Front Row: Archive 2014

The curators of the new First World War Galleries at the Imperial War Museum in London walk Samira Ahmed round their new exhibition, part of the extensive new design for the building. Linda Grant discusses her new novel Upstairs at the Party, where the arrival of a glamorous, androgynous couple at a university campus in the '70s has long-term consequences. John Fay returns to The Mill, his Channel 4 drama series. And Catherine Bray reviews the French film Grand Central which stars Blue is the Warmest Colour's Léa Seydoux.

John Wilson talks to Nigel Havers and director Lucy Bailey about their revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, framed within the confines of an amateur dramatics production of the play. Art critic Charlotte Mullins reviews a major retrospective of Russian modernist Kazimir Malevich at Tate Modern. The winner of the Caine Prize for African writing, Okwiri Oduor, talks about her winning short story and the impact she hopes the prize will have on her Writing, and head judge, Jackie Kay, reveals why Okwiri's story was an unanimous winner. And author Michael Rosen on the enduring appeal of We're Going On A Bear Hunt, 25 years on and a record-beating reading.

Paul Theroux, Albie Sachs and Justin Cartwright remember the Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist Nadine Gordimer whose death was announced today; Matt Reeves on directing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, starring Andy Serkis and Gary Oldman; and Dennis Kelly discusses his TV drama series Utopia, which deals with a plan created by 'The Network' to control the expanding world population by sterilising 95% of its inhabitants.

Booker Prize winning novelist Graham Swift has just published a collection of short stories concerned with life, death and the state of the nation. He talks to Razia about tackling big themes in short form. How To Train Your Dragon 2 continues the story of Viking Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless. The animated children's film is based on the stories by Cressida Cowell. Matt Thorne reviews. The story of a group of Glasgow school girls who changed immigration practices in Scotland has already been dramatised for the stage and has now been transformed into a BBC Three musical drama. Razia speaks to co-writer and director Brian Welsh and real life 'Glasgow Girl' Emma Clifford explains what it's like to see herself portrayed on screen. Architect Jack Pringle and architecture critic Hugh Pearman discuss the ethical responsibilities of architects - should they be held accountable for the condition of workers building their designs?

Razia Iqbal talks to director Peter Greenaway about his film Goltzius And The Pelican Company, which tells the story of the 16th century Dutch painter Hendrik Goltzius. A new exhibition at the National Maritime Museum explores the race to determine longitude at sea. Scottish poet Robert Crawford discusses his latest collection, Testament. And Peter Murray, founding director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2014.

John Wilson talks to actor Gina McKee about starring in Richard III, and reports on the new collection of portraits of Virginia Woolf at the National Portrait Gallery. Plus a review of Morrissey's new album World Peace Is None of Your Business - his tenth studio album which contains flamenco influences and a celebration of animal rights. And leading French artist Daniel Buren, who has a major show at Baltic in Gateshead.

Extant is a new sci-fi series produced by Stephen Spielberg and starring Halle Berry as an astronaut. It's being broadcast on television in the US, but in Britain it's being streamed on demand. Boyd Hilton of Heat Magazine reviews and considers the burgeoning ways of small-screen viewing. Tomorrow the Art Fund both announces the winner of Museum of the Year and holds their inaugural museums summit. To discuss the value of museums in today's social and economic climate, Front Row brought directors from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Palestinian Museum, together with the director of the Art Fund. Influential American architect Louis Khan's designs can be seen in Yale University and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Now an exhibition of his models, drawings and photographs are being exhibited in the Design Museum and architect Amanda Levete reviews. Plus it's been 50 years since The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night was released. David Hepworth revisits the film an

In tonight's Front Row, Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about the return of Cats to the West End stage, directed by Trevor Nunn, and a review of Richard Linklater's new film Boyhood - which was filmed over twelve years and tells the story of a divorced couple raising their son from age 6 to age 18. Also in the programme: Kirsty meets Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove, the word-of-mouth bestseller in Sweden and this week's Book at Bedtime on Radio 4. Ove is a newly-retired, very grumpy widower, but behind the surly pedant there is a story, and a sadness. And as Ed Sheeran's new album X retains its number one position, we examine maths in pop songs.

As the final preparations are made for the arrival, in Yorkshire, of the world's most famous cycle race, Front Row comes from Britain's largest county with a special edition dedicated to the first cultural festival to accompany the Tour de France. Kirsty's guests include Maxine Peake on making her stage debut as a playwright with the premiere of Beryl; David Nobbs, the creator of Reginald Perrin, discusses his new novel which is set in a small town in the Pennines; Graham Watson on photographing every Tour de France since 1983, and a visit to the Fields of Vision, a project which has turned farmers' fields into works of art.

Maureen Lipman and Harry Shearer talk to John in the hours leading up to curtain call of the West End transfer of their critically acclaimed play, Daytona; Caitlin Moran discusses her debut novel and explains why it's the hardest thing she's ever done; American talk show host, comedian, and author Chelsea Handler discusses her stand-up tour, why she's been insulting people all her life, and whether her confessional style is all true; and technology journalist Aleks Krotoski reviews Digital Revolution, a new exhibition at the Barbican Centre which explores the evolution of digital art from the early video games of the 1970s to the visual effects used in the film Gravity.

