Front Row: Archive 2013

With John WilsonMike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells was released 40 years ago this month - the first disc on Richard Branson's Virgin Records label. Since then, the album has sold millions of copies, featured in the London 2012 opening ceremony, and is now being performed by a duo in the show Tubular Bells For Two on a UK tour. Richard Branson reflects on the genesis of the album, his relationship with Mike Oldfield, and the concert that cost him a car. This year's Cannes Film Festival opened on Wednesday: critic Jason Solomons reports on the hits and misses so far.Trumpeter Alison Balsom reveals her choice for Cultural Exchange: a recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion. She first heard it in her 20s, and feels the work sums up every possible human emotion. The music doesn't feature any trumpets - but she says adding one would spoil its perfection.The film Fast And Furious 6 has just been released - the fifth sequel to 2001's original, The Fast And The Furious. Film critic Adam Smith considers the art of nami

With John Wilson.The photographer Rankin is known for his cutting-edge fashion and advertising images, and his celebrity portraits. His new show at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool is called ALIVE: In The Face Of Death, where he has turned his attention to death and mortality. He talks to John about his experience of photographing people as they face the prospect of death.Actor Terence Stamp chooses The Razor's Edge (1946) for Cultural Exchange. Based on Somerset Maugham's novel, it tells the story of an American pilot played by Tyrone Power who, traumatized by his experiences in World War I, sets off to India in search of transcendent meaning in his life. Terence talks about the huge impact this film has had on his own life.Brilliant Adventures is a new play by Alistair McDowall. which won the Judges' Award in the 2011 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Set on a Middlesbrough council estate, the play focuses on the relationship between two brothers, one of whom has built a time machine. Writer Charlotte Kea

With Mark Lawson,Andrew Lloyd Webber discusses the new restoration of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one of London's oldest theatres. The first theatre building was opened in May 1663, an event recorded in Samuel Pepys's diary. The Grand Saloon, rotunda and main staircases have been restored by Lord Lloyd Webber in a £4 million project. He reflects on the importance of London's historical theatres, how an interview on Front Row led to his next musical, and why he doesn't want a theatre named after him.In the new BBC One drama Frankie, Ken Bruce is a radio presence weaved into the series. He discusses the difficulties involved in playing himself, and Kirsty Wark and Richard Bacon also reflect on their experiences of appearing as themselves in TV dramas.In tonight's Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds select a favourite work, writer Will Self nominates The Man Who Was Thursday, a novel by G K Chesterton.Producer Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson.Baz Luhrmann's much-anticipated film version of The Great Gatsby stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. F Scott Fitzgerald's glittering Jazz Age world of 1922 is combined with Luhrmann's screenplay, co-written with Craig Pearce, which aims to make the story relevant to a modern audience. Sarah Crompton reviews.This year's Eurovision Song Contest comes from Malmö, Sweden. Bonnie Tyler performs the British entry, competing against a varied field of performers. Front Row's Jukebox Jury, Rosie Swash and David Hepworth, deliver their verdicts on this year's contenders.The French government is considering levying a "culture tax" on technology giants such as Google and Apple, to fund the arts in France. A report from businessman Pierre Lescure, commissioned by Francois Hollande's government, suggests a 4% tax on hardware, including smartphones and tablets, to fund content. The Independent's Paris correspondent John Lichfield discusses the protection of arts funding in France and

With Mark Lawson.Writer Allan Cubitt discusses his new TV drama The Fall. Set in Belfast, it stars Gillian Anderson as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, who has been brought in from the Metropolitan Police to review an unsolved murder. Allan Cubitt discusses creating the tense atmosphere and tangled plot lines of the new crime drama.In the latest Cultural Exchange, The Archbishop of Canterbury shares his passion for Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, and also reflects on how we should commemorate the forthcoming centenary of the 1914-18 war. Shakepeare's Titus Andronicus includes a notorious scene requiring a pie with gruesome ingredients. As a new production of the play opens at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Craig Almond, Senior Prop Technician at the RSC, discuss the art of creating food on stage, and Alycia Smith-Howard, author of The Food of Love, examines Shakespeare's other culinary demands. Producer Olivia Skinner.

