Front Row: Archive 2013

With John Wilson.

Agnetha Fältskog talks about her years with Abba, the painful break-up from her marriage to Björn,

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 of art, Suggs from Madness nominates the poem On a Portrait of a Deaf Man by John Betjeman.

It's 50 years since The Beatles first topped the UK singles chart with From Me to You, which was a hit in May 1963. But what else was in the Top 40 back then? David Hepworth considers whether this was a turning-point in pop history, and identifies some other classics in that week's chart.

Producer Olivia Skinner.

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 baker and a carpenter, and the challenges of creating work using plasticine.

In 1963 John Profumo, the then war minister, resigned over his affair with Christine Keeler. The scandal damaged the government and led to the suicide of Stephen Ward - the man who'd introduced Keeler to Profumo. Whilst preparing a display to mark the 50th anniversary of the Profumo Affair, the National Portrait Gallery made an incredible discovery: on the reverse of Stephen Ward's pastel drawing of Christine there's a similar drawing of an unknown young woman. Richard Davenport-Hines, author of a book about the scandal, talks to Mark about the enduring appeal of the Profumo affair, and speculates on the identity of the woman.

Producer Nicki Paxman.

With Mark Lawson

Pedro 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 Heard, is being published in America today, but its UK release has been indefinitely postponed, on account of the British legal system. This is not the first time that a book has been unavailable in the UK but available in other countries. Professor of English Literature John Sutherland and lawyer Susan Aslan consider the issues this raises.

Producer Claire Bartleet.

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 in her own revenge plot. Mark Eccleston discusses the film and considers the choices European directors have made when making their Hollywood debut.

With less than a year to go until the first exhibition opens in the British Museum's new Exhibitions Gallery, John gets a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the £135 million project is progressing. British Museum director Neil MacGregor explains how the new part of the building will aid conservators and museum scientists in their work, provide a new display areas - and not add a single penny to the museum's current heating or lighting bills.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

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 relationship between a Nazi collaborator and two members of the resistance movement who have been sent to kill him. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews.

Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark Lawson

Animator 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 Kinnear as Iago. Hermione Lee assesses whether this National Theatre production casts a fresh light on the play.

ITV's latest sitcom, Vicious, features Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi as an elderly gay couple, with Frances de la Tour as their best friend. Writer and critic Philip Hoare has watched it and discusses whether Vicious lives up to its name.

Producer Ekene Akalawu.

With John Wilson

In 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 dairy. Where milk bottles used to be washed and stored, contemporary art from around the world will now hang. They discuss their approach to art collecting, and the desire to put it on show.

Producer Penny Murphy.

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 seen on TV in 1982 with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role. In this latest instalment Billy returns to Belfast after 25 years away.

Producer Dymphna Flynn.