Front Row: Archive 2014

John Wilson reviews Fading Gigolo, which follows two friends who become an unlikely gigolo and pimp in a bid to make money. Written and directed by John Turturro, the film stars Woody Allen as a Brooklyn bookseller who becomes his friend's "manager." Larushka Ivan-Zedeh reviews. DJ and producer Fatboy Slim discusses his new double album of Brazilian party music which coincides with the start of the World Cup and is a reaction against the pop-heavy official album released by Fifa. Plus the artist Julian Opie on a new exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath which brings together his work with art that he has collected, including 17th Century painting and ancient Egyptian sculpture. And Jason Solomons reports from the Cannes Film Festival.

Ceramic artist Edmund de Waal, author of the award-winning memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes, shows John Wilson around his London studio and demonstrates how he creates an 'Edmund de Waal' bowl at the potter's wheel; The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a band of eight brothers from Chicago, all taught by their jazz musician father, Phil Cohran. They perform in the studio and talk about continuing their father's legacy; Last night, 17-year-old pianist Martin James Bartlett won the BBC Young Musician 2014 competition. He discusses entering the competition for a second time and why he chose Rachmaninov for his performance in the finals; E4's series Youngers chronicles the attempts of two teenage musicians to make it in the Peckham urban music scene. Writer Levi David Addai and star Calvin Demba discuss the challenges of keeping the show authentic, while Val McDermid, Phil Redmond and Joss Whedon reflect on how they've tried to make their teen characters ring true. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

Actress, writer and comedian Dawn French talks candidly to Kirsty about preparations for her first ever solo stage show, and why she's decided to include personal stories in her performance ranging from her marriages, body issues and family tragedy. Ben Miles - who plays Thomas Cromwell in the RSC version of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies - on being onstage for nearly six hours. Plus after lead singer Chris Martin's conscious uncoupling from Gwyneth Paltrow, we review the Coldplay album which supposedly reveals his heartbreak.

In tonight's Front Row, John talks to Gary Kemp about his role in a revival of Lionel Bart's East End musical, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - and Rachel Johnson and Nicola Beauman consider the legacy of Diary Of A Provincial Lady, the hilarious and quintessentially English journal of a fictional country wife, first published in 1930. Also in the programme: a review from the Cannes Film Festival of Mike Leigh's new film, Mr Turner, which stars Timothy Spall as JMW Turner - and, as a new exhibition opens exploring the impact of art historian Kenneth Clark, one of the most influential twentieth century figures in British art, his biographer, James Stourton, and exhibition curator, Chris Stephens, discuss Clark's role as patron, broadcaster and collector.

With Kirsty Lang. Thriller writer Louise Welsh reviews Penny Dreadful, produced by Sam Mendes and staring Eva Green; Kirsty talks to The Two Faces of January star Oscar Isaac; gets the low down from Cannes; and discusses Moog synthesizers with Goldfrapp's Will Gregory. Produced by Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson. Godzilla's back in cinemas this Thursday in a new film by British director Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his debut Monsters in 2010. This time the world's most famous monster is pitted against a humanity arrogant enough to think it can control nature. Antonia Quirke reviews. John meets Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello, two young American singers dubbed "America's fastest-rising husband-and-wife opera stars" who are starring in La Traviata at London's Royal Opera House. From There To Here is the latest TV series from writer Peter Bowker. The drama follows two families from different backgrounds in the aftermath of the 1996 bomb explosion in central Manchester. Peter tells John about his desire to write a love-letter to Manchester. Six British feature films including A Matter of Life and Death and Bend It Like Beckham are being celebrated today with a new issue of stamps. Philip Parker, Head of Stamps Strategy at the Royal Mail explains the choices.

