Front Row Weekly

John Wilson talks to award winning lyricist, Sir Tim Rice about working with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elton John. Playwright, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, has written a dark stage comedy about a British Sikh family – she talks to Kirsty Lang. The last paintings of MF Husain go on show in London and Simon Russell Beale talks about Shakespeare’s sonnets; a review of what may be Ken Loach’s final film, Jimmy’s Hall. And Front Row talks to three authors appearing at this year’s Hay Festival – Lee Child, Michael Morpurgo and Juliet Donaldson.

Dawn French gives listeners exclusive access to plans for her new one woman show, 35 years after the first Pretenders album, Chrissie Hynde on her very first solo record and Kathleen Turner on her return to London’s West End. Edmund de Waal gives John Wilson a messy lesson at the potter’s wheel and with the opening of two big Mondrian exhibitions, we discuss the grids and colours of the modern Dutch master. Kirsty Lang talks to Ben Miles about being onstage for a marathon six hours a day and to Bill Viola as St Paul’s Cathedral embraces modern art with a video installation behind the high altar.

John Wilson speaks to singer songwriter Natalie Merchant about her first new album of original material for 13 years and to husband and wife operatic stars Aylin Perez and Stephen Costello on bringing real love to onstage arias. Actor Gary Kemp discusses his latest role - a revival of Lionel Bart's East End musical, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be. Rachel Johnson and Nicola Beauman consider the legacy of Diary Of A Provincial Lady, the quintessentially English journal of a fictional country wife, first published in 1930. Godzilla is back stamping cities to dust and Kirsty Lang talks to rising star Oscar Issac about his latest film, The Two Faces of January.

Kirsty Lang talks to Michael Nyman, one of Britain's most commercially successful classical composers. Yinka Shonibare on his new work The British Library and some dramatic special effects in a new stage musical based on the story of the Water Babies. Samira Ahmed talks to Irvine Welsh about his new book. Anthony Gormley and Simon Starling on the large shadow cast by Henry Moore on modern sculptors. Robbie Collin reviews Studio Ghibli’s new film The Wind Rises and Razia Iqbal discusses with Fiona Shaw the effort and concentration required for a 100-minute monologue.

John Wilson talks to sculptor Philip King about rewriting the rules of sculpture and to American rock band The Black Keys about their new album, Turn Blue. We meet Joel Dicker, the Swiss author of international bestselling novel The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, formerly of The Beautiful South reunite and Kirsty Lang talks to Director of Photography, Mandy Walker about the challenges she faced capturing the remote Australian outback on screen in the new film Tracks. Matthew D’ancona talks to writer Jon Ronson about his film Frank which was inspired by Jon’s experiences touring with musician Frank Sidebottom and composer Julian Anderson discusses his new opera Thebans which debuts at the ENO this Saturday.

John Wilson speaks to Damon Albarn about his autobiographical solo album and Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, the co-writers of two of the biggest stage musicals of all time. On the Bard’s birthday Mike Bartlett on creating a future Shakespearian king. Crime writer Sophie Hannah on secrets and lies. How the art is taking off at Heathrow and Kirsty Lang discusses a new unsettling play, Privacy and after a lifetime of composing film scores Michael Nyman on his decision to write no less than 19 symphonies.

John Wilson speaks to actor Martin Freeman about acting in sub-zero temperatures while filming the television version of cult Coen brothers film Fargo and to Scottish pop star Paolo Nutini about his new album.

We review Locke, a new film starring Batman star Tom Hardy, set entirely in a car. Author Val McDermid discusses the challenges of re-interpreting Northhanger Abbey for the 21st century and Kirsty Lang talks to one of the world’s greatest classical guitarists Milos Karadaglic and to award winning poet Patience Agbabi on a modern retelling of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

John Wilson talks to Chiwetel Ejiofor on how life has changed since being Oscar nominated, Emma Thompson and Celia Imrie on why big screen roles are hard to come by for older actresses and Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl about his second solo album. Kirsty Lang is surrounded by corsets and conical bras for a Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition. Comedian Rory Bremner talks about the perils of forgetting your lines on stage. Irish folk singer Christy Moore looks back over his musical career and Desmond Shaw-Taylor takes us on a tour around an exhibition at Buckingham Palace.

Ricky Wilson talks about the Kaiser Chief’s new album and what it’s really like being a judge on The Voice. Kate Winslet discusses her latest film, Divergent German author Timur Vermes discusses a best-selling satire depicting Hitler as a present day celebrity after awakening from a 66-year sleep in 2011.

John Wilson meets Chris Chibnall, writer of last year’s smash hit Broadchurch who has now written a play about the Worst Ever Wedding. He also reviews new biblical drama Noah, starring Russell Crowe and talks to Richard Ayoade about his second feature film, The Double starring Jesse Eisenberg.

Kirsty Lang talks to Hollywood A-lister Anne Hathaway, Tom Hollander discusses his return to the role as vicar Adam Smallbone in Rev and actress Kristin Davis from Sex And The City about her West End stage debut. In a rare interview American photographer Nan Goldin tells John Wilson how the camera saved her life. Author Emma Donoghue talks about Frog Music, her first novel since being Booker nominated for Room and how Donald Rumsfeld’s most famous maxim inspired an Oscar winning documentary maker.