Front Row
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Front Row
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
Recent Episodes
2211 episodes
Norman Day special
Tom Sutcliffe and guests explore the architecture and culture of Norman Britain as part of a special day of programmes on Radio 4 marking the return o...
Review: Pedro Almodóvar's new film Bitter Christmas
Mark Ravenhill and Leila Latif join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's new film Bitter Christmas, a tragi comedy told a...
YouTube's Pedro Pina on the future of television, and celebrating Tim Curry
Ahead of her sixth performance at the BBC Proms the mezzo soprano star Joyce DiDonato talks to Kirsty about the explosive potential of her voice.
Remembering Dolly Parton, Meg Mason and Notting Hill Carnival at 60
Samira Ahmed spoke to Dolly Parton in 2023. As her death is announced Front Row pays tribute to the star of country music who sold more than 100 mill...
Review Show: Rachel Cusk's new novel and the return of the Looney Tunes
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and William Lee Adams join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
The Life of M - the new novel from Rachel Cusk. The book centres on a wr...
From the Edinburgh Festivals: Ann Droid and Motherland star Paul Ready; founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales; comedian Rosie Holt
Ann Droid and Motherland star Paul Ready on his debut one man show Little Animals, a powerful piece of writing on climate, consumerism and the anxieti...
The Light opens in Durham, and Iain Stirling on the art of sandscastles
As contemporary art venue, The Light, prepares to open in Durham, its artistic director Tony Guillan, and the art critic Louisa Buck, discuss the new...
Joe Lycett on his first solo exhibition, Everything Must Go
The comedian Joe Lycett has long dabbled in art, but it's a serious business now as his first ever solo exhibition ‘Everything Must Go’ has just opene...
Review Show: Tony, film about the early life of chef Anthony Bourdain
Academic and critic Maria Delgado and writer and producer Jake Cunningham join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the film Tony, a film about the early career o...
The best theatre at this year's Edinburgh Festivals
Australian writer and performer Hannah Reilly talks to us about her much-anticipated one woman show about sex, power and authenticity, Roleplay, which...
Steph McGovern on how to buy art
Steph McGovern, presenter of new BBC show The Big Deal, is joined by Marie Le Conte to discuss how to buy art.
Fleabag actor Sian Clifford on he...
Game of Thrones at the RSC first night review
What's the Royal Shakespeare Company's much anticipated stage adaptation of Game of Thrones like? Critics Boyd Hilton and Kate Maltby give their verdi...
Review Show: Irvine Welsh's new novel and Glenn Close's new film
Suzi Feay and John-Paul Stonard join Samira to review:
Can Nothing Save Us?, the new novel from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, a state-of-th...
Live from the Edinburgh Festivals: Stockard Channing on directing Krapp's Last Tape
In the first of our special programmes from the Edinburgh Festivals, actress Stockard Channing - star of Grease, Six Degrees of Separation and Practic...
Magic live in the studio
Samira is joined by two magicians live in the studio, from the stage show "Now You See Me Live". And then she takes part in a trick and is bamboozled!...
John Hannah on his new comedy crime drama set in Benidorm
John Hannah plays a washed-up former detective who has moved to Spain to run a pub in the new Channel 5 comedy drama Benidorm is Murder. He discusses...
Review show: Childhood in War, Children of Wolves and kids in Luton
Rhianna Dhillon and Sarfraz Manzoor join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
Childhood in War, an exhibition at the Imperial War Musuem exploring how child...
How the opiod crisis inspired an opera
Composer Missy Mazzoli discusses her opera The Galloping Cure, which fuses a live orchestra with electronic beats and features a charismatic antihero...
Mary Beard reveals the Booker Prize longlist, plus Bill Pullman on taking on Chekhov
Professor Dame Mary Beard reveals the 2026 Booker longlist and how she has found the process of being Chair of the judges.
British contemporary...
Bill Oddie, remembered by his friend Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden remembers his friend and Goodies colleague, Bill Oddie.
