Front Row

BBC Radio 4
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated daily

Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music

  1. 20 hr ago

    Does the discovery of a 'talkie' made in 1926 change cinema history?

    News broke today of a discovery which may rewrite cinematic history. In 1926 Scottish playwright Graham Moffat's film - Till the Bells Ring - using pioneering audio technology which allowed sound and pictures to be synchronised, was premiered in Edinburgh. For decades, Alan Crossland’s 1927 film The Jazz Singer – starring Al Jolson – has been regarded as the world's first talkie, but does this newly discovered film - in the BFI archive in Hertfordshire - take its crown? Historians Marc David Jacobs – and Pamela Hutchinson, join us to discuss the significance of this find. Turner Prize-nominated artist Isaac Julien joins us to talk about his film work Lessons of the Hour – which is screening from this weekend until next April at Perth Museum, on the site where the renowned 19th century social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass gave speeches to packed out audiences almost 200 years ago. Julien’s film reflects Douglass’ significant legacy and he tells us about his approach to “aesthetic reparation” and about the relevance of Douglass’ work today. We also hear about Douglass' extraordinary life, from his great-great-great grandson. And from ancient sculpture to an iconic 15th century painting by Botticelli and a gold bodysuit worn by Beyoncė, a new exhibition devoted to the Greek goddess of love and desire, Aphrodite, opens this week at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Writer and classicist Natalie Haynes guides us through the fascination with Aphrodite over five millennia. And we pay tribute to the Oscar-winning American actress Eva Marie Saint, star of North By Northwest and On The Waterfront, who has died at the age of 102. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

  2. 1 day ago

    Johnny Marr on his new album

    The legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is back with his fifth solo album The Age of Everything, which he's described as the most cathartic album he's ever written. He joins Samira to talk about road-testing these songs before recording them, why he auctioned off his whole guitar collection and what keeps him making music after five decades in the spotlight. As French Impressionist Claude Monet's letters are published in English for the first time, Samira discusses what we learn about the man behind the paintings, with editor Teresa Krasny and art critic Charlotte Mullins. The first of our interviews with the authors of the Booker Prize shortlist: Rebecca Perry talks about her novel May We Feed the King. And after the news of author Jeffrey Archer's death, we revisit a memorable Front Row interview with him. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Lucy Collingwood

  3. 2 days ago

    SNL, Paul Greengrass, The Bayeux Tapestry and Sarah Hall

    Two of the young stars of Saturday Night Live UK on bringing live satire back to television. Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Captain Philips, United 93) on how the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 inspired his new film, Uprising. The British Museum has taken steps to quell public dissent over long queues and ticket cancellations for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. And novelist Sarah Hall on the rebelliousness of modern nature writing, ahead of delivering the annual Faber lecture, entitled Burning Snowflake, and this year's Manchester Literature Festival. Presenter: Samira Ahmed

  4. 6 days ago

    Review Show: Tom Cruise in the film Digger

    Susannah Clapp and Nick Hilton join Tom Sutcliffe to review Tom Cruise as a prosthetic laden billionaire oil tycoon in the film Digger, who is out to save humanity after causing a global catastrophe. They also discuss Sky legal drama War – where Sienna Miller and Dominic West play a power couple who are getting divorced. And they offer their verdicts on The Standard of Living, Dear England writer James Graham’s play about the life of economist John Maynard Keynes, played by Rory Kinnear. Plus chair of judges, and former Front Row presenter, Kirsty Lang talks about the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction's shortlist which has been announced today. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Claire Bartleet

