Front Row: Archive 2012

With John Wilson.Dame Judi Dench leads a cast of British stars, including Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith, in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a film which follows a group of pensioners attracted by the prospect of spending their golden years in India. Joan Bakewell gives her verdict.Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller is about to open a new exhibition which brings together almost all his major works to date, including installations, videos, photographs, performance works and sound pieces. Some works also feature volunteers as participants. John talks to Jeremy and to three of the volunteers. On the eve of the 2012 Brit Awards, John speaks to nominees who have found inspiration in great literary figures, with Kate Bush and Laura Marling on James Joyce and Charlotte Bronte, Critics' Choice Winner Emeli Sande on Virginia Woolf, Guy Garvey from Elbow on Alan Bennett; and PJ Harvey on Harold Pinter. Plus producer Paul Epworth on working on the album which dominated 2011 - Adele's 21. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With John Wilson.Bestselling author Walter Mosley discusses his novel All I Did Was Shoot My Man, which continues his thriller series featuring New York City Private Investigator Leonid McGill. In this latest installment McGill is trying to help a woman he put in prison. TV documentary-maker Phil Agland revisits the Baka tribe of Cameroon, West Africa, 25 years after he first filmed them in their isolated home in the jungle. He discusses his shock at what he found on his return, which he documents in his film Baka: A Cry From The RainforestRory Gallagher has been described as Ireland's first rock star. This year marks the 40th anniversary of his solo career which began with the release of his first album in 1971. Rock critic Neil McCormick explains why Gallagher was inspirational to his generation.And, following Hugo and The Artist, the latest cinema release with a canine star is Red Dog, an Australian film based on Louis de Bernieres's novel about the legendary true story of the red dog who united a disparat

With Mark Lawson.Josie Rourke, artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre, discusses her choice of first production, the lack of women running theatres despite a plenitude of acclaimed female directors and whether she's brought a woman's eye to the venue's décor. Conductor Alan Gilbert is Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and is the first New York-born musician to hold the post. He reflects on his role, and on the experience of conducting his mother, who is a violinist with the orchestra. In the week that Angelina Jolie's controversial directorial debut was screened in Sarajevo, depicting Serbian atrocities during the Bosnian War, and Sean Penn has accused Britain of colonialism in deploying Prince William to the Falklands, actor Michael Simkins considers whether actors should speak out on political issues. A new exhibition focuses on the creative relationship between the artists Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholson during the 1930s. Richard Cork reflects on how friendships between arti

With Mark Lawson. Novelist A S Byatt discusses a new exhibition Picasso and Modern British Art at Tate Britain, which examines Picasso's relationship with the country and how British artists including Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Henry Moore have responded to his work. As a child, Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo sang for the Sistine Chapel choir, before making his debut at La Scala in Milan at the age of 23. Grigolo explains why he likes to cross over from classical to pop, from Keane's Bed-Shaped to La Donna E Mobile, and why he never talks to his wife before a concert.Kate Saunders reviews a new French film Hadewijch, about a young Christian fanatic who befriends a group of Muslims and finds herself being led down paths which put her life in danger.And with David Guetta's single Titanium doing well in the charts, David Quantick considers how chemical elements and the periodic table have inspired a variety of songwriters. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

With John Wilson.Jon Hamm is best known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men, the award-winning American drama about the ruthlessly competitive world of advertising. The actor discusses the show's unforeseen global success, the problems he's faced playing Draper and hints where Mad Men is heading for its finale.A stage version of Singin' In The Rain opens on the West End stage tonight, featuring one particularly essential ingredient - water. John Wilson talks to the show's star, Adam Cooper, and the production manager about the technical challenges of singin' and dancin' in the rain - keeping electricity and gallons of water apart. TV property presenter Sarah Beeny has curated a new exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects. A Place to Call Home: Where We Live and Why charts the story of the design of everyday homes in the UK, exploring the advent of mass building from the late 18th century through to the present day via suburban expansion and post-war experiment. With the price of cotton remaining

With Mark LawsonDaniel Radcliffe's latest post-Harry Potter project is a film version of Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black, a tale of loss, vengeance and mourning. Daniel Radcliffe looks back at growing up in front of the lens for the Harry Potter films, and discusses the challenges he now likes to set himself as he leaves Harry behind.On the eve of Valentine's Day, conductor Jeremy Summerly offers an alternative classical music playlist for the ups and downs of love.The documentary series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings returns to our TV screens tomorrow night promising to be "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier." The series producer Jes Wilkins, together with producer Osca Humphreys, discuss the pressures of making a second series and meeting audience expectations.Producer Claire Bartleet.

With John Wilson.Paul McCartney discusses the art of classic song writing as he releases his 15th solo LP, Kisses on the Bottom - an album made up of songs McCartney grew up listening to, plus two originals.Lizzie Siddal was a Pre-Raphaelite supermodel and phenomenon - most recognisable as Ophelia in the painting by John Everett Millais. Ahead of the 150th anniversary of her death, John talks to Lizzie's biographer Lucinda Hawksley about her short life, punctuated with illness, addiction and tragedy.Hot on the heels of the Danish political drama series Borgen comes Inspector Montalbano, a crime series based on the Sicilian detective created by Italian writer Andrea Camilleri. Boyd Hilton, TV editor of Heat Magazine, gives the verdict - and considers the success of these Saturday-night Euro-dramas on BBC Four.Producer Katie Langton.

