Front Row

It was a call from Dame Esther Rantzen for choirmaster Gareth Malone to bring the nation together under his metaphorical baton that has inspired Gareth’s latest choral idea – The Great British Home Chorus. He talks to Katie about the challenge of creating a virtual choir from amateurs and professionals at a time when we are all being told to keep our distance from each other.The contralto voice used to have a regular presence on opera, recital, and choral stages across this country but in recent decades there seems to be have been a concerted effort to excise this particular voice category with singers, directors, agents, and teachers all turning away from the deep tones this voice can provide in favour of higher and brighter voices. Music critic and writer Jessica Duchen, and founder-director of the Kinder Choirs of the High Peak and a former professional contralto Joyce Ellis, discuss why contraltos have been frozen out and whether it’s time they came in from the cold.The Creative Industries Federation are calling for a Temporary Income Protection Fund for the many hundreds of thousands of freelancers in the creative sector who have seen their contracted work vanish overnight in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis. CEO Caroline Norbury discusses why her organisation wants the government to act now.To celebrate the first day of Spring, Radio 4 has commissioned poets to write new poems marking the arrival of the new season which listeners will be able to hear throughout the day. On Front Row, award-winning poet, playwright, and performer Louise Wallwein will be premiering her new poem.Presenter: Katie Popperwell Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Actor and screenwriter Lennie James talks about the return of his award-winning Sky drama Save Me, in which he plays a father trying to rescue his daughter from a sex trafficking ring. In the new series Save Me Too, he finds someone who may hold the key to her location. Writer and comedian Rob Auton performs live and talks about finding inspiration from small everyday things including hair, water, talking, and the colour yellow. His stand-up tour has been cancelled but his daily podcast will continue with a short burst of spoken word each day to lift us from the gloom. Saxophonist Jess Gillam performs live with pianist James Ballieu.Presenter: Chrystal Genesis Producer: Edwina Pitman

Director and writer Gary Sinyor joins John Wilson to discuss his new sitcom The Jewish Enquirer. This follows hapless journalist Paul, played by Tim Downie, in search of scoops for Britain’s “fourth most-read Jewish newspaper”. Sinyor reveals how his own Jewish heritage inspired this irreverent depiction of a Jewish family and how everything and everyone from circumcision to Philip Green is ripe for satire. Most people working in the arts are freelance and so may lose their livelihoods when shows close and projects are curtailed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this week the Arts Council announced that it will change some of its funding programmes to help compensate individual artists and freelancers for lost earnings. Laura Dyer, the Deputy Chief Executive of Arts Council England, explains what is planned and how this will work. Theatre Uncut has created an online film, which stars actors from different Universities across Europe who have filmed themselves on their phones. Their performances were then edited together. Written by Kieran Hurley using text and emojis, Bubble is about freedom of speech and will premiere on Facebook on Monday. Director Emma Callander discusses this unique project. With actors working in isolation, edited elsewhere and viewed on phones and laptops, this is a film for our troubled times.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Simon Richardson

Author and comedian David Baddiel is going to read The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow, now his UK tour has been cancelled due to coronavirus, and he has the time. David tells Stig Abell why this novel has always been such a challenge to him.As cinemas close round the country, Universal Pictures have announced they are home releasing several current big films such as Emma and The Invisible Man. Critic Jason Solomons discusses what this means for the industry. The Visionary Honours is a prize recognising artworks in all genres that have generated the greatest social change from diversity, mental health, anti-social behaviour and environmental change. We speak to the co-founder Adrian Grant about why he felt this award was needed, and critic Hannah McGill charts the ups and downs of art for social good.And Irish musicians John Gaughan and Gerry Diver perform Splendid Isolation live in the studio to celebrate St Patrick's DayPresenter: Stig Abell Producer: Dymphna Flynn

American author Jenny Offill discusses her highly anticipated new novel, Weather, about a female librarian struggling to cope with a domestic life haunted by the growing awareness of catastrophic climate change. Actor and comic Roy Hudd has died at the age of 83. We speak to producer and writer John Lloyd - who was also a friend - about Roy's career.The English Game, a new Netflix drama written by Julian "Downton Abbey" Fellowes charts the formative years of football in late 19th century England. The six-part series which follows two sportsmen on opposite sides of the class divide, begins streaming this week. Actor Kevin Guthrie, talks about taking on the role of Fergus Suter, the man considered to be the first professional footballer. The Prime Minister has announced that - among other precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus - the public should 'avoid pubs clubs theatres and other social venues'. How is this likley to affect arts venues?Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver Jones

