Front Row

Soprano Joyce DiDonato on tackling the vocal pyrotechnics of Rossini and why she's bringing opera to the inmates of Sing Sing, New York's maximum security prison.Puppets are currently centre stage in three theatrical productions in the UK - Pinocchio at the National Theatre, The Grinning Man in the West End and The Tin Drum on tour. We speak to Toby Olié, in charge of puppetry on Pinocchio and Tom Morris, director of The Grinning Man who, as co-director of War Horse, changed the way puppets are regarded. Kirsty also hears from from actors Sanne den Besten and Louis Maskell about how they work with puppets to show them falling in love. Plus, as the European Commission announce that the UK will no longer be able to take part in the 2023 European Capital of Culture as planned, we look at the impact this has on the bidding cities and what it signifies for the arts industry as Britain continues the process of leaving the European Union.

Benjamin Clementine performs live from his second album I Tell a Fly. He tells us why an experimental concept album felt like the right way follow up to his Mercury Prize winning 'At Least For Now'.Dominic Dromgoole on his year long Oscar Wilde season in London's West End, and Franny Moyle on the influence of the women in Oscar Wilde's life.David LaChapelle is the celebrity photographer of choice for leading fashion magazines. His first job was working as a photographer for Andy Warhol in New York. He discusses his hyper-realistic style, nudity, and how some of the biggest names in the world from Hillary Clinton to Kim Kardashian beat a path to his door.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Helen Fitzhenry(Main photo: Benjamin Clementine Credit: Craig McDean).

Inua Ellams on his acclaimed play Barber Shop Chronicles, which explores masculinity from the perspective of the barber's chair, both in London and Africa. Tennis champion Billie Jean King's show match against notorious chauvinist Bobby Riggs in 1973 is the subject of a new film Battle of the Sexes, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell. Mark Eccleston reviews.Briony Hanson discusses Godless, Netflix's first western miniseries, starring Jack O'Connell, Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery, in a role that is a far cry from Downton Abbey. This year marks the centenary of the birth of the Cornish poet Charles Causley, whose work was influenced by ballads, hymns and his love of jazz and dance bands. Cahal Dallat, the first Charles Causley Trust musician in residence, poet Rory Waterman and singer Jim Causley discuss his legacy. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Timothy Prosser.

A new Modigliani exhibition at Tate Modern shows the most extensive display of the Italian Jewish painter and sculptor's work yet seen in the UK, including 12 of his famous nudes. Sarah Crompton reviews.Front Row reveals this year's Costa Book Awards shortlists. Critics Alex Clark and Toby Lichtig comment on the writers chosen in the five categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's fiction. The overall prize-winner will be announced on Front Row on 30 January 2018. Actor John Lithgow discusses his latest film Daddy's Home 2, and talks more broadly about his wide-ranging career and why he's as happy playing an alien as he is a serial killer or Winston Churchill.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Priscilla Presley talks about life with Elvis and 40 years of looking after his legacy, as she takes part in a concert tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, who accompany Elvis Presley's voice live. Cate Blanchett plays 13 characters each reciting a different artist's manifesto in her new film, Manifesto. We talk to Cate and director Julian Rosefeldt about translating what was an art installation to a traditional linear film. But, what is an art manifesto? Art critics Richard Cork and Jacky Klein explain, select the strangest and the most convincing - and consider if they helped or hindered artists to produce work.Presenter : John Wilson Producer : Dymphna Flynn(Photo: Cate Blanchett as Tattooed punk in Manifesto. Credit: Manifesto).

Fenella Fielding's most famous moment is in Carry on Screaming as she reclines seductively on a couch in a red velvet dress, asks Harry H Corbett "Do you mind if I smoke?" and steam billows. The line gives the title to her memoir, co-authored with Simon McKay. On her 90th birthday, she reminisces about playing Hedda Gabler, being a foil to Morecambe and Wise... and that Carry On moment. The painter Gluck (1895-1978) is now regarded as a trailblazer of gender fluidity, famous for her fashion as well as the portraits of herself and her lovers. Front Row discusses Gluck's life and art with biographer Diana Souhami and Amy de la Haye, curator of a new exhibition at the Brighton Museum. A player of the new Call of Duty video game, set in the |Second World War, could assume the role of a black female Nazi. Yet its makers claim it is historically accurate. Front Row discusses how video games depict war and how close to the truth can they really be.It's Children in Need day and throughout it poets have been appearing