With John Wilson. Don McLean, winner of a lifetime achievement award at the Radio 2 Folk Awards last night, discusses his classic album American Pie 40 years after it topped the British charts.Yayoi Kusama is perhaps Japan's best known living artist. In the 1960s and 1970s she became an important figure in the New York avant-garde. As a major retrospective of her work opens at the Tate Modern, she reflects on the mental illness that has informed her art and her influence on artists from Andy Warhol to Damien Hirst.The Golden Collar Awards - the Oscars for dogs - take place on Monday, and Martin Scorsese has been campaigning for Blackie, the canine star of his film Hugo, against stiff opposition from The Artist's Uggie. John and his dog, Jock, meet Blackie and her trainer Julie Tottman, to find out what it takes to be a dog star. Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

With Mark LawsonNovelist Lionel Shriver reviews a major retrospective of Lucian Freud's work at the National Portrait Gallery, including his final, unfinished portrait, which is on show for the first time.Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger believes passionately that architecture can help bring people together. The Royal Institute of British Architects has just awarded him the 2012 Royal Gold Medal, given in recognition of a lifetime's work. He tells Mark why he thinks a recession is good for architects. Stephen Daldry made history when he received a best director Oscar nomination for his first three films - Billy Elliot, The Hours and The Reader. His latest film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close deals with loss and grief in the aftermath of 9/11. He reflects on why it has divided critics.Producer Ellie Bury.

With Mark LawsonThe longlist for the 2012 Art Fund Prize for Museums and Galleries is announced on Front Row by the chair of the judges Lord Smith of Finsbury. The £100,000 prize is to recognise and stimulate originality and excellence in museums and galleries in the UK - and the winner will be announced on 19 June. Christopher Hampton has adapted his own stage play about the birth of psychoanalysis, into a film: A Dangerous Method. It stars Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, and Keira Knightley as a young Russian patient. Film critic Jenny McCartney gives the verdict.The Dreyfus Affair is known as the most infamous miscarriage of justice in French history. A French officer was found guilty of treason at the end of the 19th century based on slender evidence and many believed that he was a victim of anti-Semitism. Front Row brings together two authors who have just published two books on the controversy: Jacqueline Rose and Piers Paul ReadThe sitcom Roger And Val Have Just Got I

With Mark Lawson. Husband and wife theatre producers Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, recently named the most influential people in British theatre by The Stage newspaper, discuss how they now run 39 venues around the UK. Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets make their cinematic comeback this week, 12 years after their last big screen outing. The new film sees the cast re-unite to save their old theatre from the clutches of an evil oil baron. Natalie Haynes gives her verdict.Novelist Ian Rankin dissects Death Unexplained, a new TV documentary series about a coroner's office.To celebrate the centenary of the neglected composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Surrey Opera is staging a world premiere of his recently discovered opera Thelma. Mark finds out why Coleridge-Taylor is now so often overlooked, with composer Errolyn Wallen and music historian Roderick Swanston.Producer Stephen Hughes.

Mark Lawson and Emily Bell preview the hit US television series Homeland, a political thriller which stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. The 81 year old Syrian poet Adonis is one of the Arabic-speaking world's most celebrated writers and one of the most provocative. He regularly crops up on the shortlists of major literary prizes and as a tribute to him opens in London he talks to Mark Lawson about about his long literary career.Restoration comedy is a distinctive style of British theatre. As a new production of William Congreve's famous play of money and morals opens, cast members Deborah Findlay, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, and Leo Bill talk about the art behind this 17th century dramatic formAnd with the news that composer Paul Mealor is on a quest to find a singer who can sing a note so low that it is thought never to have been sung before for his new work, bass baritone Stephen Richardson discusses the challenge of hitting those deep 'money' notes, from Purcell to Tavener. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Martha Marcy May Marlene has received very good reviews in the States, and the film's director - first-timer Sean Durkin - won Best Director for it at Sundance last year. The psychological thriller focuses on Martha, played by Elizabeth Olsen - sister of the twins - who escapes from an abusive rural hippie-like cult after two years but has trouble erasing the haunting memories of her past. Jason Solomons reviews.The Aylesbury and Heygate estates in South London have served as the backdrop for countless films and TV dramas over the years, including Spooks, The Bill and Harry Brown. But now residents have had enough and all filming has been banned. John visited the estates to find out more. Best-selling author Anne Rice redefined the vampire genre with her Vampire Chronicles. Now in her new book The Wolf Gift she has turned to werewolves. She explains why the hero of her new book is a werewolf with a difference: he has a sense of morality.Howard Hodgkin owns one of the most important collections of historical I

