Anne McElvoy talks to Neil Gaiman, prolific award-winning author of novels for adults and children alike and writer for radio and television about new novel, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. Historian, Selina Todd, writer and novelist Bidisha, and Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley tiptoe round a debate raging across social media, 'check your privilege’. Universe Cosmologist consultant, Marcus Chown reports back from Visions of the Universe exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich....
Jun 14, 2013•45 min
Samira Ahmed talks to Joss Whedon, creator of the cult TV hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer, whose new film is a modern dress version of Much Ado About Nothing. Marianne Elliott talks about her new production of Tennessee Williams's play Sweet Bird of Youth, starring Kim Cattrall as a Hollywood leading lady whose youth is fading. Radio 3 New Generation Thinker Greg Tate looks back to a famous debate on Education between Matthew Arnold and T.H. Huxley which throws an interesting light on the current o...
Jun 13, 2013•44 min
A first night review of the National Theatre's revival of James Baldwin's drama The Amen Corner, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Matthew Sweet along with Susannah Clapp and Lindsay Johns review. Are conspiracy theories the sign of a decayed or thriving democracy? Discussing are Professor Sir Richard Evans, David Aaronovitch and Eliane Glaser. New Generation Thinker John Gallagher meditates on the pleasures and pitfalls of disguise for the sixteenth century traveller. And Matthew interviews Rach...
Jun 12, 2013•45 min
Philip Dodd examines A Crisis of Brilliance a new exhibition at London's Dulwich Picture gallery with the curator David Boyd-Haycock. As Turkey's anti-government protest continues, Elif Shafak, Karl Sharro and Professor Benjamin Fortna, explore the underlying reasons for civil society's dissatisfactions. Sarah Dillon is one of this year's New Generation Thinkers and her column is on the role of analogy in science. Søren Kierkegaard, the grandfather of existentialism, was also a sophisticated hum...
Jun 11, 2013•45 min
Alex Harris and Anne McElvoy review the latest Marc Chagall exhibition at the Tate Liverpool. Andrew Simms and Stephen D. King discuss the "End of Western Affluence". Anne talks to Cornelia Parker about her latest exhibition at Frith Street Gallery. And one of this year's Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers, Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough reflects on the possible relationship between Nordic Noir TV and Old Norse Tales.
Jun 07, 2013•45 min
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 ...
Jun 06, 2013•45 min
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 ath...
Jun 05, 2013•44 min
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 ...
Jun 04, 2013•46 min
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 ...
May 31, 2013•45 min
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.
May 30, 2013•46 min
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 h...
May 29, 2013•44 min
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...
May 27, 2013•45 min
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, Sa...
May 24, 2013•46 min
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 revi...
May 23, 2013•45 min
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 ...
May 22, 2013•44 min
Samira Ahmed talks with Lee Smolin, a controversial and prominent figure in the field of theoretical physics, about the search for a new kind of theory that can be applied to the whole universe challenging the way we experience time. Is Italy a Mafia republic? Acclaimed Mafia historian John Dickie, political journalist Annalisa Piras and author Clare Longrigg discuss. Samuel Beckett's 'Not I' premiered 40 years ago. To mark the anniversary the Royal Court theatre is staging the piece again, perf...
May 21, 2013•46 min
Anne McElvoy examines the political legacy of Edmund Burke with Conservative MP Jesse Norman, who is keen to point out differences between Burke's more communitarian conservatism and the liberal individualism espoused by some people who describe themselves as conservatives today. Exploring a new exhibition on propaganda and power at the British Library are Eliane Glaser, author of Get Real: How To Tell It Like It Is In A World Of Illusion and Matthew McGregor, Political Director of Blue State Di...
May 17, 2013•45 min
Matthew Sweet talks to Peter Brook. The theatre director has had a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare which he has explored in his productions of plays including A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear and Hamlet starring actors such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Paul Scofield. He discusses his new book of essays reflecting on the playwright, The Quality of Mercy.
May 15, 2013•43 min
With Samira Ahmed. Sarah Churchwell and Kevin Jackson discuss the Great Gatsby as a new film, directed by Baz Luhrmann is released. Samira talks to the Indian architect Charles Correa about how he attempts to marry modernism with concern for local meaning in his work. And Samira is joined by historian and blogger Tim Stanley, the historian of Communism Robert Service, and the leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett to discuss political movements.
