Front Row: Archive 2013

With John Wilson.

Wilko Johnson, one of Britain's most charismatic guitarists, has terminal cancer, with doctors suggesting that he has less than a year to live. As he prepares for farewell UK concerts in March, he reflects on how his diagnosis has made him feel "vividly alive". And, guitar in hand, he demonstrates the distinctive terse sound which powered the band Dr Feelgood in the 1970s, when they became one of the UK's most influential live acts.

To mark the centenary of the birth of painter William Scott, the Tate St Ives is celebrating his life and art with an exhibition of his most important work. John talks to William Scott's son about his father's life and legacy, and how he influenced Rothko's decision to bequeath his paintings to the Tate.

Henry James' classic horror story The Turn Of The Screw has been adapted by Benjamin Britten into an opera, produced as a ballet by William Tuckett, turned into a film starring Deborah Kerr and become several TV dramas. Now playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz has created a stage version, co-produced by Hammer Theatre Of Horror - the company's first venture into theatre. Author Kate Saunders joins John to assess just how chilling this new incarnation is.

Producer: Olivia Skinner.

With Kirsty Lang.

Alexei Sayle, often described as the godfather of alternative comedy, is returning to solo stand-up shows after a break of more than 16 years. Sayle, who was known throughout the 1980s for his politically charged rants, reflects on the reasons for his stage come-back, and gives his views on the current generation of comedians.

Anna Maxwell Martin, Tamzin Outhwaite and Gina McKee star in Di And Viv And Rose, a play written by Amelia Bullmore, well-known to TV audiences for her own roles in Twenty Twelve and Scott and Bailey. The play examines the relationship between three women, from a university house-share in 1983 to the traumas of middle age. Novelist Naomi Alderman reviews.

Violinist Vanessa-Mae is taking a year's sabbatical from performing, in order to try to qualify as a skier in the Thai Winter Olympics team. She explains her motives and talks about why she's prepared to risk - through possible injury - her musical career.

The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh celebrates its 50th birthday this year. It's marking the occasion with a competition for new playwrights, to write a play in just 500 words. The theatre is now staging the 50 winning entries. Two of the writers discuss the challenge of writing such a short drama and playwright Zinne Harris, one of the judges, considers how to make an impact with a script only one page long.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark Lawson.

Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Daniel Day-Lewis is favourite to win Best Actor for his portrayal of the 16th American president Abraham Lincoln, as he fights to abolish slavery. Elaine Showalter reviews.

Northern Irish crime novelist Adrian McKinty has just published the second book in his Sean Duffy trilogy. I Hear the Sirens in the Street features Duffy, a Catholic detective inspector in the RUC at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. McKinty now lives in the US and Australia, and discusses his latest novel and his recent return to his home town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, to discover that violence and demonstrations are still a potential feature of daily life.

In the latest of Front Row's interviews with the winners of the Costa Book Awards, Hilary Mantel reflects on the continuing success of her novel Bring Up The Bodies, which also won the Man Booker Prize. She also discusses the forthcoming TV and stage adaptations of her work, in the light of today's announcement that the Royal Shakespeare Company will produce versions of Wolf Hall, which also won the Booker, and Bring Up The Bodies.

Lesley Joseph and Brian Conley discuss what it's like still performing in panto at the end of January. Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates is running in Birmingham until the end of this week. The actors explain how the show has to change after Christmas.

Producer Olivia Skinner.

With Mark Lawson.

Denzel Washington has won an Oscar nomination for his role in the film Flight. He plays an airline pilot who miraculously lands a stricken plane. At first he's hailed as a hero, but then questions start to arise about what actually happened. Denzel Washington reflects on the role, and his long Hollywood career.

Manet: Portraying Life is the first major British exhibition of Edouard Manet's portraits - including 50 paintings as well as pastels and photographs from private and public collections from around the world. Novelist A S Byatt reviews.

Bryan and Mary Talbot have won the biography category of this year's Costa Book Awards for their graphic memoir Dotter of her Father's Eyes. They discuss working as a husband and wife team and whether talking about work is banned at the dinner table.

Producer Claire Bartleet.

With Mark Lawson.

With Kirsty Lang.

The TV drama series Call the Midwife follows the working and personal lives of a team of midwives working in east London in the 1950s and is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. The second series starts on Sunday on BBC One. Writer and reviewer Dreda Say Mitchell reflects on its appeal, and whether it can sustain its success.

Ruthie Henshall is an actress, singer and dancer and has starred in many popular musicals - including Les Miserables, Cats and Cabaret. She's about to begin a UK tour - where her show will include many of the greatest musical hits of the past 20 years. She discusses her career, and the demands made on musical theatre performers.

What does an artist see in an election campaign? Nicola Green, whose silkscreen prints reflecting on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign go on show today at the Walker Art Gallery, and photographer Simon Roberts, the official Artist for the UK's 2010 General Election, discuss their experiences of following politicians on the campaign trail.

With Mark Lawson

With John Wilson

Dame Liz Forgan is the outgoing Chair of Arts Council England. Last night in her final speech in the role, she said that culture was a deep necessity for human beings, and appealed to politicians not to cut the arts budget. Dame Liz will be in the Front Row studio for a live interview.

Actor Brian Cox reveals what it was like working in his hometown of Dundee for the first time in the television adaptation of the Radio 4 comedy series Bob Servant. And the star of Manhunter explains why, whenever he meets Anthony Hopkins, they never discuss Hannibal Lecter, a role they both played to great acclaim on the big screen.

Vikings have a reputation as marauders and invaders. A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh aims to show who they really were and how they lived a thousand years ago. Author Janice Galloway has been to the exhibition.

David Bowie's new single Where are We Now? caused a sensation when it was released online last Tuesday. The song was accompanied by a video by New York based video artist Tony Oursler, containing his signature image of faces projected onto stuffed dolls. He reflects on the experience of working with the elusive star and how Oursler's wife came to co-star in the video.

Produced by Penny Murphy.

With Mark Lawson.

Columnist Bel Mooney reviews The Sessions, a film based on the true story of poet and journalist Mark O'Brien. O'Brien was paralysed by polio as a boy and at the age of 38 set out to finally lose his virginity with the help of a sex-worker. The Sessions is directed by Ben Lewin who himself is a survivor of childhood polio.

The Kennedy dynasty is the focus of a new documentary Ethel, in which Ethel Skakel gives a candid interview about life with her late husband Robert Kennedy. The couple married in 1950, and the film charts their married life together and beyond, including the McCarthy hearings, Vietnam, John F Kennedy's election as president and his assassination, and Bobby own's assassination in 1963. Mark Damazer reviews the HBO documentary.

Francesca Segal, who won the Costa First Novel Award for The Innocents, inspired by Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, discusses her novel which tells the story of the relationship between Adam and Rachel who live in the Jewish community of north-west London.

No Quarter is the latest offering from 26-year-old playwright Polly Stenham. The play is the conclusion to a trilogy which began with That Face, her multi-award-winning debut written when she was just 19. The playwright reflects on how, like the other two plays in the trilogy, No Quarter examines the damaging impact of dysfunctional parent-child relationships.

Producer Stephen Hughes.

With Mark Lawson.