A review of Monty Python's tour which sees John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin on stage together for the first time in over 40 years; actor Mark Ruffalo on playing drunk in his new film Begin Again also starring Keira Knightley; acclaimed South African playwright and director Yaël Farber on her re-imagining of The Crucible; plus ahead of his appearance at the Cheltenham Centenary Prom, one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy discusses his technique and with historian Alexander Waugh, looks back at music that was created due to the physical effects of war.

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe discuss their BBC late-night Prom which includes the world premiere of A Man From the Future, about Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing; Private Eye editor Ian Hislop reviews last night's opening of the Richard Bean play Great Britain starring Billie Piper, which deals with Leveson and the phone-hacking affair; English National Opera's Artistic Director John Berry on today's announcement of Arts Council cuts in funding; and Romesh Gunesekera on Noontide Toll, his new collection of related stories which deal with the effects of Sri Lanka's civil war.

Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern talks about his new BBC drama, Common, which was inspired by a letter from a mother whose son was imprisoned under the controversial Joint Enterprise law. Tony Hatch, composer of TV theme tunes for Crossroads, Neighbours and Sportsnight, looks back over his career and the hits he wrote for Petula Clark, Scott Walker and The Searchers. Amanda Hopkinson reviews a new Royal Academy exhibition, Radical Geometry, which focuses on art produced during a 50-year period in distinct parts of South America, and Ryan Gilbey reviews The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared, a new film adapted from the novel by Swedish author Jonas Jonasson. And as Ed Sheeran's album X - which is pronounced "multiply" - reaches number one, David Quantick discusses numbers in music.

Tonight's Front Row considers the big-screen debut of Mrs Brown, Brendan O'Carroll's TV creation. Whilst not receiving critical acclaim, the award-winning programme regularly attracts millions of viewers - so does it work as a film? Also in the programme - Richard Wilson on performing Beckett's monologue, Krapp's Last Tape; Arcade Fire's Will Butler speaks from Glastonbury as the band prepares to go onstage; and Michelle Magorian recalls writing her classic novel, Goodnight Mister Tom. Plus, how artists respond creatively to bridges. Presenter: Matthew D'Ancona Producer: Rebecca Nicholson.

Kirsty Lang discusses a huge exhibition of Scottish contemporary art which features over 100 artists at over 60 venues throughout Scotland. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich talks about headlining Glastonbury this weekend. A review of new film Keeping Rosie, starring Maxine Peake as a disgruntled city high flyer. How the novel Dr Zhivago was used as an ideological weapon by the CIA during the Cold War . And Kneehigh's latest play, Dead Dog In A Suitcase, a reworking of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, opens in Liverpool. Image: ‘Real Life, Rocky Mountain’, courtesy of the artist Ross Sinclair

Kirsty Lang talks to actress Lesley Manville and director Richard Eyre about filming their award-winning production of Ibsen's Ghosts. Best-selling author James Patterson on giving away his own money to UK bookshops. National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner on Richard Bean's new play Great Britain, a satire on the press and politics. And a review of the National Museum of Scotland's exhibition Ming: The Golden Empire. With art historian Duncan McMillan.

Dennis Hopper starred in cult films like Easy Rider and Apocalypse Now - but he was also a fine photographer. In tonight's Front Row, Eamonn McCabe and John Wilson consider a new exhibition of Hopper's images. Also in the programme: composer David Arnold - whose soundtracks include Bond films, Sherlock and the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony - on his new musical Made in Dagenham; a review of the biopic Seve - the rags-to-riches story of charismatic golfer Seve Ballesteros. Plus a look at the art market's incredible growth over the past twenty years: some contemporary pieces now sell for tens of millions of pounds - can these prices ever be justified?

John Wilson with the Manic Street Preachers ahead of their appearance at Glastonbury. Kevin Brooks, winner of the 2014 Carnegie Medal for children's literature for his novel The Bunker Diary. Allegra McEvedy reviews the film Chef. And war artist Anna Redwood documents the Desert Rats last tour of duty in Afghanistan. Presenter: John Wilson Producer : Dymphna Flynn.

Kirsty reviews the new film The Fault in Our Stars, adapted from John Green's best-selling young adult novel and speaks to Peter Brook, whose new play In the Valley of Astonishment explores the sensory condition synaesthesia. Also tonight debut novelist and director of creative writing at Harvard University Bret Anthony Johnston discusses his novel Remember Me Like this, about a kidnapped child who returns home after four years. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ellie Bury.

Don Johnson became a household name through his role as shiny suited Miami police officer Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice. He discusses the art of the comeback as he stars alongside Sam Shepherd in new film Cold in July. Novelist Carys Bray discusses her own devout Mormon upbringing in the North-West of England which lies at the heart of her debut novel A Song For Issy Bradley. As new poems are discovered by Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, we speak to his acclaimed biographer Adam Feinstein about their significance. Plus we discuss why some established authors are choosing to self-publish their work with writer Kate Pullinger and Cathy Rentzenbrink of the Bookseller.