
Front Row
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
Latest episodes

Oct 7, 2024 • 42min
Alison Moyet, Leigh Bowery exhibition, Adrian Sutton
Alison Moyet joins us in the studio to talk about her career, from Yazoo to going solo and a new album.Fashion renegades of the 1980s via Leigh Bowery, Taboo and the Blitz nightclub, we take a look at a new exhibition with Pam Hogg and Sue Tilley.War Horse composer Adrian Sutton on going back to his classical roots with his latest composition, a violin concerto.Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corinna Jones

Oct 3, 2024 • 43min
Review: Film: Joker Folie a Deux; Book: Alan Hollinghurst's Our Evenings
This week's big cinema release Joker: Folie a Deux is under scrutiny from Tom Sutcliffe's reviewers, broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika and film critic Tim Robey. They have also read Alan Hollinghurst's new novel Our Evenings. Gramophone Artist of the Year soprano Carolyn Sampson performs in the Front Row studio - and on National Poetry Day Tom and the critics pick their favourite poems. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paula McGrath

Oct 2, 2024 • 42min
Paula Hawkins, Photojournalism, Tape Letters Archive project
Bestselling writer Paula Hawkins, whose book The Girl on the Train was a publishing phenomenon back in 2015, discusses her latest novel, The Blue Hour, a thriller set in the contemporary art world. As a new book of photographs of America by Magnum photographers is published, two photographers discuss the role of photojournalism in the contemporary world. And as three exhibitions of Tape Letters from the British Asian community open, we hear about the little-known custom of conducting conversations via audio cassette between the UK and Pakistan.Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan

Oct 1, 2024 • 42min
The BBC National Short Story Award 2024 with Cambridge University
Paddy O'Connell, chair of the NSSA judges, joins fellow judges Katie Thistleton, Michael Donkor, and Katherine Webber to celebrate the art of short storytelling. They delve into themes like nostalgia, identity, and mortality in this year's entries. Brennig, the first Young Writers' Award winner, shares his insights. The conversation reveals the emotional resonance of short narratives, the craft behind compelling openings, and how fiction can address societal issues—offering a vibrant tribute to both established and emerging literary talents.

Sep 30, 2024 • 42min
David Oyelowo, Regulating the entertainment industry, Ralph Steadman
David Oyelowo talks about playing Coriolanus in the National Theatre's new production. He explains why it's the role he's always wanted to take on - encompassing tragedy, politics and the challenge of stage combat. Dame Eileen Atkins talks about her late friend, the great actress Dame Maggie Smith. We visit the studio of cartoonist Ralph Steadman and get an insight into the range of his work from children's book illustrations to eco-activism. And, what progress has been made to tackle harassment and exploitation in the entertainment industry? Heather Rabbatts has spent three years setting up the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority and Jenny Tingle is from the trade union BECTU and they join Samira to discuss what's happening. Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ruth Watts

Sep 26, 2024 • 43min
Review: art - Monet; book: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney; Joe Lycett's art book
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Charlotte Mullins and Ryan Gilbey to review Sally Rooney's novel Intermezzo about two grieving brothers and the people they love. The first UK exhibition dedicated to Monet's impressionist paintings of London at The Courtauld Gallery and Francis Ford Coppola's futuristic sci-fi film Megalopolis. Plus Joe Lycett talks about incorporating his art into his comedy as a new book of his work is released.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet

Sep 25, 2024 • 42min
David Mitchell on Ludwig, poet Kathleen Jamie and the world premiere of Helen Grime's Folk
Poet Kathleen Jamie, whose tenure as Scotland's Makar, or National Poet, recently came to an end, talks about her new collection of poems written in Scots, The Keelie Hawk. Composer Helen Grime, soprano Claire Booth and author Zoe Gilbert chat about the world premiere of Folk, an orchestral song cycle inspired by Gilbert's book of the same name. And David Mitchell discusses his role in the new BBC comedy drama Ludwig, about a reclusive puzzle setter who becomes a reluctant detective, following the disappearance of his identical twin.Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Mark Crossan

Sep 24, 2024 • 42min
Chilly Gonzales performs, Dickens adaptations, Horror films
Classically trained pianist and rapper Chilly Gonzales performs from his new album Gonzo, ahead of his Royal Albert Hall gig, As Hard Times kicks off Radio 4's season of Dickens dramas - what makes a good adaptation? Writer Graham White and Dickens expert Professor Juliet John discuss how the characters and issues like social inequality help to keep the stories relevant to modern audiences. And what is the enduring appeal of horror films? Director Daniel Kokotajlo's folk-horror Starve Acre was inspired by his admiration for 70s classics like The Wicker Man and Anna Bogutskaya's book Feeding the Monster explores how horror films have evolved, and now often explore people's internal trauma and anxieties. Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Paula McGrath

Sep 23, 2024 • 42min
John Boorman, Anya Gallaccio, The Halfway Kid performs
John Boorman talks to Samira about his 1974 science-fiction, fantasy film Zardoz as it is screened on its fiftieth anniversary at the BFI and his novel on which it is based is republished. He discusses the craft of film making and reflects on the film he wishes he'd made with Elvis. British artist Anya Gallaccio welcomes us into her London studio as she prepares for three major exhibitions: a major survey at the Turner Contemporary in Margate, a stores she's pained entirely with chocolate in her hometown of Paisley and a permanent AIDS memorial due to be unveiled in London in 2027. And, the folk singer and social media sensation The Halfway Kid, otherwise known as Saeed Gadir, discusses his upcoming album Myths In Modern Life and performs live in the studio. Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ruth Watts

Sep 19, 2024 • 43min
Review: film The Substance, Art Michael Craig-Martin, Book The Empusium
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Bidisha Mamata and Ben Luke who will be offering their verdicts on body horror film The Substance staring Demi Moore, a major new Michael Craig-Martin exhibition at the Royal Academy in London and The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story by Nobel prize winning author Olga Tokarczuk. Plus BBC National Short Story Award shortlisted author Ross Raisin.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet