Front Row Baz Luhrman on Elvis in concert, and 75 Years of The Archers
12 snips
Feb 16, 2026 
Baz Luhrmann, flamboyant Australian filmmaker behind kinetic musicals, talks about rediscovered Elvis concert footage and making a live-film celebration. Jeremy Howe, long-running radio drama editor, reflects on marking 75 years with a dramatic whodunit on The Archers. David Byrne, Royal Court Artistic Director, outlines bold programming and a 70th anniversary season. Peter Bradshaw reports on Berlin festival highlights and controversies.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Long Affair Played Out For Millions
- Emma Freud recalls the long Brian-Siobhan affair slow burn that played out over years to millions of listeners.
- She describes listeners' agony at knowing secrets the village did not and the cultural moments that intersected with the plot.
Lost Reels Found In Salt Mines
- Baz Luhrmann narrates finding 65 boxes of unseen Elvis negatives in MGM's Kansas City salt mines.
- He says discovering a candid audio tape of Elvis convinced him to make a dreamlike concert film.
Restoration Was A Two-Year Sonic Puzzle
- Luhrmann and Peter Jackson restored fragile 8mm and 16mm negatives and rebuilt missing audio by piecing many recordings.
- He describes a meticulous two-year process of syncing, sweetening and creating new score elements to reimagine concerts.
