Front Row

Irish author Sally Rooney’s third novel 'Beautiful World, Where Are You' has just been released amid a fanfare of publicity and speculation. It follows the runaway success of the TV adaptation of her Booker longlisted second novel, Normal People, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. Essayist and critic Sinéad Gleeson and writer Zing Tsjeng, Executive Editor of Vice UK, join us to review.Film Critic Jason Solomons is Front Row’s correspondent at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. He reports on Spencer, the film portrayal of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, as she comes to terms with the end of her marriage; Dune – the sci-fi story that has become a Mount Everest-sized challenge for experienced and novice film directors alike; and festival favourite Pedro Almòdovar’s latest creation Parallel Mothers.Scottish band Mogwai formed 25 years ago in Glasgow, and this year released their 10th album ‘As the love continues’. The album achieved their first number 1 and their first Mercury Prize nomination. Guitarist Stuart Braithwaite joins John to talk about the band's history, future, and how much the nomination means to them.In St Just this weekend performances will begin of the Cornish Ordinalia - a medieval three-play cycle - Origo Mundi (The Creation of the World), The Passion & The Resurrection. It’s a vibrant drama and also a key text in the history of the Cornish language. To coincide with the performances, for the first time in centuries the manuscripts of the Ordinalia are on display in Cornwall at Kresen Kernow, Cornwall’s archive centre. Matthew Rogers attended rehearsals, spoke to those involved and heard more about the text. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Harry Parker

When Quentin Tarantino’s debut novel, was published earlier this summer, he gave his only UK broadcast interview to Front Row. Now in a special edition of the programme, Kirsty Lang presents an extended version of that interview. For the subject of his new book, Tarantino turned to his last film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which looked at the Hollywood of the late 1960s, through the relationship between an actor, who fears his career is in decline, and his best friend, his stunt double. The result is a novelisation which harmonises with the story he told on the big screen. In this interview, Tarantino discusses his long career as a filmmaker and his plans for the future.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ekene Akalawu Studio Engineer: Sue Maillot

Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus crime novels, has recently completed a book left unfinished by the father of the ‘tartan noir’ genre William McIlvanney who died in 2015. Ian explains how he pieced together the fragments and notes left by McIlvanney and wrote his own sections of The Dark Remains, a prequel to McIlvanney’s Laidlaw series. He also reveals that the experience of working on the novel may mean a new lease of life for Rebus.With summer music festivals linked to spikes in Covid cases and new pilot data released from the Government’s Events Research Programme, social psychologist Professor John Drury from the University of Sussex explains the risks posed by large crowds and the policy and behaviour changes he believes are needed to ensure live events can continue safely.For the first time in history, 12 violins made by the finest violin maker of all time, Antonio Stradivari, have travelled across the world to feature in a ground-breaking new album with violin player Janine Jansen. She joins Samira Ahmed to discuss the end result, as well as the film she made to accompany it. Operatic tenor Neal Cooper talks about singing both the roles of Tristan and Melot at last night’s Prom performance of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde at the Royal Albert Hall, when Simon O’Neill who was cast as Tristan lost his voice after the second act.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver JonesMain image: a crowd at a music festival

The murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the subsequent police investigations threw up a lot of questions about institutional racism and corruption within the force. Another enquiry which began in 2006 was led by DCI Clive Driscoll, who decided to go right back to basics and investigate the crime anew. In a new three-part drama on ITV, Steve Coogan plays Driscoll and Hugh Quarshie plays Stephen’s father, Neville. We speak with them both about the murder, the trial, the enquiry and what a drama like this can add to our understanding of a tragedy.Conductor Charles Hazlewood created the Paraorchestra 10 years ago, and in their first year of public performances they already ticked off playing at the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony. It’s the world’s only large-scale ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, which tackles the traditional and not-so-traditional. Charles Hazlewood and musician Tilly Chester explain the orchestra’s past and future, and why Paraorchestra is such an important ensemble in today’s musical world.The first series of dramedy Back To Life aired a couple of years ago, to wide spread acclaim. A new series has just begun on BBC3. Conceived, written by, and starring Daisy Haggard it tells of a woman who has just come out of jail after serving an 18 year sentence for murder. She returns to live in the town where the murder happened, trying to get on with her life: reestablishing relationships, suffering the derision of neighbours and avoiding confrontation. The new series launched last night and Daisy joins us to discuss writing a very dark comedy.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Simon Richardson

