Arts & Ideas

Philip Dodd talks to internationally renowned video artist Bill Viola about his latest show: nine major new works in a museum-scale exhibition in London. What is the play, A Satire of the Three Estates relevance to Scottish identity today? We ask Professor Greg Walker who has restored the text, and theatre critic Joyce McMillan. Award-winning documentary maker Norma Percy discusses her latest series on the Iraq war and Jules Evans, one of this year's Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers, reflects on philosophy.

What will China's economy look like in ten years' time? Liam Byrne an MP, is also a passionate advocate for stronger relations with China and he joins Rana Mitter and Linda Yueh to discuss our future with China. In recent years India-watchers have noted a worrying drift away from freedom of speech and to discuss this with Rana are Soli Sorabjee, Vappala Balachandran, Flavia Agnes and Tim Garton Ash. And New Generation Thinker Alice Hall asks how helpful is the label 'superhuman' for disabled atheletes if we want to understand the real problems faced by disabled people today?

Matthew Sweet is joined by writer, Mark Ravenhill and literary critic, Sos Eltis to consider Steven Soderbergh's film - Behind the Candelabra. They’ll also discuss what it adds to our understanding of "camp" and its part in contemporary culture. Art historian T J Clark, talks about his latest book, Picasso and Truth. The aim, he says, is to sweep away the tittle tattle which so often passes for Picasso criticism so that we can get a clear view of the artist's achievement. New Generation Thinker Fern Riddell examines female political violence in Edwardian Britain.

Anne McElvoy talks to Debra Craine about British choreographer Akram Khan’s new work, iTMOi or In the Mind of Igor, which takes inspiration from Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Environmentalist George Monbiot's new book Feral argues for a "rewilding" of Britain, and a reintroduction of beavers, boars and controversially, wolves. Former Director of the National Trust Dame Fiona Reynolds has a totally different approach. New Generation thinker and Tudor historian Jonathan Healey reports from the new Mary Rose Museum. Naomi Paxton and Fern Riddell discuss the Actresses' Franchise League and the plays they wrote to support the cause of Women's Suffrage.

Philip Dodd reviews the UK premiere of David Mamet's controversial play Race and discusses its impact and arguments with Susannah Clapp and Kit Davies. Nate Silver is the star statistician who accurately predicted the results of every state in the 2012 US election and tells Philip that every child should study statistics. RB Kitaj talks about his new show at the British Museum. And Philip and guests discuss the moral implications of giving and being grateful.

Anne McElvoy discusses ethics and the law after several politicians have complained recently about tax avoidance by big companies. To discuss are Geoffrey Robertson QC, Mark Littlewood and Angie Hobbs. Australian writer Andrew Upton talks about his sometimes controversial adaptations of classic Russian plays and explains to Anne why he inserted an egg fight into his recent production of Maxim Gorky's Children of the Sun. And writer Philip Hoare explores his fascination and fear of the sea when he talks to Anne about his new book; "The Sea Inside".

Matthew Sweet examines our current and past attitudes to childhood and asks whether nurturing children is something that we should deregulate or attempt to reform. He’s joined by Jay Griffiths, author of Kith - in which she argues that children in Brazilian rain forests are happier than those in Western cities, Hugh Cunningham, historian and author of the Invention of Childhood, sociologist Frank Furedi, who coined the phrase paranoid parenting, Gabriel Gbadamosi, Irish-Nigerian poet, playwright and Carnegie medal winner Meg Rosoff who writes fiction for children and young adults.

With Anne McElvoy. It is of course 200 years this week since the birth of the composer who perhaps excites more strong opinions about his life and work than any other. Professor Paul Rose, Barry Emslie and Dr Barbara Eichner discuss Wagner and antisemitism. What about Prague as a capital of the 20th century? Defending this thought is Derek Sayer and discussing it with him is Andrew Lass and Dr Rajendra Chitnis. And Anne speaks to Michael Landy about his new exhibition at the National Gallery, Saints Alive.

Former physician and best-selling author, Khaled Hosseini talks to Rana Mitter about his latest novel - And the Mountains Echoed - his charity relief work in Afghanistan, and his thoughts on writing a sympathetic Taliban character. As the Man Booker International Prize is announced, Night Waves is first to speak to the winner and discuss the body of their work. What is the way forward for psychiatry? Rana is joined by Lucy Johnstone, Tom Burns and Matthew Smith to discuss. And a first night review by Susannah Clapp of the winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Digraced.

Matthew Sweet talks to the American writer, James Salter...although writer seems rather an inadequate description. He's been a fighter pilot, a rock climber and a film maker as well sitting at a desk staring at a blank page. His memoir Burning the Days came out in the UK in 1997 to huge acclaim and he's published some short stories since then as well but now, after a gap of 34 years, there's a brand new novel - All That Is. Matthew Sweet talks to him about the thrill of flying, women, grief and the consolations of fiction.