Front Row

Writer David Nicholls, best known for One Day, talks about bringing sex, drugs and a silver spoon to life in his television adaptation of Edward St Aubyn's acclaimed Patrick Melrose novels starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Gaz Coombes, former frontman of alternative rock band Supergrass, performs a track from his new album, World's Strongest Man, live in the studio and discusses its eclectic influences including the artist Grayson Perry.Kayo Chingonyi is a 31-year-old Zambian-born British poet whose collection Kumukanda was last night announced as the winner of the Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize - at £30,000, the biggest prize open to young writers. He'll be reading live in the studio and talking to John about what his win means.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Sarah Johnson.

Michael Fassbender was reportedly happy to be filmed completely naked in the film Shame, but compared with female nudity, male full-frontal shots are still rare on screen. What are the reasons for this disparity and what are the certification issues with representation of the male organ? The BBFC's David Austin and film critics Hannah McGill and Ryan Gilbey consider the long and the short of it.Chris Lang, the critically-acclaimed writer and creator of ITV's Unforgotten, talks about his latest crime drama Innocent, starring Hermione Norris and Lee Ingleby.Stuart Hall was a Jamaican-born cultural theorist, political activist and Marxist sociologist who arrived in Britain three years after the Empire Windrush in 1951 and was one of the founding figures of the school of thought that is now known as The Birmingham School of Cultural Studies. Gilane Tawadros and Professor Kurt Burling discuss what his memoir Familiar Stranger reveals about the man, as well as the impact his work has had on the way Britain's cultural life is understood.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Edwina Pitman.

Neil Gaiman discusses the big-screen adaptation of his 2006 short story How To Talk To Girls At Parties. Directed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch director John Cameron Mitchell, the film tells the story of a teenage punk falling in love with an alien, and stars Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson and Matt Lucas.In our age of heightened awareness of racism, homophobia and sexism in culture, how easy is it to watch old movies with our children? Film historian Ian Christie and journalist Hadley Freeman discuss how to introduce favourite films from bygone eras to the next generation, without also passing on stereotypes of gender, sexuality and race. Film critic Jason Solomons joins us live from the Cannes Film Festival to give us his insights into what we should be looking out for this year.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Hilary Dunn.

Ian McEwan discusses the process of adapting his novel On Chesil Beach for the big screen. Set in 1962, it tells the story of two young newlyweds spending their honeymoon preoccupied with - and terrified by - the forthcoming consummation of their marriage.Drew McOnie talks about directing and choreographing the first UK staging of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical, based on the much-loved 1992 Baz Luhrmann film that led to a resurgence of ballroom dancing in popular culture.A recent DCMS survey shows that over-65s are increasingly engaged in the arts. Two members of the Elders Theatre Company at the Royal Exchange in Manchester talk about how they not only go to more events since retiring but are actively participating in the arts. And David Cutler of the funding organisation the Baring Foundation and David Slater of arts company Entelechy discuss the benefits of an interest in the arts for older people. Presenter Stig Abell Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Norwich will soon be home to the new National Centre for Writing in the medieval Dragon Hall. Chris Gribble tells Kirsty Lang about the extraordinary building and the role of the Centre. Authors Sarah Perry and Sarah Hall describe the thriving literary culture of the city and Kirsty visits The Book Hive, one of the city's independent bookshops. She goes to the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library and to the University of East Anglia, home to the MA in Creative Writing that has Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro and Anne Enright among its famous graduates. There she meets tutor Rebecca Stott, author Imogen Hermes Gowar, whose novel The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and poet and MA student Gboyega Abayomi-Odubanjo.

Graphic artist David Shrigley discusses his role as Guest Director of the Brighton Festival 2018, and his new book Fully Coherent Plan for a New and Better Society.Madeline Miller won the Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut The Song of Achilles, which told the story of a love affair between Achilles and Patroclus. Her latest novel continues the Greek theme with the story of the first witch in Western literature, Circe, daughter of Helios, who is scorned and rejected by her kin. She discusses what inspired her to take up her story.The Cannes film festival starts next week, but it's being boycotted by Netflix, one of the world's most powerful entertainment companies. Netflix has been accused of cultural imperialism and Cannes of living in the past. Boyd Hilton and Simon Usborne consider the significance of this turn of events.Presenter Kirsty Lang Producer Jerome Weatherald.

The Burning Chambers is the latest historical novel from bestselling author of Labyrinth and co-founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, Kate Mosse. Set in sixteenth century Languedoc it is the first in a new quartet that covers three centuries of religious conflict. Kate Mosse explains the inspiration for the books and her fascination for medieval France.Kanye West is never far away from controversy and this time the US rapper has caused a public outcry with his comments about slavery. Jacqueline Springer and Katie Puckrik discuss Kanye's recent provocative remarks. The results of the Loewe Craft Prize are announced and Samira talks to the man behind it, fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, Deyan Sudjic, the director of the Design Museum which is exhibiting the entries, and the winner of the prize. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Harry Parker.

In a BBC national poll Benjamin Zephaniah was voted the nation's third favourite poet of all times, after TS Eliot and John Donne, and the only living one in the top ten. Aged 60, the award winning playwright, novelist, activist and musician has published a memoir, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah. He talks to John Wilson. Coronation Street has just revealed that the character, Aidan Connor, will take his own life next week. Over the years soaps generally have not shied away from dealing with such controversial issues but do they always get it right when including them? Kate Oates, the producer of Coronation Street, and Emma Bullimore, the television and film critic, discuss this type of storyline.The award- winning American stand-up comedian and actress Amy Schumer stars in a new film called "I Feel Pretty". Film and TV critic, Emma Bullimore, discusses the film and the appeal of Amy Schumer.A lost novel by Romanian author Mircea Eliade was rediscovered in an attic and has just been published in English for the first time. Susan Curtis-Kojaković, the director of Istros Books who are publishing the novel, joins John to talk about its significance.

Shape of Light: 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art, a new exhibition at Tate Modern, explores the intertwined stories of the two art forms from the early photographic experiments to the digital innovations of the 21st century. The two curators discuss the relationship between artists, including Jackson Pollock, Georges Braque and Bridget Riley, and photographers, including Man Ray and Edward Weston.Stephen Deuchar, chair of the judging panel for the Art Fund Museum of the Year prize, reveals the shortlist for this year's award. Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling was the bestselling novel of 2017 in Ireland, beating David Walliams to the coveted Christmas number one slot. The main character, Aisling, started life as a fake Facebook account created by two friends, Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen. They discuss bringing their surprise hit novel to the UK. The chief economist at the Bank of England has said that popular trends in streaming music can be as important indicators of upcoming consumer confidence as more traditional statistical methods. Can trends in happy or sad downloads really be a basis for fiscal strategy? The BBC's Economics Editor Kamal Ahmed looks at the possibilities of the arts for economic forecasting.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Edwina Pitman.

Plan B - the singer, director and actor, aka Ben Drew - releases his fourth studio album this week. Plan B discusses Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose, featuring songs that reflect how his life has changed since his last album six years ago. From Picasso to Grayson Perry, design critic Corinne Julius and the Royal Academy of Art's commercial director Jo Prosser discuss the history and trends in artists' work reproduced on homewares.We hear about a new exhibition of Chinese art exploring the portrayal of women - as wives, mothers, workers, and students - over the past 100 years, which opens tomorrow at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May.