Noel Gallagher, former songwriter and guitarist for Oasis, discusses his new album Who Built The Moon? He tells us why he chose to go solo after the break-up of the band and discusses his ongoing estrangement from his brother Liam. There are tanks on the streets of Harare, from there Togara Muzanenhamo talks about the life, and role, of the poet in Zimbabwe today. He reads poetry inspired by the farm where he lives and works.Surrealism is very much thought of as a European art movement but a new exhibition at Tate Liverpool, Surrealism in Egypt: Art et Liberté 1938 - 1948, calls that into question. Anna Somers Cocks, founding editor and current chairman of The Art Newspaper, reviews.Tiger Bay, written by Daf James and Michael Williams, is a new musical set in Cardiff's multi-ethnic docks in the early 20th Century, staged by the Wales Millennium Centre in conjunction with Cape Town Opera. Could this be the Welsh Les Mis? Jude Rogers gives her verdict.Presenter: Stig Abel Producer: Helen Fitzhenry.

Robert Pattinson on his new film Good Time, set in the streets of Queens as the consequences of a bank robbery entangle his character Connie in a violent web of swift, provocative responses and lies. It's a million miles from Twilight and he talks about his choice of films since his role in the hugely successful franchise.Poet Ian McMillan has written libretto for the first opera to be performed in a South Yorkshire accent, including local dialect. We speak to Ian and the tenor Nicholas Sales, of Heritage Opera, about the challenges of singing in the cadences of a Barnsley voice. With Paddington back in cinemas, and the bear's voice once again being provided by Ben Whishaw - a far cry from that of Michael Hordern in the TV series in the '70s - Adam Smith considers the importance of the voice of an animated character, and what happens when the familiar tones are replaced by the voice of another actor. The Goldsmiths Prize is awarded annually and celebrates inventive writing. Previous winners include Eimear McB

Dee Rees talks about her new film, Mudbound, which explores the racial divide in 1940s Mississippi.As questions continue to be asked of The Old Vic's theatre board in light of the Kevin Spacey allegations, we discuss the role of the board in British theatre with Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP, former Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries and current board member of the National Youth Theatre plus Malcolm Sinclair, President of Equity, and theatre critic Lyn Gardner. Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina made headlines five years ago when she and two other members of the protest group were arrested following a performance of their Punk Prayer in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Alyokhina was jailed for two years and sent to a penal colony. Samira meets the Russian activist and artist at the Saatchi Gallery in London where an exhibition dedicated to Post-Soviet protest art in Russia opens this week. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Hannah Robins.

Annette Bening discusses her role as Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, the story of the real-life romance between Grahame and a struggling young actor from Liverpool. As the Music Managers Forum celebrates 25 years with its annual Artist and Manager Awards tomorrow, John looks at what makes a good music manager and how the role has changed since the '60s - with Ed Sheeran's manager Stuart Camp, Regine Moylett and Niamh Byrne who look after Gorillaz and Blur, and Wham!'s manager Simon Napier-Bell. We also hear from musicians Emeli Sandé and Sir Paul McCartney. Tracks is an award-winning podcast from Radio 4 drama. Pete Naughton reviews the second series of the conspiracy thriller and considers the wider landscape of drama and readings podcasts. Presenter John Wilson Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Sheridan Smith is a comic actor (The Royle Family, Gavin and Stacey), a serious dramatic actor (Flare Path, The Moorside, Dustin Hoffman's film Quartet) and a star of musical theatre, from Bugsy Malone when she was 16 to Funny Girl. Now she has released her first solo album. She talks about the songs she has chosen and her career so far.The acclaimed actor Maxine Peake has written a play for Hull Truck and Hull City of Culture celebrating the life of a woman who dramatically fought for conditions for Hull fishermen to improve as trawler after trawler was lost. The Last Testament Of Lillian Bilocca is an immersive piece of theatre staged in the city's Guildhall with a cast partly drawn from the community. Paul Allen reviews. UNESCO's Creative Cities Network has expanded from 116 cities worldwide to 180, and Bristol has just become the UK's second UNESCO City of Film following Bradford's 2009 designation. David Wilson, Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, and Charles Landry, author of The Creative City: A

Hollywood star Christian Slater and director Sam Yates discuss David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross, in which Slater is currently starring.Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is a film based on the true story of William Moulton Marston, his wife and his mistress who created Wonder Woman. It explores the creation of the female super hero as well as their poly-amorous relationship which saw them shunned by society. Film critic Karen Krisanovich reviews.As more allegations are made of sexual assault towards young men, it has been announced that all Kevin Spacey's scenes in new film All the Money in the World are to be reshot with a different actor. We find out from special effects director Jonathan Fawkner how to practically go about reshooting scenes, and ask if this sets a precedent for actors who fall from grace in Hollywood.Ivor Wood was the animator behind much-loved classic children's TV series including The Magic Roundabout, The Herbs, The Wombles and Postman Pat. Ahead of the

