Front Row Folgen

Oceania at the Royal Academy is the first ever major exhibition in the UK of art from the Pacific. It is very ambitious, showing 200 works from across that vast ocean, from Hawaii to New Zealand, New Guinea to Easter Island. It spans time, too, the earliest piece being about 500 years old, the latest completed last year. A Hawaiian writer, Vanessa Lee Miller, and a western maritime historian, Robert Blyth, assess the exhibition.As the former Britpop band Suede release their eighth studio album, songwriter and lead singer Brett Anderson and bassist Mat Osman discuss The Blue Hour and their exploration of new sounds, including Brett’s own field recordings and the spoken word, as well as working with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.How do crime writers gain knowledge of the police to inform their writing? John speaks to Peter James, author of the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series of novels, and to crime writer Clare Mackintosh, who worked in the police force for 12 years before becoming an author.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May

Cary Fukanaga, recently announced director of the next James Bond film, discusses his new Netflix series Maniac. The show explores the minds of two strangers, played by Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, who take part in a mysterious drug trial in the hope of changing their lives for the better.The Royal Opera House has unveiled the results of its £50m, two-and-a-half-year Open Up project. For the first time it will be open to the public daily, with a new programme of free and ticketed events. Royal Opera House CEO Alex Beard explains what’s new and improved about the Covent Garden building.'In one section he’s polishing a scaffolding pole in the most provocative way imaginable' is how director Jacqui Morris describes the previously unseen footage of Rudolph Nureyev she has uncovered. Along with her brother David, the pair have created a new documentary film about the legendary ballet dancer's life through this new archival footage, his own memoirs and a newly-commissioned interpretive dance.Presenter Stig Abell Producer Ben Mitchell

New documentary Matangi/Maya/MIA about the political rapper MIA, uses self-filmed archive footage of the outspoken and ‘controversial’ Sri Lankan immigrant artist who took up the Tamil cause. So how does the film by director and friend Stephen Loveridge help us understand her life and music? Journalist Kieran Yates reviews.The Man Booker Prize 2018 shortlist of six books has just been announced and features two debuts, the youngest ever writer to make the list, a novel in verse and four women authors. Toby Lichtig of the Times Literary Supplement and critic Arifa Akbar give their thoughts on a list which includes some notable omissions - Sally Rooney and Michael Ondaatje for example.Nell Stevens is the final shortlisted writer for this year’s National Short Story Award. She joins Kirsty to talk about The Minutes, her darkly funny and mysterious tale which follows a group of students captivated by an enigmatic stranger as they protest against the demolition and gentrification taking place in their neighbourhood.Roy Williams pays tribute to fellow playwright Stephen Jeffreys, who has died aged 68. He is best-known for writing The Libertine, about the hedonistic Restoration poet and courtier - the Earl of Rochester. Jeffreys also long championed the work of young, new dramatists, including Roy, offering them support and advice.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Harry Parker