The Culture Show

Verity Sharp presents an accessible guide to the best exhibitions, books, films and music. As Disney's effects-laden The Incredibles opens in cinemas, The Culture Show considers the future of traditional hand-painted animation. And David Hockney talks to Andrew Marr about his new book Hockney's Pictures.

As the newly expanded Museum of Modern Art in New York reopens, world-renowned art critic Robert Hughes is offered a first look into the building designed by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi. Kwame Kwei-Armah presents the arts round-up.

Ahead of its official opening by the Queen, Charles Hazlewood gets an advance look inside the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, and examines whether this long-awaited performing arts centre can live up to expectations. Plus the other top arts and cultural stories of the week.

Dissected livestock, a cast of a house, a painting with elephant dung and an electrical time switch - all past winners of the Turner Prize. Tonight Mariella Frostrup takes a look at this year's shortlist ahead of next week's award ceremony. Plus the most prominent arts and culture stories of the week.

Germaine Greer meets artist Paula Rego and Andrew Graham-Dixon uncovers the secret of Velazquez's 'Lady with a Fan'. Plus reports on animated film 'Valiant' and the death of broadsheet newspapers.

A report on Gateshead's new Sage music centre, which opens tomorrow, plus the rest of the top stories in art and culture. With Charles Hazlewood.

A reminder of the genius of 17th century Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. Franz Ferdinand reveal the ideas behind their songs, and the homeless stage an opera in Nottingham. Plus the restoration of Bexhill's modernist masterpiece, the De La Warr Pavilion, and Salman Rushdie's gruelling publicity tour of Britain and the United States for his book Shalimar the Clown.

With John Le Carre's novel The Constant Gardener on release as a film, the writer talks about conspiracy theories. Plus sculptor Rachel Whiteread's work for Tate Modern; the search for Britain's best city for music; director Todd Solondz on photographer Diane Arbus's bizarre vision; the boom in guides to modern etiquette; and Britain's new ballet capital - Birmingham.

Comment on the Turner Prize shortlist, while Henri Rousseau's paintings come to the Tate. Director Tim Burton talks about Corpse Bride and the rising musical stars of the F-ire Collective explain how they plan to shake up British jazz. Plus a glimpse of one of the most ambitious pieces of public art since the Angel of the North.

An exclusive encounter with the secretive guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy, a report into the search for an authentic portrait of William Shakespeare, plus a rare interview with composer Karlheinz Stockhausen.

A rare interview with controversial French author Michel Houellebecq on his new book, The Possibility of an Island, Sir Timothy Clifford on 21 years as the head of Scotland's National Galleries, and how the search for a new way of dealing with the visual arts in remote rural areas has thrown up a new musical fusion: knitting and opera.

An exhibition at the Royal Academy titled Three Emperors kicks off a season of China-related cultural events in London. Michael Rosen searches Britain for "suburban utopia" in recognition of 50 years of Ian Nairn's controversial book Counter-attack against Subtopia. Martha Wainwright discusses her music. Tom Hunter talks about photographing modern versions of Old Master paintings. Valery Gergiev reflects on the music of Shostakovitch.

What is the public's favourite piece of British design since 1900? The Great British Design Quest aims to find out with everything from the Mini to the mini-skirt being considered. Plus Gwyneth Paltrow on her new film Proof and hip-hop star 50 Cent on why he's branching out from music into merchandising. With Verity Sharp.

With Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown heading for the courts accused of plagiarism, the arts show asks if the bestselling book was a rip-off. Sarah Waters discusses The Night Watch, her new novel of lesbian love in wartime England, while director Werner Herzog talks about his latest film Grizzly Man. Plus the gothic work of Fuseli and William Blake , the controversy over performers who mime and the future of public libraries. Hosted by Verity Sharp.

At the Winter Olympics in Turin, an accompanying "snow show" brings together the likes of Yoko Ono and Norman Foster to make monumental - albeit inevitably short-lived - creations of snow and ice. The show also explores why Britain is getting a new National Theatre, and goes on tour with comedians the Mighty Boosh. Andrew Graham-Dixon hosts.

As part of the strand's Great British Design Quest, Verity Sharp reveals the top ten British creations of the last 100 years as voted for by the public. The overall winner will be announced on 16 March. Plus Matthew Sweet on a century of ventriloquists and end-of-pier performers, and the man billed as the first great new composer of the 21st century: Osvaldo Golijov.

Two big Hollywood names are interviewed: director Robert Altman , who at the age of 80 is about to direct his first play on the London stage: and actor Philip Seymour Hoffman , Oscar nominee for his title role in the film Capote. Plus a look at Richard Rogers 's new building for the Welsh Assembly and the latest on the search to find Britain's favourite piece of 20th-century design. With Verity Sharp.

George Clooney discusses politics and film-making. There's a report from Amsterdam on Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and a look at Welsh rock music. Mark Kermode awards his alternative Oscars, and Saira Khan of The Apprentice reports on the Festival of Muslim Culture. Charles Hazlewood reveals the final contenders for our favourite design. And can DBC Pierre repeat the success of Vernon God Little?

Andrew Graham-Dixon goes behind the hype to reveal the true genius of Leonardo da Vinci. The Pet Shop Boys discuss the future of pop, and viewers get to nominate the parts of British culture they can live without.

An interview with director Ken Loach at the Cannes film festival as he waits to see whether he has won the coveted Palme d'Or. Plus Mark Kermode reflects on disaster movies as United 93 hits our cinema screens.

What brought New York punk icon Patti Smith to Charleston, the rural retreat of the Bloomsbury group. Plus, the ingredients of the perfect pop song according to Paul Weller, and the naturally curly actor Alan Davies laments the demise of the perm.