With John Wilson Actor James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Trance) discusses being one of the X-Men, and what it has in common with playing Macbeth. To mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth, Andrew Davies has written a new TV drama focusing on the poet's fourth and fatal visit to New York in 1953. Starring Tom Hollander, the story captures the last few days of Dylan Thomas' life - weaving in the memories of his childhood in Wales and his relationship with his wife, Caitlin. Gillian Clarke, National Poet Of Wales, reviews. Natalie Merchant, the American singer-songwriter known for the poetry in her songs, talks to John about her new CD. The self-titled album is her first collection of all her own work for 13 years. Tuesday sees the British Council unveiling its first ever photographic exhibition - their Director of Visual arts Andrea Rose travelled to North Korea with acclaimed photojournalist Nick Danziger as they collected images of people doing ordinary things, swimming, waiting for

Acclaimed choreographer Hofesh Shechter talks to Kirsty Lang in his role as Guest Artistic Director for this year's Brighton Festival, and for her report she also visits a disused beer depot which is staging a production of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's chamber opera Down by the Greenwood Side. Also tonight, a review of Michael Jackson's second posthumous album Xscape; 20 years after Nelson Mandela's inauguration, young South African playwrights Amy Jeptha and Napo Masheane respond to the change their country has witnessed; and blog-turned-film documentary Advanced Style follows the sartorially elegant older women of New York. Producer: Ellie Bury Presenter: Kirsty Lang.

The artist Yinka Shonibare MBE talks to Kirsty Lang about his latest work The British Library, a study of immigration in Britain, currently showing at the Brighton Festival. US Novelist Akhil Sharma's new novel Family Life is based on his own family history and the tragedy of his brother's death, so why a novel rather than a memoir? A new report released this morning highlights a significant lack of female film directors on the big and small screen. Drama director Beryl Richards reflects on the findings. And as a new musical version of The Water Babies opens this week at Curve Theatre in Leicester, which features a waterfall, video projections of the performers singing under water and a hologram of Richard E Grant, the director, video designer and one of the actors discuss the mixture of musical theatre and special effects. Producer Jerome Weatherald Image: The British Library by Yinka Shonibare MBE.

Antony Gormley and Simon Starling reflect on the influence of Henry Moore on a new generation of sculptors, author Alice Hoffman discusses her latest novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things, the story of love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decades of the twentieth century and Rachel Campbell-Johnston discusses the Turner Prize shortlist and what the choices say about the world of contemporary art. Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang on his play Yellow Face, which explores issues of race and identity through the the playwright's real life involvement in protests about the casting of Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon and, as Russia's entry for Eurovision is booed, music journalist John P Lucas talks us through the political pressures of the competition.

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh talks to Samira Ahmed about his new novel The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, which is set in contemporary Miami. Advertising expert Rory Sutherland unpicks the row over the Morrisons baguette beamed onto the Angel of the North. A cheeky stunt gone wrong or a violation of much-loved public art? Rachel De-lahay's new play Circles focusses on Birmingham's number 11 outer circle bus route and investigates cycles of violence and what it takes to break them. Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated film The Wind Rises has been announced as his last. The writer and director who brought us Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away bows out with the story of Jiro, a young man who dreams of flying and becomes a designer of aeroplanes as the Second World War looms. Critic Robbie Collin reviews.

Kirsty Lang presents a special programme dedicated to one of Britain's most commercially successful composers, Michael Nyman, as he celebrates his 70th birthday. Perhaps best known for his film scores, including Jane Campion's The Piano, his minimalist music can also be enjoyed in the form of operas, string quartets, song cycles and now symphonies. Kirsty is joined by classical music critics, Fiona Maddocks and Jonathan Lennie, to discuss his music and legacy; woodwind player, Andy Findon, who's been a member of the Michael Nyman Band since the 1980s; singer David McAlmont, who wrote The Glare, a song cycle of news stories, with Nyman; and by the composer himself who talks about, among other things, The Hillsborough Symphony, soon to have its premiere, and how that came about. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

The Testament Of Mary, Colm Tóibín's Man Booker-nominated novella, has now been adapted for the theatre - starring Fiona Shaw and directed by Deborah Warner. Fiona Shaw joins Razia to discuss the effort and concentration required for a 100-minute monologue, and the way the production mixes religious and secular aspects. Award winning revenge thriller Blue Ruin tells the story of an American man, Dwight Evans, who is seeking to kill his parents killers. As events unfold Evans, played by Macon Blair, undergoes a transformation from traumatised homeless drop-out to novice assassin. Mark Eccleston reviews. Novelist Edward St Aubyn talks about his new book Lost For Words, a satirical look at the world of literary prizes. And a new BBC and theatre production of Under Milk Wood to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth which includes contributions from Charlotte Church, Tom Jones and Michael Sheen. Razia Iqbal - Presenter Nicola Holloway - producer Image Credit: Hugo Glendinning.

