Front Row

Antony Sher and Gregory Doran, Writing video games, Hendrik Groen


Listen Later

Actor Sir Antony Sher and director Gregory Doran talk about all-powerful pagan kings and post-Brexit Britain in relation to their RSC production of King Lear.

As the Victoria and Albert Museum adds to their archive a collection of Tommy Cooper's props, posters and notebooks, Cooper's daughter Vicky remembers growing up among her father's famous stage props and hearing jokes at the kitchen table.

This month has seen two big new releases in the video gaming world: the highly anticipated No Man Sky, which promises an infinite, constantly regenerating universe for players to discover, and the latest instalment in the sci-fi blockbuster franchise Deus Ex, Mankind Divided. From an economic perspective, games have outperformed other creative industries for years, and they're also nurturing the best creative writing talent. So how do writers fit in to this multi-billion pound industry? Novelist and scriptwriter James Swallow, whose game writing credits include Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and No Man's Sky, and scriptwriter and story designer Rhianna Pratchett, whose credits include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider discuss.

A hit when it was first published in Holland two years ago, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/2 Years Old is a debut novel written in the voice of the titular Hendrik, a resident in a retirement home in the north of Amsterdam. Praised for its witty and realistic portrayal of life in a care home, the book also sparked a media frenzy over the identity of its anonymous author, with a series of famous Dutch authors linked to the book. By email, the author responds to Samira's questions about the novel - and his or her's true identity.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Producer: Rachel Simpson.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Front RowBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

118 ratings


More shows like Front Row

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,913 Listeners

Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

Ask Penguin

143 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,910 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

870 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

618 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

743 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,729 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,018 Listeners

World Book Club by BBC World Service

World Book Club

370 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

1,996 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

49 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

585 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

159 Listeners

Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

Bookclub

241 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

52 Listeners

The TLS Podcast by The TLS

The TLS Podcast

181 Listeners

The Waterstones Podcast by Waterstones

The Waterstones Podcast

43 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,245 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

100 Listeners

Take Four Books by BBC Radio 4

Take Four Books

6 Listeners

A Good Read by BBC Radio 4

A Good Read

44 Listeners