With John Wilson. Ashley Walters made his name in the urban music collective So Solid Crew, before starting a successful acting career, including an award-winning performance in British film Bullet Boy. He's now starring in a new BBC drama, Inside Men. He reflects on how a prison sentence helped to get his acting career back on track.Katherine Kelly from Coronation Street stars as Kate Hardcastle in a new production of She Stoops To Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy of manners. This new National Theatre staging also features Steve Pemberton and Sophie Thompson. Rachel Cooke reviews. Howard Hodgkin owns one of the most important collections of historical Indian art in the world. As the complete collection goes on display for the first time at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, John Wilson talks to Hodgkin and to the curator Andrew Topsfield.In Man On A Ledge, a new film out this week, the majority of the action takes place high up on the outside of a Manhattan hotel. Film historian Ian Christie and criti

With Mark Lawson.Charlize Theron plays a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart, in her new film Young Adult. But things don't go according to plan. The film is directed by Jason Reitman, who also brought us Juno and Up in the Air. Ryan Gilbey reviews. The Orange Prize-winning novelist Kate Grenville discusses her novel Sarah Thornhill in which she returns to early Australia and the story of the Thornhill family, whose story she told in her novel The Secret River. The Singing Detective, the TV drama series written by Dennis Potter and starring Michael Gambon, returns to our screens 26 years after it was first shown. Chris Dunkley and Rebecca Nicholson re-assess this TV classic.And writer Joanne Harris visits a new exhibition in Sheffield with a focus on the family, with artists ranging from William Hogarth to Rachel Whiteread. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster star in Roman Polanski's film Carnage, an adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play about two couples who meet to discuss their sons, one of whom has knocked out the other's front teeth. Although things start out cordially, cracks soon begin to show. Novelist Julie Myerson gives her verdict. Director Sacha Mirzoeff discusses the years of negotiation behind his three part TV documentary series Protecting Our Children. Given unprecedented access to social workers and families in Bristol, Mirzoeff reveals the pressures of filming the complex dilemmas faced by child protection teams. The first-ever British production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot with a cast of black actors is about to open at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Actors Jeffery Kissoon and Patrick Robinson and director Ian Brown reflect on how this casting changes the play.Migrations, a new exhibition at Tate Britain, explores how British art has been shaped by artists from abroad over the last five centuries. The show move

With John Wilson. Novelist and psychogeographer Iain Sinclair reviews Turner and the Elements, a new exhibition at the Turner Contemporary gallery in the artist's old stomping ground of Margate.Alice Coote is one of the world's most acclaimed mezzo-sopranos, famous for taking on the male parts or "trouser roles" in opera. She talks to John about assuming the gait of a man, the demands of being jet-setting soloist, and how a car crash made her realise the importance of music. In 1962 the playwright Joe Orton was sent to prison for six months for defacing books in Islington Public Library. Fifty years later, barrister Greg Foxsmith is staging a re-trial to examine what sentence Orton might have received today. He tells John why.Singer Lana Del Rey releases her debut album on Monday. Although her song Video Games was one of the most acclaimed tracks of 2011, her decadent image has provoked debates about her authenticity and her recent live performances have drawn criticism. Kitty Empire gives her verdict. Produc

With John Wilson.Hajj: Journey To The Heart Of Islam, at the British Museum, is the first major exhibition dedicated to the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Historian Thomas Asbridge and Mehdi Hasan of the New Statesman give their verdict.The film Like Crazy was a hit at last year's Sundance Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize. British actress Felicity Jones - who played Emma in The Archers - won best actress for her starring role in this largely improvised film, which tracks a long-distant relationship. Rebecca Nicholson reviews. Last year, writer and actor Chris Larner accompanied his chronically ill ex-wife, Allyson, to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. His one-man show about the experience won a Fringe First Award in Edinburgh, and he's about to take it on a national tour. He tells the story of its creation, and discusses what it's like to go straight from playing a pantomime dame to this more reflective show.Comedian and actress Andi Osho is now an established figure on the sta

With Mark Lawson. Andrew Miller last night won the Costa Book of the Year with his historical novel Pure, set in pre-revolutionary Paris. Mark talked to the author just after hearing the news. National Theatre Director Nicholas Hytner announces his plans for the year ahead.Jens Lapidus is a Swedish criminal defence lawyer and author. His debut novel is Easy Money, set amongst gangsters and criminals in the Stockholm underworld. He told Mark how he made the transition from criminal defence to crime writing.New film Acts of Godfrey, starring Simon Callow and Harry Enfield, is written entirely in rhyming couplets. Poet Paul Farley gives his verdict in rhyme. Producer Katie Langton.

Mark Lawson reports on this year's Academy Award nominations, announced today, with comments and critical assessment from film critics Chris Tookey and Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, and contributions from the following nominees:- Kenneth Branagh: best supporting actor; Meryl Streep and Viola Davis: best actress; Stephen Daldry: best director; J.C.Chandor: best original screenplay; Peter McDonald: best short live-action film; Lucy Walker: best documentary; David Vickery: best visual effectsProducer Timothy Prosser.