Front Row

Lara Croft remains one of the most famous gaming characters ever. Now as the film franchise of the games gets a reboot staring Alicia Vikander, film critic Kate Muir and gamer Julia Hardy discuss whether Lara Croft is a feminist icon or an object of male fantasy and what she reveals about the portrayal of women in gaming and film. Debut novelist Lisa Halliday won the prestigious American Whiting Award for her fiction writing - previously won by Colson Whitehead and Jonathan Franzen. No surprise then that her first full length novel Asymmetry has been winning rave reviews. Lisa discusses the book which is in three parts, and reveals how the opening section is resonant with her own affair with Philip Roth.The close interaction between actors and audience in interactive or immersive theatre has been part of its rising attraction, but that appeal is in danger of becoming a problem. Alexander Wright, director of the immersive Great Gatsby show, Maureen Beattie of the actors' union Equity, and theatre critic Sarah

Mary Magdalene was Jesus Christ's most loyal friend, who stayed with him through the ordeal of his crucifixion, and was the first witness to his resurrection. But she was also denigrated by the church as a prostitute. Now her story is told in a new film with Rooney Mara as Mary and Joaquin Phoenix as Christ. Michèle Roberts, who wrote the novel The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene, reviews.With its population of 300,000, Iceland has more books published, and more writers per head, than anywhere else in the world. As it becomes a leader in Nordic Noir, crime writer Ragnar Jónasson and professor of Icelandic, Helga Lúthersdóttir, discuss the rich world of Icelandic fiction from the sagas which date back to the 13th century to the present day. Joseph Morpurgo's show Hammerhead strangely begins after his show has ended. It is the question-and-answer session after an - imagined - 9-hour, one-man performance of Frankenstein. He talks to Stig Abell about this conceit and where it leads him.And with news of the death

Paddy Considine discusses Journeyman, the new film he's written, directed and stars in. The film is centred on the life of a boxer who, after a damaging championship bout, discovers that he has far bigger fights on his hands.Four British mosques have just been given listed status or been upgraded in recognition of their historic, cultural and architectural importance. Architect Shahed Saleem, who has written The British Mosque, considers the cultural landscape for the 2000 or so places of Muslim worship in the UK.As the second season of the revived Liverpool Everyman Repertory company begins, Artistic Director Gemma Bodinetz reveals the lessons learned from the first season and her plans for the future of the companyTimberlake Wertenbaker's play 'Our Country's Good', about convicts transported to Australia putting on a play, is a modern classic. Director Fiona Buffini and the actor Garry Robson talk about their latest touring production, in which the cast includes disabled, deaf and able-bodied actors.

Eleanor Bron will be 80 on Wednesday. She is still working - she will be in Scottish Opera's production of Ariadne auf Naxos this year. Talking to Samira Ahmed she looks back over her long career, from the satire boom with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, through working with The Beatles in Help and roles in classical theatre such as in The Duchess of Malfi. The Great Wave at the National Theatre explores the abduction in the 1970s of Japanese citizens by North Korea. A look at these kidnappings through the eyes of one fictionalised family opens up questions of identity and belonging. Samira talks to the playwright Francis Turnly and the director Indhu Rubasingham about this little known aspect of far eastern politics .Following the announcement of the death of Sir Ken Dodd, Matthew Sweet discusses the role and significance of this jester who brought the comedic techniques of variety to television, and had extraordinary mass appeal. Presenter: Samira AhmedProducer: Julian May.

