Front Row

Sacha Baron Cohen's return to TV is Who Is America?, a new series in which he dupes figures such as Sarah Palin and Bernie Sanders into giving interviews to him, heavily disguised with prosthetics. TV critic Boyd Hilton reviews.As the decision is taken to rebuild the Glasgow School of Art after its second devastating fire, Sally Stewart, Head of Architecture at the school, discusses the latest plans for the celebrated Charles Rennie Mackintosh masterpiece.Photographer Anita Corbin discusses her latest project, First Women, a series of portraits of 100 women who have broken barriers in areas including sport, law, and the military, to become the first of their gender to achieve their positions. After he was stopped from photographing a work by Rembrandt this afternoon at Scotland's National Galleries - a painting on loan from a museum that allows the public to take photographs of the painting freely - art historian Bendor Grosvenor discusses the ethics of taking photographs in art exhibitions.The Chinese fantasy epic, Asura, with special effects made in Hollywood and starring China's most popular stars, cost 112 million dollars to make and was eagerly anticipated. But after its opening last weekend China's most expensive film ever has been pulled from cinemas. The BBC's Hong Kong Bureau Chief, Vivian Wu, tells John where it all went wrong. Presenter John Wilson Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Pierce Brosnan discusses his long and varied career which began as an artist, as he reprises the role of Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - with less singing this time.The Irish government has recently announced a new arts strategy and funding of Euro 2.billion Euros in a programme called "Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage. Journalist and Art Historian Robert O' Byrne, Dr. Annie Doona, Chair of Screen Ireland, and Catherine Heaney, Chair of the National Museum of Ireland Board discuss how the plan will affect Ireland's cultural landscape.As MPs begin to debate the government's White Paper on Brexit, John Kampfner from the Creative Industries Federation explains their reaction to proposals for the arts and creative sector.Need inspiration for holiday reading? Writer Stephanie Merritt recommends books to travellers destined for Malta, Spain and Greece as part of our Summer Reads series.Presenter : Kirsty Lang Producer : Dymphna Flynn.

Grime has been on an epic journey from subculture to explosive phenomenon. John speaks to presenter DJ Target, writer of Grime Kids, and to music journalist Dan Hancox, writer of Inner City Pressure. They discuss Grime as music of protest and how it evolves in a rapidly shifting landscape.Agnès Varda on her life as a legendary film-maker of the Nouvelle Vague, and her work as an artist as her first commission in the UK for the Liverpool Biennial goes on show.It's Friday the 13th so what better day to take a look at the rich history and strange persistence of artistic superstitions? John is joined by writer Ellen Weinstein and actor Michael Simkins.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Sarah Johnson.Main image: John Wilson and Agnès Varda. Credit: Ben Mitchell

Torchwood and Broadchurch star Eve Myles returns to our screens in the Welsh-noir series Keeping Faith. The drama centres around a working mother, Faith Howells, as she deals with the personal and professional fallout of her husband's mysterious disappearance. Originally broadcast in Welsh on S4C, an English language version is now being shown on BBC One after breaking viewing records on BBC Wales and the BBC iPlayer.Lyricist Bernie Taupin talks about his extraordinary partnership with Elton John that created dozens of hits such as Rocket Man and Sacrifice. To celebrate 50 years of writing together they've asked famous country music stars - from Dolly Parton to Willie Nelson - to reimagine their songs for a new album, Restoration.This Class Works is an exhibition in Sheffield showcasing Northern working class artists. We speak to the curator Pete McKee and Ella Murtha, daughter of photographer Tish Murtha, whose work depicting of youth unemployment during Thatcher's Britain is included in the show. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Hannah Robins.

Theatre criticism has been in the dock recently after a reviewer was publicly reproached for mentioning an actor's weight. Critics Sarah Crompton and Quentin Letts debate whether reviewers should feel free to assess an actor's body as well as their performance.Olly Alexander from Years and Years discusses the band's new album, Palo Santo, which combines a sci-fi setting with a visceral account of his life as a gay man. And he performs a song from the new release. Veteran American documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman delves into the world of the New York Public Library in his 42nd documentary, EX LIBRIS. The honorary Oscar winner tells Stig Abell about film-making at 88 years of age, and why he chooses to do all of the research, shooting and editing himself. Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Julian MayMain Image: Olly Alexander. Credit: Years and Years.