  5. 30 Sept

    Actors David Harewood and Sir Simon Russell Beale

    Sherwood and Homeland star David Harewood talks to us about his lead role in Channel 4's new legal drama Pierre, which is co-written by John Donnelly and playwright Roy Wiliams. Actor Simon Russell Beale discusses playing Liberace on stage in I'll Be Seeing You, the new play from Martin Sherman (who wrote Bent and Mrs Henderson Presents), a sparkling fantasia which follows a young writer struggling to create a play about the flamboyant superstar with a carefully constructed public image, who was awarded £8,000 in damages after an article strongly hinted he was a homosexual. The production - directed by Alan Cumming and Ben Occhipinti - is at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 11 October. An avatar of acclaimed Chinese-American pianist Yuja Wang is performing at the Southbank Centre in London between now and January with audience members donning a VR headset and wandering around the stage to observe her at close range. The Guardian's critic Erica Jeal, who described the performance as "like Disney's Fantasia on steroids" tells us more about the experience. And we discuss the rise of the cultural logging platform - such as Letterboxd and Storygraph - which help us curate what the films we watch and the books we read and which help us share recommendations with each other. And Bill Buckley pays tribute to broadcaster and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, his colleague on the much-loved TV show That's Life!, who has died at the age of 86. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

  6. 29 Sept

    BBC National Short Story Award and Young Writers Award 2026

    Tom Sutcliffe hosts the ceremony for BBC National Short Story Award and Young Writers Award 2026, in partnership with University of Cambridge, live from BBC Broadcasting House in London. As well as the announcements of the winners of both awards, Tom is joined by judges David Almond, Tahmima Anam and Saba Sams to discuss the key ingredients for a standout short story. They also recommend the short story writers and collections which they love to read. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Lucy Collingwood

  7. 28 Sept

    Es Devlin retrospective, Sebastian Faulks, Turner Prize, Apple Music Hall

    The multi-award winning stage designer and artist Es Devlin talks to Samira as a retrospective of her work opens at the Design Museum in London. Devlin has created sets for theatre and opera and also for stadium concerts, fashion shows, and the Olympics opening ceremony. This is her first UK museum show and her first retrospective in Europe, and it celebrates her 30-year creative practice across stage design, art installations, sculpture and music. The music played in the exhibition and briefly on our programme was composed by Polyphonia. Sebastian Faulks, one of the country’s most acclaimed novelists, imagines the life of an ex-soldier stationed in 1946 Palestine at the end of the British Mandate in his new book Farewell to Eden. He talks to Samira about why this troubled period of history has drawn him in. The technology giant Apple has helped transform the way we listen to music through its devices and platforms, and is now opening its own 600-capacity concert venue at Battersea Power Station in London, with Elton John headlining its first show. Samira speaks to Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services and Health, about the company’s ambitions for Apple Music Hall and its role in the music industry. Jonathan Jones reviews the work of the nominees for this year’s Turner Prize. Producer: Eliane Glaser

  8. 24 Sept

    Front Row at the Contains Strong Language festival

    A special edition of Front Row from the BBC's poetry and performance festival - Contains Strong Language Since self-publishing a poetry pamphlet in 2020, Donna Ashworth has gone on to become the UK's bestselling living poet of the decade. She talks about her new book, The Art of Being Easily Pleased: Words To Unlock A Wonderful life, and shares some of her new poems. The phenomenally successful musical, Operation Mincemeat, which looks at a WW2 deception operation, began life as a 15 minute performance at The Lowry as part of the art centre's artist development programme. Natasha Hodgson and David Cumming, two of the original members of the team that created the show, discuss one of the musical's best loved songs, Dear Bill, and there'll be a special performance of it. Anthony Almeida is directing a new production of Othello, set in 1980s Britain which draws parallels between the political and military turmoil of that time with those of Shakespeare's 16th century setting in Venice and Cyprus. He talks about the play's language of leadership in challenging times. The TS Eliot Prize-winning poet Joelle Taylor set her collection, Maryville, in a butch bar to explore the lives of four butch lesbians and the underground landscape of queer culture. She discusses the new performance version of these poems that she'll be presenting at the Contains Strong Language festival. Presenter - Samira Ahmed Producer - Ekene Akalawu

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About

Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music

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  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2k
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Front Row

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