Sir Ian McKellen looks back at his acting life in anticipation of a film out later this year, McKellen: Playing the Part.Madeleine L'Engle's classic children's book A Wrinkle in Time has been made into a film starring Oprah Winfrey. The book itself was written in 1962 after being turned down by no less than 26 publishers. Professor Diane Roberts and Dr Vic James discuss the way in which the book reflects preoccupations in the author's own life, why it became one of America's most banned books and how its enduring appeal has resulted in numerous adaptations from film to tv, opera and graphic novel.Disability Champion for the Arts and Culture Sector is a brand new role created by the UK government. We speak to the newly appointed Andrew Miller who'll hold the post for a year. What change is he hoping to effect in terms of training, employment and access in the arts?Challenging the perceptions of her country using photography, world renowned artist Aida Muluneh gives an insight into the current arts scene in Eth

Reluctant superhero Jessica Jones is back for a second series. She despatched her nemesis at the end of season one but season two finds her looking to find the answers for her special powers. Cultural critic Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reviews.The longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction has just been published. On International Women's Day Alex Clark looks at the surprise inclusions and exclusions and discerns the trends.This week a new production of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard opens at Bristol Old Vic. The play, in which the son of a serf takes over the estate where his father was once a slave, is a new translation from playwright Rory Mullarkey. Kirsty speaks to Rory and actor Jude Owusu about the contemporary resonances in their production.Marion Leonard, author of Gender In the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse, and Girl Power and festival promoter Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic, discuss why men outnumber women in the public eye and behind the scenes of popular music.Presenter: Kirsty Lang

David Attenborough talks about the art of his friend the painter John Craxton as a new exhibition Charmed Lives in Greece opens at the British Museum.Deborah Alma has edited #MeToo, an anthology of poetry by women, rallying against sexual assault and harassment. She is joined by poet and human rights lawyer Mona Arshi to discuss poetry as activism. Woody Allen's film Wonder Wheel is released this week. In the light of renewed allegations of sexual assault from his adopted daughter, Anna Smith reviews the film and considers Allen's reputation in Hollywood.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May.

Radio 4 celebrates the 40th anniversary of the iconic science fiction satire by Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with a new series this week. Comedy producer and friend of the originator John Lloyd stars as the voice of the book. He and radio producer Dirk Maggs talk about the return of the ground breaking show, which fans call H2G2.Tate Modern's first solo exhibition of Pablo Picasso focuses on one year of the great artist's life, 1932. Picasso's grandson, Olivier Widmaier Picasso and curator Nancy Ireson consider this period of great creativity for the artist, when he produced some of his most famous nude paintings of his muse and lover Marie-Therese Walter.David Oyelowo is best known for his roles in the films Selma as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and in A United Kingdom as a Botswanan prince. Now he's taking on his first comedy film in Gringo, about a man who gets caught up in the drug cartels in Mexico. David discusses playing comedy, Black Panther and colour blind casting.Presenter : S

You Were Never Really Here stars Joaquin Pheonix as a contract killer who uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a prostitution ring. The film is directed by Lynne Ramsay who made We Need to Talk About Kevin. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews.What's the key to delivering a perfect performance as an award ceremony host? TV critic Emma Bullimore and Larushka Ivan-Zadeh review Jimmy Kimmel's efforts in last night's Oscars ceremony, as well as Joanna Lumley at the BAFTAs and Jack Whitehall at the Brits, and consider what makes the perfect host.Steve Reich says the pioneering percussion Colin Currie is 'one of the greatest musicians in the world'. Today Currie returns the compliment, launching his own record label with his recording of Reich's piece 'Drumming'. He talks to John Wilson about this and the recent developments in music for percussion.Artist Charlotte Salomon died aged 26 in Auschwitz, leaving behind an impressive collection of over 700 paintings called Life? or Theatre? Ahead of ev

Jess Thom is a founding member of Touretteshero, a theatre company that celebrates the inherent creativity and humour in Tourette's. She is taking on Samuel Beckett's Not I, a rapidly delivered monologue spoken by a character called Mouth. Jess explains why the text captures her own experience of living with Tourette's and her mission to make theatre more accessible. "Gaslighting" is a term that sprang from Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light written 80 years ago, in which a husband attempts to convince his wife she is going mad so that she is not believed by others. It's a trope that's picked up in contemporary thrillers such as Girl on A Train and The Woman in The Window. Novelist Stephanie Merritt and writer and critic Lisa Appignanesi discuss its dramatic appeal. Deep Throat are a thirty-strong all-female choir who blend their voices with percussion to produce a unique sound. The founder Luisa Gerstein and choir member Tanya Auclair discuss how they developed their style and their collaborations.Presenter:

