and its legacy. Art Deco in Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age, is also accompanied by an exhibition at the Glasgow School of Art in April 2025. There are also a range of commemorative events in Liverpool this weekend organised by the Art Deco Society UK.A decade ago, the comedian Tom Walker created the character of the roving news reporter Jonathan Pie, and his creation became an internet sensation, with the New York Times among his many fans. When he brought Jonathan Pie to Radio 4 with the radio phone-in comedy, Call Jonathan Pie, the critics were universal in their praise and it quickly became a podcast hit. As Call Jonathan Pie returns for a second series, Tom discusses creating a show that merges the personal and the political.And to mark the first week of Spring, musician and broadcaster Tom McKinney, who will be taking on the Radio 3 Breakfast Show, asks for us to listen properly to the music of birdsong.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Bryan Ferry discusses his latest album, Loose Talk and reflects on his long career in music. Disney's new live action version of Snow White has just opened and has attracted criticism from those who felt it departed too far from the original film. Film critics Larushka Ivan Zadeh and Al Horner explore why Disney's reinterpretation of its own canon has become so controversial. The Windham Campbell Prize gives away over a million pounds, shared between eight writers across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Previous British winners have included the poet Zaffar Kunial. Samira is joined by two of this year's winners, playwright, Matilda Ibini and poet, Anthony V Capildeo, to discuss the impact of the prize. Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves changed cinema forever when the world's first animated film hit screens in 1937. Now the House of Mouse has just released a big budget live action remake of the beloved original that is arriving under a cloud of controversy. Larushka Iven-Zadeh, the Times films critic, and Al Horner, a Telegraph writer and host of the Script Apart podcast, joins to discuss.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Ruth Watts

Critics Hanna Flint and Boyd Hilton join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss Clueless, a new musical based on the 1995 film staring Alicia Silverstone. They also discuss Flow, Oscar-winning, dialogue-free, animated film based around the story of a cat who must find safety after its home is devastated by a flood. Plus Robert de Niro playing two gangsters in the Mafia drama The Alto Knights. Plus, ahead of World Poetry Day, we talk to Seán Hewitt whose second collection Rapture's Road has today been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Paula McGrath

French auteur Francois Ozon, whose previous films include 8 Women, Swimming Pool and Potiche, talks about his latest, When Autumn Falls, a bittersweet story of age, youth and breaking the rules, set in a picturesque Burgundy village. As the centenary of his birth approaches, leading pianist Tamara Stefanovich and musicologist Jonathan Cross discuss the legacy and reputation of the iconoclastic composer and conductor Pierre Boulez. The outgoing director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Shona McCarthy talks about what she has achieved in her role, about the state of the Festivals sector in Edinburgh, and about the challenges facing her successor. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan