‘A spiritual enquiry into what it is to be human’ is how Ralph Fiennes describes T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. On the eve of the opening in the West End he tells presenter Elle Osili-Wood about his stage presentation and his relationship with the poems. An exhibition that was a smash hit in Australia has come to Plymouth.  “Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters” explores the ancient stories of Indigenous Australians through more than 300 works of art.  Senior curator Margo Neale explains the meaning of the Seven Sisters Dreaming stories, that are central to the exhibition. Plus BBC Devon presenter Sarah Gosling takes us to the south coast and to Plymouth, where this Friday hip hop takes over the city thanks to Roots Up festival, as part of the Mayflower 400 anniversary celebrations. We also hear about grassroots theatre, comedy, and the thriving music scene which is pulling creatives to the south west from across the country. PRESENTER: Elle Osili-Wood
PRODUCER: Julian May PHOTO: Ralph Fiennes on stage in Four Quartets
PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Humphrey

Ralph Fiennes on Four Quartets, Songlines exhibition, art postcard from Plymouth

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Knife is Salman Rushdie’s memoir about surviving a near-fatal knife attack in August 2022 and the long, painful period of recovery that followed.   Ben Power’s adaption of the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend – London Tide – which features songs that he co-wrote with PJ Harvey, has just opened at the National Theatre in London.   Baby Reindeer is a new Netflix drama written by and starring Richard Gadd who drew directly on his own shocking experience of being stalked.   All three are reviewed by Tahmima Anam and John Mullan. We also hear from tenor Ian Bostridge on mobile phone use in concert halls and why he stopped a performance of Britten's Les Illuminations with the CBSO last night. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Corinna Jones

London Tide with music by PJ Harvey, Salman Rushdie's story of survival: Knife and tenor Ian Bostridge

Lionel Shriver on her latest novel Mania, in which she creates an alternative USA where the Mental Parity Movement insists that everyone is equally clever. Can a friendship between two women survive when they hold polarised views on this particular “culture war”?  Why are universities all over the country closing arts courses and cutting jobs? Front Row investigates and considers the consequences. Playwright Tyrell Williams talks about his acclaimed play Red Pitch, about three young lads dreaming of football stardom. But what happens when their local football pitch is under threat, as a result of gentrification?  Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May

Lionel Shriver's new book Mania, Tyrell Williams on Red Pitch

Lord Byron died 200 years ago on Friday. Lady Caroline Lamb described him as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. Fiona Stafford has edited Byron's Travels, a new selection of his poems, letters and journals. He was only 36 when he died, but had written seven volumes of verse, thirteen volumes of journal and thousands of letters.  The poet A. E. Stallings, who lives in Greece, where Byron died while supporting the Greek struggle for independence - and Fiona Stafford, join Tom Sutcliffe to celebrate this great, scandalous and very funny Romantic poet. We talk about the sped-up music phenomenon, and what it tells us about the constantly evolving relationship between the music industry and music fans. Music business writer Eamonn Forde and singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan are in the Front Row studio. And artist Sir John Akomfrah joins us from the British Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale where he is representing the UK, with his exhibition, Listening All Night To The Rain. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paul Waters

Sir John Akomfrah, bicentenary of Byron's death and sped-up music

British director Jeymes Samuel discusses his new film The Book of Clarence, a Biblical comedy about a down-on-his-luck young man who tries to escape from a debt by pretending to be a messiah like Christ. Sonali Bhattacharyya on her new play Liberation Square, which just opened at the Nottingham Playhouse and explores the lives of three young Muslim women who find themselves caught up in the state surveillance ‘Prevent’ programme. With the hit Belfast-set drama Blue Lights returning to BBC One for its second season tonight, Kathy Clugston reports on Northern Ireland booming film industry.  Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Paula McGrath

The Book of Clarence, Liberation Squares, Northern Ireland's filming boom

Back to Black is the Amy Winehouse biopic out this week and directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.  
James is Percival Everett’s retelling of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, narrated by the enslaved Jim.
The Wallace collection spotlights Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and the treasure trove of weapons that kept him in power.   
Writer Dreda Say Mitchell and journalist and broadcaster Bidisha join Tom Sutcliffe to review.  
We also look at the BAFTA games awards with scummy mummy and gamer Ellie Gibson. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Corinna Jones

Ralph Fiennes on Four Quartets, Songlines exhibition, art postcard from Plymouth

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