Mark Lawson talks to screen writer Abi Morgan and to Leonard Cohen about his new album. The Carolina Chocolate Drops discuss their own brand of music and John Wilson talks to rising soul star Michael Kiwanuka and to writer Heidi Thomas about her new series, Call The Midwife. William Boyd reviews David Hockney at the Royal Academy and Ian Rankin and Frances Fyfield discuss their first novels.

This week's highlights - Stephen Spielberg on War Horse, singer-songwriter Emile Sande on her new album, two artists discuss painting Tony Blair & Antony Gormley & Hofesh Schecter talk about their dance piece & Anna Meredith on ceating music from clapping hands

Michael Fassbender on shooting 6 films in 20 months, Tom Hooper on following the success of The King's Speech, Julian Lloyd Webber and Tasmin Little on Delius, Tony Marchant on Public Enemies and a report on the hidden gems that can emerge from record company vaults.

Jennifer Saunders on the return of Absolutely Fabulous, Michelle Yeogh on playing Aung San Suu Kyi, Terry Jones on self publishing and Adele's producer, Paul Epworth and a Front Row neon artwork

Sir David Jason; Meryl Streep on the Iron Lady; director David Fincher on his version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; historian Simon Schama selects his pick of works from the Government Art Collection; and Front Row's choice of the season's most tolerable songs.

Annie Lennox; Joanna Trollope and Tracy Chevalier invent biographies for unidentified paintings at the National Gallery; comedian John Cleese; art critic Brian Sewell; songwriter Carole King; and musical instruments made from scrap.

Comedian Ricky Gervais on Life's Too Short; actor Rob Brydon; Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz; Shakespeare scholar Eric Rasmussen on tracking down Shakespeare's First Folios; and

interviews with all seven short-listed authors for the winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2011.

Kate Bush discusses her new album and Sir Bruce Forsyth celebrates 70 years in showbusiness. Tim Minchin talks about writing his hit musical Matilda which has opened in the West End and Gillian Slovo discusses her new play which addresses the London riots. John Craven on forty years in broadcasting and we hear a review of My Week with Marilyn

Neil La Bute on his latest play, Terence Conran reflects on his retrospective at the Design Museum, Simon Keenleyside offers notes on his career and America Ferrera on life after Ugly Betty

REM discuss their feelings about the end of the band, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja on how wine played a part in his early singing career and the verdict on Michael Sheen on stage as Hamlet. Plus Jeffrey Eugenides, author of The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, discusses his third novel, published after a gap of 9 years, Musician Nile Rodgers recalls how being turned away from a club inspired a number one hit, and Lou Reed gives his no-holds-barred assessment of the BBC.