Front Row

In venues around the UK and here on BBC Radio 4 and on BBC Sounds, it’s Live Comedy Day today – a celebration of live comedy and grassroots clubs. We’re joined by two of the cast of the new Saturday Night Live UK, Emma Sidi and Hammed Animashaun, and by Amanda Dwyer, who won the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow Comedy Festival this weekend, to discuss the stand-up landscape right now. Mink Stole is an icon of “trash cinema” and has appeared in every one of filmmaker John Waters’ features, from the infamous cult classic Pink Flamingos to mainstream hits Hairspray and Serial Mom. She talks about her long association with Waters and his ensemble of Dreamlanders, and about her show Idol Worship in which she and actor and drag queen Peaches Christ reflect on her career in front of an audience.And live from opening night at the V&A Dundee where Catwalk – The Art of The Fashion Show celebrates over a hundred years of spectacular fashion displays, from Frederick Worth to Vivienne Westwood and Versace, curator Kirsty Hassard talks us through the history of the runway. And we are also joined by curator Rachel Whitworth from the Bowes Museum in County Durham to discuss one of the modern day pioneers of the fashion show, Vivienne Westwood, as the exhibition Rebel, Storyteller, Visionary opens there. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Writer Robert MacFarlane on the world underground as a new documentary, Underland, inspired by his award-winning book of the same name is released in cinemas.Dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard on creating a new work, Echoes of '78, which pairs the original dancers of a work created by German choreographer Pina Bausch with their younger selves.Singer Hak Baker and journalist Ludovic Hunter-Tilney on the evolving nature of the protest song plus a live performance from Hak of his song Windrush Baby.Translator and judge Sophie Hughes on the International Booker Prize shortlist 2026 which was announced today. The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin KingArtist Glen Baxter remembered.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Lesley Manville, veteran British actress famed for stage and screen, reflects on Les Liaisons Dangereuses and theatrical vulnerability. Emily Wilson, classicist and translator, and Mary Beard, renowned classics scholar, discuss reading and translating Homer's Odyssey and its modern resonances. Sofia Kishkovsky, New York arts reporter, tackles the controversy over Russia and the Venice Biennale. Short, lively conversations on theatre, translation and art politics.

Amber Butchart, fashion historian and writer, offers sharp takes on Schiaparelli’s surreal designs. Rhianna Dhillon, critic and broadcaster, dissects Riz Ahmed’s comedy Bait and other screen releases. They debate casting culture, pacing and tone in Bait. Conversation also covers Schiaparelli’s whimsical couture and a Kafkaesque film about Stalinist bureaucracy, plus a controversy over a possibly AI-assisted novel.

Forbes Masson, actor and writer who revived the cult sitcom as a stage musical, recalls reuniting with Alan Cumming and updating the show's cheeky humour for modern audiences. Claire Shenstone, artist in her 70s who uses her own face in her work, talks about painting ageing expressions. Richard Cork, art critic and historian, reflects on how older people are shown in art and culture.

Noah Wyle, American actor famed for ER, talks about creating and performing in the high-octane medical drama The Pit. Iestyn Davies, acclaimed countertenor, and Elizabeth Kenny, lutenist, celebrate John Dowland’s songs for intimate Wigmore Hall performances. John Berry, former ENO artistic director, debates bringing contemporary playwrights and new stories into opera. Short, lively conversations on craft, performance and cultural relevance.

Phil Dunster, actor from Ted Lasso, talks about his new comedy Rooster and working on US TV. Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka, BFI film curator, curates a season on boxing films and explores why the sport suits cinema. Natalie Jamieson, culture journalist, reviews and gives a verdict on the UK launch of Saturday Night Live. They also discuss casting, comedic rhythm, and boxing on screen.

Will Page, former Spotify economist who tracks music industry trends and AI issues; Zoe Williams, sharp cultural journalist and reviewer; Alexander Larman, historian and critic. They dissect Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia: its visuals, politics and performances. They also debate Gorky’s Summerfolk at the National, Michael Arditti’s sprawling novel The Tribe, and how AI-created sound-alikes are reshaping streaming.

Catherine Opie, American photographer famed for portraits of queer communities and documentary work. Helen Bain, author of The Daffodil Days, who reconstructed Plath and Hughes' year in Devon from local recollections. They discuss intimate archival research, reversed narrative choices, oral histories and how community perspectives shape storytelling. The conversation centers on voice, memory and the politics of representation.

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Belgian-Colombian choreographer who turns Anne Lister’s diaries into ballet movement. Julie Yoon-yong Lee, BBC Korean Service reporter who explains BTS’s cultural weight and the trot revival. Salma El‑Wardany, writer reimagining Deirdre with Irish and Egyptian‑Pakistani roots. Martin Edwards, crime novelist and historian reflecting on Len Deighton’s legacy. They discuss dance translation, K‑Pop comebacks, mythic retellings and espionage fiction.