Liz Carr's role in Silent Witness was a groundbreaking step in the depiction of disability in primetime TV drama. The actor, comedian and broadcaster, who has used a wheelchair since childhood, looks back at her early years, her law degree, and how that led her to life of activism for disability rights.Liz spent six years playing Clarissa Mullery in the BBC drama series, and she discusses the work she has been offered since she left, with latest projects being a major new Jack Thorne TV drama about disability rights, a new stage version of Larry Kramer's classic 1980s AIDS play The Human Heart at the National Theatre, and her first Hollywood film, Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor.Presenter Elle Osili-Wood Producer Jerome WeatheraldMain image: Liz Carr Image credit: Charlie Carter

Paula Hawkins’s novel The Girl on the Train sold 23 million copies and was made into a film starring Emily Blunt. Now she has written A Slow Fire Burning, a who-and-why-dunnit about damaged people trying to move on with their lives, set along the Regent’s Canal in London. She talks to Front Row about starting with character, creating suspense, and how she reflects on the success of The Girl on the Train. Alan Warner’s 1998 novel, The Sopranos, won the Saltire Society’s Scottish Book of the Year Award when it came out. It has gone on to be adapted for the stage where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2017. Now it’s been adapted for the cinema with a new title – Our Ladies. Critic David Benedict assesses whether the film adaption will also be in the running for prize. And he also talks to Kirsty about whether theatre critics are being too kind to productions in a post-lockdown world.As defending British champion Natasha Baker wins a Silver medal in the Paralympic Dressage freestyle event in Tokyo today, composer Tom Hunt explains the art of creating original music for some of the world’s leading dressage freestyle riders with Natasha Baker and Singaporean rider Laurentia Tan.Nia Dacosta is only 31 but has already directed two blockbusters. Today she talks to Kirsty about her horror film, Candyman, a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Harry Parker

Jason deCaires Taylor has been working in underwater art for 15 years. Today, he joins us to discuss his new museum Musan, built in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Cyprus. The Answer Me This podcast began in 2007. Presenters Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann have been answering questions from listeners about anything and everything over the subsequent 400 episodes. And now they've decided to call it a day. We find out how podcasting has evolved over the years. Fred D'Aguiar's book Year of Plagues: A Memoir of 2020 chronicles the year when he was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer, when Covid 19 affected the whole world and when institutional racism in the US led to the establishment of the Black Lives Matter movement.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Hilary DunnImage: Sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor, at Musan, Ayia Napa, Cyprus Credit: @jasondecairestaylor / www.underwatersculpture.com

Following the announcement of the death of the musician Charlie Watts, tonight’s Front Row is an archive edition featuring John Wilson in conversation with the band he was a member of - The Rolling Stones. The programme was recorded in 2012 to mark 50 years since the band’s first performance. In it, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood reflect on life in the Rolling Stones as they prepare to return to the stage.

Music journalist David Hepworth reflects on the life and drums of Rolling Stone Charlie Watts who has died aged 80.Natalya Romaniw is a soprano on her way to stardom. With numerous Madame Butterflies, Mimis and Tatyanas under her belt, Natalya was on the brink of international fame when the pandemic hit and took her momentum. Now she’s preparing to sing the eponymous Tosca in Puccini’s masterpiece, and she tells Tom how she’s preparing for one of opera’s most iconic roles and performing post-lockdown.We hear from another of the five museums and galleries shortlisted for the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021. This year’s prize will reflect the resilience and imagination of museums during the pandemic, and today John Tanner, Project Manager at Experience Barnsley talks about five exhibits in the museum that speak for the townOnce Upon A Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia is a darkly comic play about just that. Two young couples in Tunis, one Jewish the other Muslim, find their long-standing friendship tested by the German invasion of their country opening up questions of race, religion and identity. Tom talks to the playwright Josh Azouz about his use of humour in such serious circumstances.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Harry Parker

American conductor Kalena Bovell makes her Proms debut with the Chineke! Orchestra this week. She tells Samira about her path into conducting, and why it’s so exciting to be performing music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at the Royal Albert Hall.Following the death of singer Don Everly over the weekend, Bob Stanley joins us to reflect on the importance, sound and influence of the Everly Brothers. Award winning playwright and screen writer Jack Thorne has delivered this year’s McTaggart Lecture at The Edinburgh Television Festival. He argues that representation of disabled people on both sides of the camera are currently woefully inadequate and calls for more to be done to increase their presence, representation and visibility at all levels of TV.The fate for artists in Afghanistan at the moment is uncertain and may be dangerous. Poet Reza Mohammadi is the head of the Afghan Writers’ Union and he talks to us from Kabul about the fate he and others might face and what he intends to do to protect their artistic freedom .Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver JonesMain image: Kalena Bovell Image credit: R.R. Jones