May 15, 2013•45 min
Matthew Sweet visits Tate Britain’s unveiling of a comprehensive new vision of its permanent collection. Thematic presentation gives way to strict chronology. Susannah Clapp gives a first night review of Public Enemy, a new production of Ibsen's play about corruption and the nature of the public good. New research has revealed only a very small percentage of the population has made plans for the end of their lives. Matthew and guests discuss the idea of the good death. F R Leavis’ spirit has bee...
May 14, 2013•46 min
Anne McElvoy applies herself to the crisis of modern banking, the plight of buildings in Moscow and a masterpiece of British theatre. She talks to Simon Russell Beale and John Simm about the latter, Pinter's early tragicomdedy, The Hothouse, before sharing notes on bankers with the academic economist, Anat Admati and then enlisting the views of the conservationist, Clem Cecil about the Melnikov House - one of the jewels in Russia's modernist crown. She’s also joined by Karen Leeder and Catherine...
May 10, 2013•45 min
The Mark Rothko Arts Centre has opened its doors for the first time and some of his paintings return to his birthplace in Daugavpils, Latvia. Philip Dodd journeys there to speak to curator, for whom the project has been a labour of love, and Rothko's children about their father's memories of the city. John Beddington is the former chief scientific advisor to the government. He’s represented the interests of the scientific community to Whitehall during an era of massive cutbacks in public spendin...
May 09, 2013•44 min
Rana Mitter talks to the playwright Peter Nichols as his 1981 Passion Play opens again in the West End with Zoe Wanamaker as the betrayed wife Eleanor. In his latest book Strictly Bipolar, psychoanalyst Darian Leader looks at the cultural setting for bipolar disorder, and suggests a new way of making sense of the condition. And the architect Sunand Prasad and critic Rowan Moore discuss meaning in architecture and the role of the audience - or the public as we call them when discussing buildings ...
May 08, 2013•45 min
Matthew Sweet talks to actor, writer and international screen star Terence Stamp as a season of his films re-examines his career at London's British Film Institute.
May 07, 2013•43 min
Anne McElvoy hosts a special edition looking at the state of warfare in the modern world. Today Western nations find themselves in conflicts with enemy networks, rather than enemy nations, the technology of war has developed to using unmanned aerial vehicles, and our increasing reliance on the internet raises the spectre cyber warfare. Do these developments mean we've entered a new era for warfare? What do they mean for the ethics of conflict in the modern world?
May 02, 2013•45 min
50 years since 'Billy Liar' was released Samira Ahmed talks to one of the film’s stars, Helen Fraser, and film historian Melanie Williams to discuss its role in British cinema. When it comes to success and leadership, are those who are extroverted given an unfair advantage? Susan Cain, who argues the power of the introvert is undervalued, Julia Hobsbawm, the business woman dubbed the "Queen of Networking", and the cultural historian Henry Hitchings discuss. Sarah Kent talks about the artist Elle...
May 02, 2013•46 min
Philip Dodd talks to film and television producer Tony Garnett about his career including his early BBC work with Ken Loach, the traumatic death of his parents. Margaret Mead was a famous anthropologist who fought for a seat at the table of international relations for her discipline. Discussing her legacy and the shifting status of anthropology are Peter Mandler, author of a new book about her, and the anthropologist Kit Davies. In his latest book Steve Jones asks how the Bible fares as a scient...
May 01, 2013•46 min
Matthew Sweet is on stage at the Theatre Royal Stratford East for a post-performance discussion of The Octoroon, by Dion Boucicault, which can be heard on Sunday 5 May 2013 on Drama on 3. To discuss the enduring appeal and legacy of the play, Matthew Sweet is joined by playwright Mark Ravenhill, who adapted the play for Radio 3; the cultural commentator Kit Davis; the Victorian theatre expert Anne Varty; and two of the cast members, Amaka Okafor and Golden Globe nominee Toby Jones. As the play’s...
Apr 30, 2013•45 min
Simon Schama joins Anne McElvoy to discuss his foray into literature, and the controversy it caused amongst historians. As a new series starts on BBC 2 looking at American Primetime TV, Simon Schama, Alan Yentob and American TV Executive Caryn Mandabach discuss how popular American TV series have reflected American social history. Kamila Shamsie, reflects on Intizar Husain and his masterpiece, Basti, a vivid fictional account of Pakistan from partition to the present that has made its author one...
Apr 26, 2013•46 min
Philip Dodd, Jesse Norman MP, Lord Maurice Glasman, the author Paul Kingsnorth, theatre director Lisa Goldman, Dr Joanne Parker of the English Department of Exeter University and the broadcaster and historian Michael Wood discuss the enigma of Englishness and its uses as an identity.
Apr 25, 2013•45 min