Hugh Grant explains how his early career in repertory theatre has helped him play faded actor Phoenix Buchanan, the villain in Paddington 2.Stephen Fry talks about his new book Mythos, a retelling of the Greek myths, and why he finds the tales of the gods, monsters and mortals of Ancient Greece so appealing.The two lead characters in the new cinematic release Call Me By Your Name are gay, yet the actors who play them are straight. This is part of a tradition in film from Brokeback Mountain and I Love You Philip Morris. Tim Robey discusses why so often straight actors are chosen to play gay roles, when the reverse rarely happens, and why it can still be in the actor's interest not to be honest about their sexual orientation. The winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature is announced this evening. Who will win this prestigious award for a lifetime's achievement? Front Row will be the first with the news. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May.

Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi plus film director Yorgos Lanthimos

Kenneth Lonergan, who recently won an Oscar for the screenplay to his film Manchester By the Sea, talks to Kirsty Lang about adapting E.M. Forster's Howards End for television. Hannah McGill discusses the acclaimed film The Florida Project, in which a young mother struggles to provide for her daughter while staying at a motel near Disney World.As two exhibitions curated by artists open in Belfast and York, Front Row brought together Jill Constantine, curator and Head of the Art Council Collection, and artist John Walter to discuss what artists can bring to the curation of a show.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Timothy Prosser.

Novelists Joanne Harris and Jonathan Coe discuss their latest books which are both fairytales. Coe's The Broken Mirror is a modern fable with a political message while Harris' A Pocketful of Crows is based on traditional folklore. Director Luca Guadagnino talks about his acclaimed film Call Me By Your Name, a gay love story set in the Italian sun in the 1980s, starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.As Catalonia's independence dispute with Spain shows no sign of resolution we look at Catalan art. Academic Maria Delgado and actress Montserrat Roig de Puig discuss the historical role that the arts have played in developing Catalan identity and how the arts can contribute to developing a dialogue about Catalonia's future relationship to Spain. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Edwina Pitman.

The actor and comedian Josie Lawrence is currently tackling Bertolt Brecht in a production of Mother Courage and her Children at Southwark Playhouse in London. She discusses the morality of Mother Courage with Samira and explains why the part was at the top of her theatrical bucket list.In the wake of Prue Leith revealing the Bake Off winner, TV Times journalist Emma Bullimore looks at the lengths TV programmes go to in order to keep their reveals under wraps.As A Bad Moms Christmas and Daddy's Home 2 hit cinemas, we discuss how parents are portrayed in mainstream comedy films and consider if the old stereotypes are changing.Kenneth Branagh discusses directing Murder on the Orient Express, in which he also plays the Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

To coincide with the publication of a book which collects all her artwork from the past decade, Tracey Emin comes into the Front Row studio to look back at that prolific period which saw her represent Britain at the Venice Biennial.Twenty-five years after publishing The Ice House, the first of her many highly successful crime novels, Minette Walters discusses her historical fiction debut, The Last Hours, set in a medieval Dorsetshire village during the start of the Black Death. Paul Gauguin's two years in Tahiti saw the French painter create some of his most celebrated artworks. But his time in French Polynesia is also seen as controversial due to alleged relationships with young girls while there. A new French-language biopic starring Vincent Cassel comes out this week about Gauguin's time on Tahiti, art critic Waldemar Januszczak gives his verdict on the film. For National Novel Writing Month we hear from three people hoping to complete a novel this November.

As she makes her debut at the Royal Opera House in Lucia di Lammermoor, Lisette Oropesa talks about combining a career as one of the world's top sopranos with a passion for running marathons.Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He talks to Shahidha Bari about his follow-up novel, First Person, based on his own experience of ghost-writing a notorious criminal's memoir when he was a penniless and unknown author.Kate MccGwire makes elaborate sculptures from the feathers of crows and doves to jays and magpies. Shahidha visits the artist in her studio - a Dutch barge - where she creates her works surrounded by Thames wildlife.Presenter Shahidha Bari Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Bill Bailey talks to Shahidha Bari ahead of his UK tour, and tries out the new Front Row keyboard.Philip Pullman discusses his new novel La Belle Sauvage, a prequel to the best-selling trilogy His Dark Materials, and his collection of essays on storytelling, Daemon Voices.Sarah Churchwell reviews the TV mini-series Alias Grace, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel about a 19th century servant convicted for a double murder.18 years after retiring from acting, Joe Pesci returns to the small-screen for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. Adam Smith reflects on Joe Pesci's comeback.Presenter: Shahidha Bari Producer: Timothy Prosser.