Half a century after Kenneth Clark's ground-breaking television series on the history of art, Civilisation, the BBC has returned to the same subject - a history of visual culture - but pluralised the name and the number of presenters in the new series. Former television critic of the Financial Times Chris Dunkley and writer and classicist Natalie Haynes review.Wendy Cope is one of the country's best-known and best-loved poets, thanks partly to the fact that her poems are easy to understand and often funny. But they're much more than that: the former poet laureate Andrew Motion said of her that "there is a skip in her step, but these are perfectly serious poems". Her latest collection is Anecdotal Evidence and it reflects on marriage, place, contentment and loss.The works of twenty-three female contemporary artists working in China today are the focus of NOW, a new series of exhibitions across the UK. Curator Tiffany Leung and British-based artist Aowen Jin consider the status of Chinese female artists inside

Sharon Horgan, the comedy actress and writer behind Pulling, Motherhood and Catastrophe features in her first major Hollywood film, Game Night. She tells Kirsty about the difference between working on American movies and British television and why series like Catastrophe aren't , in fact, sitcoms. Syrian musician Maya Youssef brings her qanun into the studio and performs from her album Syrian Dreams. Samantha's Harvey's latest novel, The Western Wind, is a literary medieval whodunit with an ingenious construction. She discusses its palindromic form and explains the significance of setting it in 1491.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

A Fantastic Woman is a Chilean film about a transgender woman whose partner dies and she has to cope with his transphobic family. The film has been shortlisted for best Foreign Language film at the Oscars. Rebecca Root, trans actress and activist, reviews.British film director Lewis Gilbert has died aged 97. Critic Jason Solomons assesses his long career with films including Reach for the Sky, Alfie, The Spy Who Loved Me, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.In the wake of recent scientific investigations revealing a hidden landscape beneath a Picasso painting, art critic Jonathan Jones and philosopher and historian Jonathan Rée debate the issues raised by digging beneath the surface of a work of art.Dionysis, the Greek god of wine was also patron of the theatre and since classical times actors have always needed to be able to act inebriated. Siân Thomas, Rory Keenan and Sam Troughton reveal the secrets of acting drunk.

We hear about the second series of the American Crime Story television franchise which began in 2016 with The People Versus OJ Simpson. John Wilson is joined in the studio by novelist turned screenwriter Tom Rob Smith. He has written the next instalment - The Assassination of Gianni Versace - which dramatises the events surrounding the murder of the Italian fashion designer outside his Miami home in 1997. Freud and Bacon are at the heart of Tate Britain's latest show, and there is a whole room of Paula Rego paintings,too. All Too Human follows the depiction of the human in figurative art in the last 100 years. John Wilson speaks to the curator Elena Cripps and David Dawson who was Lucian Freud's assistant. Freud's portrait of Dawson is included in the exhibition. Art critic Louisa Buck reviews the show and considers if an exhibition with such a broad theme allows for a more interesting range of work than most.Debut novelist Mick Kitson explains the thinking behind his audacious debut novel Sal, which tells th

Jennifer Lawrence stars in new film Red Sparrow as a prima ballerina turned Russian spy trained to seduce her targets. The film is based on a successful novel by former CIA operative Jason Matthews and helmed by Frances Lawrence who also directed Lawrence in the Hunger Games film series. Film critic Anna Smith reviews.David Edgar's adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, starring Phil Daniels, is currently touring the country. April de Angelis has adapted Frankenstein for the Manchester Royal Exchange. Both playwrights talk about how they have brought these science fiction classics to the stage and consider why so many new theatre shows are adaptions from famous books. Paintings deep in caves in Spain reveal that Neanderthals were artists, according to new research published in the journal Science. Professor Paul Pettitt from Durham University tells us how fundamental the making of art is to us and our ancestors.The Diaspora Pavilion at last year's Venice Biennale showcased the work of 19 British artists respond

