Mark Lawson talks to novelists who have taken on another writer's characters, including P D James, who wrote a Pride and Prejudice sequel, Anthony Horowitz, creator of a new Sherlock Holmes story, Jeffery Deaver, author of the latest James Bond

Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Bruce Forsyth and Jack Jones

Dec 29th, 2011 28m 34s

John Wilson talks to singers Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Jack Jones and Bruce Forsyth, whose careers began before rock and roll, and whose combined performing experience totals over 200 years. They reflect on the art of 'intimate singing', the

Writers from India and Pakistan

Dec 28th, 2011 28m 38s

Kirsty Lang examines how writers from India and Pakistan are tackling social and political shifts, with Booker-winner Aravind Adiga, Aatish Taseer, Mohammed Hanif and Moni Mohsin.All have published fiction in the past year with a focus on compl

Singers Joseph Calleja, Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore and Iestyn Davies

Dec 27th, 2011 28m 26s

Mark Lawson talks to three tenors and a counter-tenor: Joseph Calleja (pictured), Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore and Iestyn Davies reflect on repertoire, singing teachers and the perils of phlegm. Producer Georgia Mann.

Dominic West; Tracey Emin; Tom Hooper; Great British Bake Off; Inbetweeners

Dec 23rd, 2011 28m 35s

Mark Lawson unwraps a further selection of new interviews with arts headline makers of 2011. Stage and screen actor Dominic West discusses playing serial murderer Fred West, Shakespeare's Iago, and upper-class anchorman Hector Madden in The Hou

Julian Barnes, Andrea Arnold, Sir David Chipperfield

Dec 22nd, 2011 28m 37s

Mark Lawson unwraps a selection of new interviews with arts headline makers of 2011. Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes explains why he no longer refuses to read his reviews, and poet Jo Shapcott, winner of the Costa Prize for her collection Of

Paul Merton; Neon Artwork; Adele's producer Paul Epworth

Dec 21st, 2011 30m 11s

With John Wilson. Paul Merton reviews the new silent film The Artist, which with six Golden Globe nominations is already the surprise hit of this year's Hollywood awards season. Adele's producer Paul Epworth discusses his part in creating this

Michelle Yeoh, 2011 music picks, book cover design

Dec 20th, 2011 28m 45s

With John Wilson. Michelle Yeoh, star of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies, on playing Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in The Lady. Luc Besson's film tells the extraordinary story of the Nobel Peace Prize winner,

Jennifer Saunders; the new Mission: Impossible film

Dec 19th, 2011 28m 42s

With Mark Lawson.Jennifer Saunders reflects on the return of Absolutely Fabulous, 20 years after Patsy and Eddy first staggered onto our screens. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the latest instalment of the action-packed franchise. The

Former Python Terry Jones, young James Herriot and Morse on TV

Dec 16th, 2011 28m 22s

With Mark Lawson. Former Monty Python star Terry Jones has now written 26 books. His latest, Evil Machines, is a collection of 13 short stories which explore what happens when everyday objects take on a life of their own. He discusses the inspi

David Fincher; Crime Books; Vikram Seth

Dec 15th, 2011 28m 51s

With Mark Lawson. David Fincher's directing credits include The Social Network, Fight Club, Se7en and Alien3, and his latest film is an adaptation of Stieg Larsson's book The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig. Fincher discusses

Simon Schama interviewed

Dec 14th, 2011 28m 34s

With John Wilson. Historian Simon Schama has selected his pick of works from the Government Art Collection for an exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. While hanging the exhibition, he reveals how his choices were inspired by the British roman

Sir David Jason and the return of Sherlock Holmes

Dec 13th, 2011 28m 32s

With Mark LawsonTwo decades after the last series of Only Fools and Horses, Sir David Jason returns to BBC One as the star of a new comedy series. He discusses his role as the incompetent bodyguard of the Queen, his close relationship with Ronn

Meryl Streep on playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady

Dec 12th, 2011 28m 44s

With Kirsty Lang. Meryl Streep is hotly tipped for Oscar success for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in the forthcoming film The Iron Lady. She discusses how she mastered Thatcher's famous voice, why she decided to donate her fee for the f

Comedy DVDs; Haunted Child; Graham Sutherland

Dec 9th, 2011 28m 41s

With Kirsty Lang.Lee Evans, Peter Kay, Ross Noble, Sarah Millican, Alan Carr and Milton Jones are among the host of comedians releasing new DVDs aimed at Christmas shoppers. Comedy critic Stephen Armstrong discusses the stand-up boom, and wheth

Annie Lennox; Nick Park; The Ladykillers

Dec 8th, 2011 28m 42s

With Kirsty Lang.Singer Annie Lennox reflects on a career which has seen her push boundaries in both music and fashion, as she releases an album of Christmas songs and sees her V&A exhibition, The House Of Annie Lennox, go on tour early next ye

Vikram Seth; Carole King; Richard II

Dec 7th, 2011 28m 37s

With Mark Lawson.Singer and songwriter Carole King enjoyed her first hit fifty years ago, and released her landmark album Tapestry four decades ago. She discusses her career so far and her first-ever seasonal album, A Christmas Carole, includin

Amy Winehouse Review; Brian Sewell; New Year's Eve

Dec 6th, 2011 28m 40s

With Mark Lawson.Amy Winehouse's posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures was released yesterday and is already topping the midweek charts. Editor of NME magazine Krissi Murison gives her critical verdict on the disc, and considers the issues

John Cleese interview

Dec 6th, 2011 28m 35s

With Mark Lawson. Writer and comedy performer John Cleese reflects on his career, including the rivalries between the Monty Python team, the creation of Fawlty Towers and the film A Fish Called Wanda. He also discusses breaking taboos, morality

Robin Hood at the RSC, Tracy Chevalier and Joanna Trollope

Dec 2nd, 2011 28m 32s

The Heart of Robin Hood is the new family show at the RSC. But it's the Robin Hood story with a twist. The production is directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson, who has a reputation for challenging staging. Andrew Dickson reviews.Novelists Joanna Tro

Stephen Schwartz; The Big Year

Dec 1st, 2011 28m 39s

With Kirsty Lang. Kirsty meets Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose hugely successful musicals include Godspell and Wicked, and whose 1972 show Pippin now receives a new British production. Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack B

Lenny Henry in The Comedy of Errors; Rob Brydon

Nov 30th, 2011 28m 34s

Lenny Henry was acclaimed when he made his stage debut as Othello, and now he returns to Shakespeare as Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, in a new production at the National Theatre. Rachel Cooke reviews.Comedy performer and actor

Ricky Gervais; Wayne McGregor

Nov 29th, 2011 28m 41s

With Mark Lawson. Ricky Gervais discusses the response to his TV comedy series Life's Too Short, which stars Warwick Davies as a "showbiz dwarf", and his return as host of the Golden Globes, following this year's insult-packed ceremony. Choreog

Martin Scorsese's Hugo 3D; Sports Book of the Year

Nov 28th, 2011 28m 34s

Martin Scorsese has directed his first film in 3D. Adapted from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo is the tale of a boy who lives in a Paris railway station in the 1930s, and features Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Sacha

The Shakespeare Thefts; Desperate Scousewives review

Nov 25th, 2011 28m 35s

With Kirsty Lang.Shakespeare scholar Eric Rasmussen has spent the last decade tracking down every extant copy of one of the world's most sought-after books: Shakespeare's First Folio. With fewer than 750 printed in 1623, the first edition of Sh