Front Row

Tom Sutcliffe and guests explore the architecture and culture of Norman Britain as part of a special day of programmes on Radio 4 marking the return of the Bayeux Tapestry.
From Durham to Peterborough, Lincoln to Norwich, the Norman invasion shaped British architecture, landscape and culture. Beginning in wood but later cemented in stone, power was expressed in the rounded arches and distinctive ornamentation of cathedrals and castles. Beginning in 1066, the Romanesque style can still be seen all over the country today, and Britain also bears the stamp of Norman cultural influence in other ways too - from illuminated manuscripts to our language and music.
With:
Helen Carr, writer and historian and author of Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century
Janina Ramirez, art historian and author of Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths that Shaped Europe
Simon Jenkins, author of many books including England's Thousand Best Churches
Vicky Richardson, curator and writer specialising in architecture.
Also - John Goodall, Architecture Editor of Country Life, tours Lincoln cathedral and castle.
Producer: Eliane Glaser

Mark Ravenhill and Leila Latif join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's new film Bitter Christmas, a tragi comedy told across different time frames, and questioning the relationship between reality and fiction in the film industry.
Author of best selling The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin's new speculative fiction novel is Under Story, which asks if you could turn back the clock, would you live your life a second time?
And Ridley Scott's film The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi, set in a post-apocalyptic world.
Also, art critic Louisa Buck joins Tom to discuss the life and work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama who has died at the age of 97.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Andrea Kidd

Ahead of her sixth performance at the BBC Proms the mezzo soprano star Joyce DiDonato talks to Kirsty about the explosive potential of her voice. 
VP Head of YouTube EMEA - Pedro Pina - delivers the flagship address of this year's Edinburgh TV Festival. He gives his perspective on the continuing evolution of tv as we know it. 
Comedy is at the heart of the Edinburgh Festivals, and today the shortlist for the Edinburgh Comedy Award has been revealed. Director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Nica Burns is joined by chair of judges Liz Lewin to discuss the names everyone's talking about this year. 
Life life and work of legendary singer and actor Tim Curry is celebrated by culture critic and broadcaster David Benedict and Tim’s lifelong friend, the gallerist Richard Cork.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

Samira Ahmed spoke to Dolly Parton in 2023. As her death is announced Front Row pays tribute to the star of country music who sold more than 100 million records and wrote over 3,000 songs in a career that spanned six decades.
A chance to hear Meg Mason, the bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss, about her new novel, Sophie Standing There, which deals with celebrity obsession and the publishing industry.

A new film looks at the story of the Second World War through General De Gaulle’s eyes. We speak to its director, Antonin Baudry, about De Gaulle: Resistance - this summer's hit in French cinemas.

And we mark sixty years of the Notting Hill Carnival with founder member Allyson Williams and Ricky Belgrave, DJ and chair of the British Association of Sound Systems.
Producer: Ruth Watts

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and William Lee Adams join Tom Sutcliffe to review:
The Life of M - the new novel from Rachel Cusk. The book centres on a writer’s attempt to chronicle the life of a globally famous film star, and explores the strangeness of celebrity.
Stop! That! Train! - a comedy disaster movie featuring many of the stars from RuPaul's Drag Race.
Coyote vs Acme - after a lengthy and tumultuous journey, including being shelved by its studio, the much anticipated Looney Tunes film finally reaches cinemas. The blend of live action and animated film follows Wile E. Coyote as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation for providing him with defective goods.
Chinese animated film Niu Lai has become an unexpected box-office and social media phenomenon. Initially released to little attention, the film gained widespread visibility online, generating debate about independent filmmaking, internet culture and the economics of contemporary cinema in China.
And as HMV announces that it wants to become a 'destination' for books on the high street, a group of independent booksellers calls on the Prime Minister to provide the same tax relief that pubs and live music venues have recently been granted. What is the state of bookselling on the high street? Lauren Brown, Deputy News Editor at The Bookseller, joins.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Tim Bano