With John Wilson.Karl Hyde, of electronic duo Underworld, has worked with prominent film directors Danny Boyle and Anthony Minghella. Along with his partner Rick Smith, he was also the musical director of the London 2012 Olympics. Hyde talks about his latest project, Edgeland - a soundtrack for The Outer Edges, a film about Essex - and reveals the real inspiration behind their trance anthem Born Slippy.Harold Pinter's The Hothouse is in a rare revival on the London stage, starring John Simm and Simon Russell Beale. Writer Iain Sinclair delivers his verdict on the play about a bureaucratic mental institution run by a sadist.Poet Kate Clanchy won the National Short Story award in 2009 with her story The Not-Dead and the Saved. Now she has taken the next literary leap by writing her first novel Meeting the English. She explains how the book came about, despite her vow that she'd never write a novel.In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, best-selling autho

With John Wilson.Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu is one of opera's best-known performers, appearing in the world's most prestigious opera houses and concert halls. She reflects on her controversial reputation and the breakdown of her marriage to tenor Roberto Alagna.The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the film adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's novel. Directed by Mira Nair and starring Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson, it's the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man who finds success working in Wall Street. When the 9/11 attacks happen he begins to notice a change in how his adopted society responds to him. Writer and critic Shahidha Bari reviews the film.In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Peter Bazalgette, chairman of Arts Council England, nominates a portrait of Edith Sitwell by the writer and painter Wyndham Lewis.Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson.Matthew McConaughey stars as a fugitive befriended by two children in Mud, a new drama from acclaimed director Jeff Nichols. The kids try to help him avoid capture and reunite him with his first love, but not everything goes to plan. Critic Ryan Gilbey delivers his verdict.M D Villiers was nominated for the Crime Writers Association's Debut Dagger award for her novel City of Blood. The book is set in Johannesburg and was inspired by a real murder which took place on the streets of the city. She explains how she started to write about her home country.In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Booker Prize-winning novelist Howard Jacobson nominates Carnal Knowledge, the 1971 film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson.This week further allegations arose about abuse in Britain's specialist music schools. Martin Roscoe is a music teacher who has voiced his concern about how schools are run. Paul Lewis is a world-renowned pianist

With Mark Lawson.A diamond ring given by King Charles I to his young wife is one of the highlights of a new exhibition opening this week at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion aims to show how much clothes, jewellery and armour told us about their wearers and their status. A N Wilson gives his verdict.In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, Germaine Greer nominates the The Getting of Wisdom, a novel by the Australian writer Henry Handel Richardson, published in 1910.Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg star in J J Abrams' return to the Star Trek film franchise. Captain Kirk and crew embark on a mission to Earth, now a war zone, to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction in Star Trek Into Darkness. Naomi Alderman reviews.The Vulcan bomber takes centre stage in James Hamilton-Paterson's new novel Under the Radar, about the lives of British aircrew at the height of the Cold War. The writer discusse

With Mark Lawson. British actor, director and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah is now Artistic Director of the Center Stage theatre in Baltimore. Mark spent a day with Kwame, discussing his new play, race relations and the differences between UK and US theatre.Producer Penny Murphy.

With John Wilson.Agnetha Fältskog talks about her years with Abba, the painful break-up from her marriage to Björn, her solo career and her new album - the first of original material for 25 years - which is called simply A.Hannibal Lecter, the psychiatrist and cannibalistic killer created by Thomas Harris, is about to reappear - this time in a TV series starring Mads Mikkelsen, set before Red Dragon and The Silence Of The Lambs. Hannibal is employed by the FBI to help an unusually gifted criminal profiler, Will Graham, who's haunted by his ability to see into the minds of serial killers. Crime writer Mark Billingham reviews.In the latest episode of Cultural Exchange, in which creative minds select a favourite art-work, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie nominates Tutu, a painting by Igbo Nigerian painter and sculptor Ben Enwonwu.Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson.Zoe Wanamaker, familiar to TV and cinema audiences from her roles in My Family, Poirot and the Harry Potter films, returns to the stage in a new production of Passion Play by Peter Nichols - a drama about marriage and temptation. She reflects on her approach to theatre, and remembers her father Sam, founder of Shakespeare's Globe theatre.Swedish novelist and critic Jan Arnald uses the pen-name Arne Dahl when writing crime-fiction. His novels about Paul Hjelm and his colleagues in the Intercrime Group, an elite team of Swedish detectives, were adapted for Swedish TV, and are currently being broadcast on BBC Four. The books themselves are now being published in English. He discusses the advantages of having a team of detectives, rather than an individual, and about the reaction in Sweden to the British passion for Scandi Noir fiction.In the latest edition of the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work

With Mark Lawson.Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush stars alongside Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis in The Eye of the Storm, a film based on Patrick White's novel about sharp family tensions, as a middle-aged brother and sister return to the home of their dying mother. Geoffrey Rush talks about his career on stage and in films such as Shine, Pirates of the Caribbean and The King's Speech.In the latest edition of the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art, Melvyn Bragg shares his long-standing love of a Rembrandt self-portrait from 1658.The artist Ellen Gallagher discusses her new exhibition, AxME, which opens this week at the Tate Modern. Gallagher's work includes painting, collage and film installations, and she often uses newspaper cuttings and advertisements from vintage magazines to explore race and identity. She discusses how she moved from being an aspiring writer to working as an artist via jobs as a