Frank Miller reimagined Batman as a tougher, grittier sort of comic book h...
Review Show: Trainspotting the Musical, Colson Whitehead's new novel
Hanna Flint and Chris Power join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
The new stage musical adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting, featuring famo...
Andrew Ridgeley on Wham in China
In 1985, Wham were the first Western pop group to perform in communist China, and the tour changed people's lives. As a new documentary about this lan...
Ruth Madeley on new TV drama The Rapture, Nadine Shah on her BBC Prom
Actor Ruth Madeley on starring in new TV drama The Rapture - a psychological thriller where the competing interests of an oil company, a religious cul...
The first PM with an English degree, plus a new museum of WWII espionage
Trent Park, the House of Secrets is a new museum in north London which explores the story of the secret listeners who eavesdropped on the conversation...
Review: Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey with Matt Damon and Zendaya
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by film critic Tim Robey and classicist Edith Hall to discuss:
Christopher Nolan's much anticipated film version of Home...
Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman
The coming-of-age series Heartstopper has been a phenomenon with young readers and viewers in recent years. Its creator Alice Oseman joins us as the f...
Christopher Nolan on his film The Odyssey, Little House on the Prairie, novelist Candice Carty-Williams
British director Christopher Nolan discusses his biggest cinematic blockbuster yet: The Odyssey, which stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland an...
Diane Morgan on playing a robot in TV comedy Ann Droid.
Diane Morgan on her BBC TV comedy series Ann Droid, in which she stars as the eponymous robot helper to Sue Johnston.
We pay tribute to actor S...
Review Show: The Rolling Stones album Foreign Tongues
Critic and columnist Dr Kate Maltby and author Michael Donkor join Tom Sutcliffe to review Robota, the inaugural large-scale production at the Schwarz...
Lynval Golding of The Specials on Live from the Cathedral, the album the band has said will be their last
Lynval Golding of two-tone and ska legends The Specials , on the band’s final album, Live from the Cathedral, which was recorded in Coventry Cathedral...
Ai Weiwei in Manchester
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has just created his largest site-specific exhibition - Ai Weiwei: Button Up! - which has now opened at Aviva Stud...
Madonna's Confessions II album, Daphne du Maurier, Sky's anticipated takeover of ITV
Confessions II is Madonna's first album in 7 years. Novelist Matt Cain and journalist and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer discuss going back to the dancefl...
Review: Penélope Cruz in The Invite film and Pride the musical
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by critics Bidisha and David Benedict to review:
The Invite, a new film directed by Olivia Wilde about two couples who j...
Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro on his passion for films featuring trains
The acclaimed novelist Kazuo Ishiguro talks about how he went about curating a season of films featuring trains for the BFI - from classics such as Sh...
Dave Eggers on his new novel Contrapposto and Supergirl director Craig Gillespie
Author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and The Circle, Dave Eggers is back with a new novel about a young aspiring artist. Contrapposto...
Penelope Keith tribute, Russell Tovey, Katherine Rundell on fairy tales
We mark the passing of actress Dame Penelope Keith, speaking with John Lloyd and Mel Giedroyc about her long career.
Actor Russell Tovey plays...
Review show - Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern in London
Writer Charlotte Mullins and author Viv Groskop join Tom to discuss the Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern in London. It's the highest pre-selling...
Lauren Child on 25 years of Charlie & Lola
25 years since she published her first Charlie and Lola book, former Children's Laureate Lauren Child returns with a new friendship-focused series fea...
Bill Nighy on acting, podcasting and style tips
Bill Nighy joins to talk about his new family drama 500 Miles, where he plays a reclusive painter on the west coast of Ireland who gets an unexpected...
Linda Perry sings live, and we celebrate Mel Brooks' 100th birthday
Linda Perry came to fame as lead singer of the all-female band Four Non-Blondes. She went on to be a hugely successful songwriter and producer, writin...