Tracey Thorn describes her new record 'Record' as 'nine feminist bangers'. She talks to John Wilson about why electro-pop turns out to be her preferred style for a musical look back at various stages in her life from birth, through teenage crushes and learning to play guitar to motherhood.The Finnish National Gallery has just become the latest institution to make digital images of works in its collection, that are no longer in copyright, freely available to the public. No major UK arts institution has taken a similar step. Art Historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor has been campaigning on this issue and explains his position.As two biographies of Mary Shelley have been published since Christmas "In Search of Mary Shelley the girl who wrote Frankenstein" by Fiona Sampson and "Mary Shelley" by Miranda Seymour we look at the competing claims and different perspectives that biographers bring to the lives of their subjects. Biographer and critic Kathryn Hughes and critic and editor of on-line literary magazine Boundless, A

Playwright Dennis Kelly's emotional new play Girls and Boys centres on the story of a woman in an aggressive man's world. Kelly and actor Carey Mulligan, the star of the one-woman show, discuss the disturbing themes in the play and the challenges of performing it.Following a major leak from the Game of Thrones set - and the accompanying outrage - we ask writer Gareth McLean and TV critic Emma Bullimore whether our aversion to spoilers has now gone too far.Boyd Hilton reviews Mosaic, a new TV drama series from Steven Soderbergh, which stars Sharon Stone as a murdered novelist. The HBO series is accompanied in the US by a mobile phone app whereby the viewer can choose from which perspective the plot is viewed. Matt Bellamy, the axeman who fronts Muse and is famous for his searing solos, has said the guitar as a lead instrument is dead. It has retreated into the texture of the music. Front Row plays a lament in tribute to the lead guitar, as it loses its leading role.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Julian May.

I, Tonya is a new biopic about figure skater Tonya Harding, who was known as the bad girl of the ice rink. The film stars Margot Robbie and Allison Janney who've won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA respectively for their performances. Briony Hanson reviews.With the Winter Olympics in full swing we ask 'is figure skating a sport or an art'? Robin Cousins, former Olympic champion and current commentator at the figure skating at the Games in Pyeongchang, and Debra Craine, dance critic of The Times, discuss how ice dancing relates to more classical forms of dance on terra firma. Jess Kidd won the Costa Short Story Award in 2016 and that year published her debut novel Himself to critical acclaim. She discusses her new novel The Hoarder about a care worker and her relationship with the belligerent Cathal Flood and the junk-filled house he inhabits.Yesterday the BBC launched two new African language services, bringing the news, and telling stories in Yoruba and Igbo. Wole Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Prize

To mark the 100th anniversary of women over 30 getting the vote in the UK we have a themed programme looking at the art that was created alongside the suffrage campaign and we celebrate the contribution of female artists. For the last two weeks we've been asking Front Row listeners to nominate their favourite art work by a woman. Jenny Éclair and Rosie Fletcher come into the studio to champion their picks in a head to head choosing Tracey Emin's My Bed and Nora Ephron's script for When Harry Met Sally respectively. In Spring 1907 the first suffragette play opened at the Royal Court - Votes for Women by Elizabeth Robins. This rarely performed play is being revived by the New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme and we speak to adaptor and director of the production Theresa Heskins about whether the play has relevance today. Annie Swynnerton was a suffragist and the first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy of Art. As a retrospective of her work prepares to open at Manchester Art Gallery, Charlotte Keatley

The trauma of child abuse lies at the heart of two new memoirs - Louise Allen's Thrown Away Child, and The Only Girl in the World by the French writer Maude Julien. As they look back over their years of mistreatment by the adults in their lives, they explain how they found solace in art and literature - which provided both a lifeline, and an escape from pain and deprivation that was being inflicted on them from a very early age. Presenter Stig Abell Producer Jerome Weatherald.