The Kodo drummers from Japan formed in 1981 and are currently nearing the end of their world tour. Five members bring their drums, flutes and cymbals to our studio to perform, and to discuss the strict regime for their apprenticeship and the physical demands of their stage show. As theatres empty, film releases are delayed and festivals cancelled, Front Row considers the ongoing impact of coronavirus on the arts. With Nancy Durrant of the Evening Standard.Marina Lewycka’s novel A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian sold over a million copies and won the Bollinger Everyman Prize for Comic Fiction. Her new book The Good, the Bad and the Little Bit Stupid is the story of a family torn apart by Brexit and international bank fraud. She talks about making fun out of testing times.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Timothy Prosser

Dame Judi Dench looks back at her six decade career in theatre, television and film, from playing Lady Macbeth to M in Bond. As she prepares to return to the stage for a series of conversations at the Bridge Theatre in London, Judi discusses Shakespeare, Musicals, Awards, how she copes with losing her eyesight, and how she was originally told she didn't have a face for films. Now she has a record seven Oscar nominations and one win, eight Olivier awards and eleven BAFTAs. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Timothy Prosser

Steven Appleby’s comic strips have graced the pages of many national newspapers including The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Observer. Now he’s created his first graphic novel, Dragman - a thriller about August Crimp who discovers that wearing women’s clothing gives him the power of flight. As his superhero alter ego, Dragman, he’s on the case of the missing souls, but can he also use his powers to save his marriage and himself?Playwright Sally Abbott discusses her new play, directed by Kathy Burke, that helps to mark 25 years of Frantic Assembly and their distinctively physical take on theatre. I Think We Are Alone is a multi-stranded story of the connections - and disconnections - between people and their desire for intimacy.Humans hunting humans for sport – this is the theme of two new films, The Hunt and Bacurau, both seemingly inspired by the 1920s short story The Most Dangerous Game. Controversial thriller The Hunt is a satire of the American political landscape, with a liberal elite hunting conservative 'deplorables'; while Bacurau explores neo-colonial tensions with a small Brazilian village held siege by bloodthirsty American and European hunters. Mark Eccleston reviews.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Jerome Weatherald

The Miss World beauty pageant in 1970 is probably best remebered for one thing: The Women’s Liberation movement's intervention. They staged a protest at the final and it got them on the front pages of newspapers around the world. And now it’s the subject of a new film called Misbehaviour starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jessie Buckley. We speak to the film’s director Philippa Lowthorpe about bring this moment of history to life on screen.We continue our new series, J’Accuse, in which contributors get the chance to make a short, uninterrupted argument on an artistic subject that matters to them. Tonight John is joined by bestselling author Marian Keyes who shares her thoughts on the fiction genre often dismissed as Chick Lit.A daily 9 minute breakfast show, hosted by Love Island’s Chris Taylor and drag queen Ginger Johnson is the newest way that entertainment and technology have combined to improve mental health. A new app, Wakey, has been designed with scientists and television experts to come straight to your phone so you can watch as you start the day in a positive way. Founder Deborah Coughlin tells us how it works.The jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, whose death at the age of 81 was announced at the weekend, made his name playing alongside improvisational saxophonist John Coltrane before carving out his own career as a soloist, bandleader and composer. Music writer Kevin Le Gendre looks back over the life of the influential figure. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Oliver Jones

In recent weeks, two new reports on diversity in the arts have generated headlines. Arts Council England has issued a document called Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case, and The Creative Diversity Network, an organisation funded by all the main broadcasters, has released its third assessment of representation on screen and off. Discussing what we can be learnt from their findings are: Deborah Williams, the head of the CDN, Priya Khanchandani, writer, curator and editor of Icon magazine, Tiffany Jenkins, writer and broadcaster, Will Harris, poet whose debut collection Rendang is a reflection on his mixed-race heritage, Sophie Duker, comedian.And in the first of an occasional series on Front Row called J'accuse, Tiffany Jenkins makes the case for a greater diversity of opinion in the arts.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Edwina Pitman