With Matthew d'Ancona Jon Ronson discusses Frank - which he co-wrote with Peter Straughan (The Men Who Stare At Goats). The fictional film was inspired by Jon's experience of touring in Frank Sidebottom's cult band. Ronson talks about why he didn't make a biopic, his relationship with Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey; and working with Michael Fassbender, who plays Frank and wears a fake head for the majority of the film. The multi Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning series, 24, is about to return. Four years have passed and Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer is now living in London and being hunted by the CIA. But then Jack learns of a threat to kill the US President during an official visit to the British Prime Minister, and decides he has to come out of hiding, to prevent it. Critic Sarah Crompton joins Matthew to assess how Jack fares this side of the Atlantic. Award winning composer Julian Anderson talks about his new opera Thebans, based on Sophocles' tragedies. From early Victorian pamphlets to the lates

John Wilson remembers the actor Bob Hoskins, whose death was announced today, talking to director Neil Jordan and actress Cathy Tyson about Hoskins' Oscar nominated performance in the film Mona Lisa. Sports presenter Eleanor Oldroyd reviews Next Goals Wins, a film about the American Samoa football team, who after suffering the worst loss in international football history (31-0 to Australia), attempt to qualify for the World Cup. Swiss novelist Joël Dicker is a publishing sensation - his novel The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair has won prizes in Europe and been translated into 38 languages. Now it's arrived in the UK. The novel is an intricate murder mystery and an exploration of writing and the writing industry. Joël Dicker talks to John Wilson about being at the centre of a publishing whirlwind and how similar - or not - his own life is to that of his glamorous novelist hero. Grammy award winning duo The Black Keys discuss their new album Turn Blue. Guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Pat Carney refl

Sculptor Phillip King on his career as he turns 80 this week, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott have released an album together for the first time since their multi-million selling days of The Beautiful South. They talk to John about their reunion and about Paul's belief in the importance of maintaining a "lippy" attitude. Writer Sally Wainwright talks about turning to crime with BBC One's Happy Valley after the success of Last Tango in Halifax; and we review Seth Rogan's latest film Bad Neighbours. With John Wilson.

In tonight's Front Row: David Haig talks to John Wilson about his play, Pressure - which he also stars in - about the weatherman who persuaded Eisenhower to postponed the D-Day landings because of an incoming storm; Ziggy Marley explains the importance of reggae in his music, and Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford reviews A Thousand Times Good Night - starring Juliette Binoche as a photojournalist. Also in the programme: a review of ITV's new series Prey, with John Simm as a detective trying to clear his name. Image Credit: Drew Farrell.

Mandy Walker, the Director of Photography of new film Tracks, discusses the challenges she faced capturing the remote and hostile Australian outback on screen. Welsh drama Hinterland, a dark crime series filmed simultaneously in English and Welsh, is coming to BBC4 this Monday, lead actor Richard Harrington and co-creator Ed Talfan discuss the epic process of filming the whole drama twice. The philosopher Alain de Botton has put his theory that art can be therapeutic into practice, with a new exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. De Botton explains why he hopes visitors will find this sort of exhibition more fulfilling. And playwright Bryony Lavery discusses her new work The Believers, which explores faith, belief systems and parenting. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

John Wilson is in the recording studio with Damon Albarn to discuss his latest album Everyday Robots, an autobiographical journey in which he returns to his childhood and his London and Essex roots. Albarn describes the stories that lie behind the songs of this his first fully-realised solo album. Roger Wright reveals the line-up for his last ever BBC Proms. The poet and crime writer Sophie Hannah on her new novel The Telling Error, a psychological puzzle about about the seductive appeal of lying. Plus The Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar announces the shortlist for the Museum of the Year Prize. Producer Elaine Lester Presenter: John Wilson.

Artist Richard Wilson unveils his vast 77-tonne new silver sculpture, Slipstream, in Heathrow's new Terminal 2 building. Playwright Mike Bartlett, who is currently enjoying a major critical success with King Charles III, discusses his play about the potential future monarch as well as An Intervention which premieres in Watford this week. Booker-winning novelist Rachel Seiffert discusses the new German TV drama series Generation War which follows the lives of five friends in Berlin on different paths through Nazi Germany and World War II. British director Joanna Hogg returns with her third film Exhibition starring Viv Albertine of punk band The Slits. Shahidha Bari reviews. Producer Jerome Weatherald.