With Mark LawsonPedro Almodovar's film I'm So Excited features Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, and returns to the comedic style of his early works such as Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. When technical problems develop on board a plane, the pilots and flight attendants strive to keep morale high. Adam Mars-Jones reviews.Film and TV producer Tony Garnett's work includes Kes, Cathy Come Home and This Life, and the British Film Institute is marking his 50 year career with a retrospective season. In a rare interview, he discusses how personal tragedies affected his work, the battles that went into making films tackling controversial issues - including back-street abortions - and why he wouldn't work in television now.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art: tonight writer and performer Meera Syal selects To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.Amanda Knox's autobiography, Waiting To Be H

With John Wilson,Nijinsky is known as one of the greatest dancers and most experimental choreographers of the 20th century, but his career was curtailed by mental illness. Lucy Moore has written the first English language biography of Nijinsky for more than 30 years, and she discusses the myths which surround him, his complex relationship with the impresario Diaghilev, and the possible reasons for his breakdown and inability to work again.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art: tonight Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci nominates Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita.Dead Man Down is the first Hollywood film from Niels Arden Oplev, the Danish director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This dark thriller stars Colin Farrell as a hit man working for a New York crime boss and Noomi Rapace, who Arden Oplev worked with on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as a damaged woman seeking his help

With John Wilson.Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit of America's biggest-selling band The Eagles discuss a new documentary, History of the Eagles, which charts the ups and downs of their career and the stories behind their classic songs.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art: tonight writer and editor Diana Athill explains why Byron's letters have had such a lasting effect on her.The Weir by Conor McPherson, set in a remote Irish pub, and the musical version of Once, which has been transposed to a bustling Dublin pub, are both currently running in London. Josie Rourke, who is directing The Weir, and Declan Bennett, who stars in Once, reflect on the process of creating an authentic pub atmosphere on stage, and P J Mathews considers the theatrical history of the Irish pub. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With Mark Lawson.David Tennant and Emily Watson star in a new three part TV drama, The Politician's Husband. Written by Paula Milne, it centres on the family life, and career prospects of husband and wife MPs. As his fortunes wane, hers rise, with considerable repercussions. Baroness Virginia and Sir Peter Bottomley discuss whether it's a realistic depiction of a power couple.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art. Tonight actor Adrian Lester contributes Bob Marley's Redemption Song and explains why it struck such a chord when he heard it first in 1981 when he was 12.A Delicate Truth is the new novel by John le Carré and it finds the author returning to the world of espionage and diplomacy for which he is best known. The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall gives her verdict.In The Fog, an award-winning World War II film set in the Soviet Union, centres around the developing relations

With Mark LawsonAnimator Nick Park has adapted his most famous characters Wallace & Gromit for the small screen, the big screen, the BBC Proms and now the theme park. He invites Mark to take a turn on his new ride - the Thrill-O-Matic - as it opens at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art. Tonight Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, selects the groundbreaking sci-fi novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon.The 1937 book is a history of life in the universe, in which a human from England is transported out of his body and finds himself able to explore space and other planets. Considered by Arthur C Clarke as one of the finest science fiction books ever written, Star Maker also was loved by Winston Churchill and Virginia Woolf.Nicholas Hytner gives Othello a modern military setting, in a new staging starring Adrian Lester in the title role, with Rory Kinn

With John WilsonIn Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as super-hero of the Marvel comics. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebecca Hall. Naomi Alderman reviews.More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art. Tonight ballerina Tamara Rojo selects the pioneering choreographer who inspired her to dance, Mats Ek. At the age of 10 in Madrid, Tamara saw the Swedish choreographer's groundbreaking ballet Bernarda, based on the Lorca play The House of Bernarda Alba.As a staff photographer for the Magnum agency, Rene Burri captured some of the defining moments of the 20th century. As he publishes a new book of colour photographs, he describes the moment he captured an image of his hero, Pablo Picasso.Art collector Frank Cohen, who made his fortune by creating a chain of DIY stores, and his business partner Nicolai Frahm are opening a new free gallery in London, on the vast site of a former dai

With Mark Lawson. Tonight Front Row launches Cultural Exchange, in which 75 creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art. Tonight Tracey Emin reflects on her favourite painting - Vermeer's Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. The ITV series Broadchurch reaches its climax tonight, when the murderer of Danny Latimer is revealed. It's reported that even the actor playing the killer didn't know they were the guilty party until the last moment. Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall and John Yorke, author of Into the Woods, A Five Act Journey into Story, discuss the art of suspense in TV drama.Jack Black stars as a funeral director who strikes up an unlikely relationship with an elderly widow played by Shirley MacLaine in the film Bernie, a black comedy based on a macabre true story. Novelist Lionel Shriver delivers her verdict.Playwright Graham Reid discusses his latest play Love, Billy. It's the fifth part of a series which focuses on a Belfast based family, first see