Holly Hunter talks about her four-decade career in Hollywood, including her Oscar winning performance in The Piano, her role as a TV journalist in Broadcast News, and returning to voice Elastigirl in the blockbuster animation, Incredibles 2. The National Theatre of Wales is marking the 70th anniversary of the NHS with a season of new plays performed across Wales. Samira talks to Peter Cox, writer of the The Stick-Maker Tales, about a shepherd in the Elan Valley, and Kully Thiarai, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Wales. Need inspiration for holiday reading? Writer and translator Daniel Hahn recommends books to travellers destined for Russia, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic, as part of our Summer Reads series. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Timothy Prosser.

The acclaimed composer and conductor, Oliver Knussen, has died aged 66. He began composing at just six years-old and as well as continuing to write music, went on to conduct around the world and in 1994 he was made a CBE. He was perhaps best known for the operatic adaptation of the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are. Mark Anthony Turnage and Roger Wright pay tribute.A reimagining of the iconic Australian novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock, begins on BBC2 this week. The six episodes explore the mysterious disappearances of three schoolgirls and their governess on Valentine's Day in 1900. Natalie Dormer speaks to John about her starring role in the drama, and about her other roles portraying strong women in The Tudors and Game of Thrones. What's it like being a life model and what makes drawing from life a unique and important discipline for artists? We speak to professional life model Rachel Welch, artist Jonathan Yeo and tutor Charlotte Mann, as Quentin Crisp's autobiography The Naked Civil Servant which depicts his own experiences as a life model turns 50.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Ben Mitchell.

Live from Dublin, Seamus Heaney's wife and daughter, Marie and Catherine Heaney, talk to the writer Sinéad Gleeson about 100 Poems, a selection of the poet's work chosen by his family. The book runs the gamut of Heaney's writing life, yet is a personal collection, with poems of love for his wife, children and grandchildren, his parents and relatives. A favourite of Seamus Heaney's poems is The Rain Stick which ends with the words, "Listen now again." That's the title of a new exhibition which draws on the huge archive which Heaney donated to the National Library of Ireland in 2011. Curator Geraldine Higgins leads Sinéad through the manuscripts, unpublished pieces, diary entries, notebooks and letters that trace the development of the Nobel Laureate's career. The permanent exhibition continues at the Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre on College Green, Dublin. Jesse Jones threw a spotlight on feminism and women's issues with her work Tremble Tremble when she represented Ireland at the 57th Venice Biennale last year. The film and performance artist talks about creating the multi-media installation which re-imagines feminist history and law. Dermot Bolger's stage version of James Joyce's Ulysses is currently playing at Dublin's Abbey Theatre. The novelist, playwright and poet reflects on the daunting task of putting the greatest modernist work in the world on the stage.Presenter: Sinéad Gleeson Producer: Julian May.

Rob Brydon, Daniel Mays and Adeel Akhtar were among the actors spending long hours in swimming pools last summer rehearsing for, and shooting, the new British film Swimming With Men, based on a true story about a group of male synchronised swimmers competing in the world championships. Stig Abell reports from the set at Basildon swimming pool, which was masquerading as Milan, the venue for the finals.Laura Wade, the playwright behind Posh and the stage adaption of Tipping the Velvet, discusses Home, I'm Darling, her new a play about a modern couple trying emulate the happy domesticity of the 1950s. With the announcement of the winner of the £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018 later this evening, we have our final report from the five finalists. So far we've heard from Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Glasgow Women's Library, The Postal Museum in London, and Tate St Ives. Tonight we visit Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, which was at the heart of Hull UK City of Culture last year.Filmmaker and writer Claude Lanzmann, famous for Shoah - his 1985 epic exploration of the Holocaust, has died. He's remembered by the writer and cultural critic Agnes Poirier.Presenter Stig Abell Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Actor Emily Mortimer on a new film adaption of Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop, about a widow who decides to open a bookshop selling subversive literature in a small seaside town in 1950s England. She also tells Samira about her role in the upcoming Mary Poppins sequel.The 50th year of the Man Booker Prize is celebrated this weekend with a festival at London's South Bank. Literary Director Gaby Wood joins novelist Linda Grant and publisher Arifa Akbar to discuss the history of and issues surrounding Britain's most prominent award for literature. Tomorrow evening the winner of the £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018 will be announced. We report from each of the five shortlisted museums and galleries - today it's the Glasgow Women's Library, the only accredited museum in the UK dedicated to women's lives, histories and achievements.Presenter: Samira AhmedProducer: Timothy Prosser.Main picture: Emily Mortimer as Florence Green. Credit: Vertigo Releasing