A visit to Nottingham, currently home to the biggest showcase of contemporary art in Britain. Plus Zina Saro-Wiwa meets the puppets and stars of Broadway hit Avenue Q, author Elmore Leonard gives tips on how to write a novel, Matthew Sweet explores the booming subculture of the paranormal, and Perrier Award-winning comedian Laura Solon hits the road.

Acclaimed British film actress Charlotte Rampling discusses her revitalised career as one of European cinema's most glamorous grandes dames; Studs Terkel, arguably America's greatest recorder of oral history, relives his encounters with Bob Dylan , Dizzy Gillespie and Martin Luther King ; celebrating 25 years of hip music channel MTV; and the dirtier side of architecture - yes, incinerators and sewage farms can be beautiful, too. Presented by Verity Sharp.

Sir Simon Rattle talks about the production of Wagner's Ring cycle he's conducting next month at the Aix-en-Provence festival, renowned artists Bill Viola and Gillian Wearing unveil their latest video installations, and Inspector Lynley creator Elizabeth George discusses researching her next novel. Plus, the conclusion of Danny Robins ' quest to see all of Shakespeare's plays in a month, views from viewers on the bits of contemporary culture they wish to avoid, and, as the series ends, recommendations from the critics of what to look out for over the summer months. Presented by Andrew Graham -Dixon. The series is set to return in September.

Scissor Sisters discuss their inspirations, Oliver Stone discusses his new movie World Trade Center and Sting performs tracks from his new album. Plus buildings that make us laugh, Holbein at the Tate and a quirky take on the Booker Prize shortlist. Presented by Lauren Laverne.

As Michael Palin publishes his diaries, he discusses his part in one of the most influential comedy troupes. The show investigates Palin the actor, and looks at his evolution into a national treasure. Eddie Izzard , Vic Reeves , the creators of South Park, and Chris Addison pay tribute.

Presenter Lauren Laverne launches the search for Britain's greatest living icon, with Russell Brand, Lily Allen , Max Clifford and David Bailey offering their suggestions. Plus Mark Kermode talks to Sofia Coppola about her latest controversial film Marie Antoinette , hip-hop stars OutKast discuss their taste in music, Andrew Graham-Dixon meets award-winning video artist Candice Breitz, and Matthew Sweet asks why craft has never been so cool.

As Britain's biggest exhibition of Velazquez's work opens at the National Gallery in London, host Lauren Laverne is taken on a guided tour by art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon to examine the work of the Spanish painter. Plus Mark Kermode asks actor Gael Garcia Bernal about the rise in popularity of Mexican cinema, author John Grisham talks about his new book An Innocent Man, Radiohead's Thom Yorke discusses his turbulent relationship with the press, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker give a masterclass on how to cause offence, and the search for Britain's greatest living icon continues.

Damon Albarn talks about his new band the Good, the Bad and the Queen, who are due to make an appearance at the BBC's Electric Proms season. Plus a sneak look inside star architect Zaha Hadid's first UK building - the Maggie's Fife centre in Scotland, and Britain's favourite female artist Beryl Cook talks about turning 80 and still not being shown in the Tate. Also, presenter Lauren Laverne catches up with comic duo Mitchell and Webb, who are about to take their show on the road.

Steven Spielberg, the world's most commercially successful director, talks to Mark Kermode about his career - from first sneaking into Universal Studios to the blockbusters he has helmed, including ET, Jaws and Saving Private Ryan.

Lauren Laverne presents the magazine show which casts a critical eye over the arts. Comedians Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson reveal why phone-ins are ripe for ridicule and preview the new series of their BBC Radio 4 spoof Down the Line. The naughty brothers of British art, Jake and Dinos Chapman , talk to Mark Kermode about their controversial new show at Tate Liverpool, Bad Art for Bad People, and there's a look at how porn culture is entering the mainstream. Plus, Lauren Laverne picks out the five bands to watch out for in including the View and the Brian Jacket Letdown.

Leonardo DiCaprio talks about his controversial new film, Blood Diamond, while presenter Lauren Laverne visits the small seaside town of Anstruther in Fife, home to the Fence Collective and one of Britain's most vibrant alternative music scenes. Mark Kermode meets Christopher Guest and asks him about his new film, For Your Consideration. Andrew Graham-Dixon examines the work of Hogarth and Canaletto, two 18th-century artists who portrayed contemporary life very differently.

This week's smorgasbord of the arts includes a look at what happened when Bill Bailey joined forces with the BBC Concert Orchestra for his cosmic shindig. Comedians Stewart Lee, Phill Jupitus and Robin Ince pay tribute to 1980s comic Ted Chippington. Danny Robins infiltrates the alternative folk scene and actor Patrick Stewart talks to presenter Lauren Laverne about the differing demands of Shakespeare and Star Trek. Plus there's music from pop phenomenon Mika.

The stars of Shaun of the Dead and new movie Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost talk about gun-slinging action movies, and the show goes on the road with new rave pioneers, the Klaxons. Andrew Graham-Dixon reviews Citizens and Kings: Portraits in the Age of Revolution, 1760-1830, the new exhibition at the Royal Academy, and Bat for Lashes play live in the studio. Plus the first of 50 Culture Show plaques is awarded and viewers give their suggestions as to where they think deserves a plaque.

Art critic Ben Lewis expresses grave doubts about the work of artist duo Gilbert and George as their retrospective opens at Tate Modern, while musician Brett Anderson and Janet Street-Porter offer a riposte. Director Michel Gondry talks to Mark Kermode about his next film, The Science of Sleep. Musician Nick Cave talks about his latest project, Grinderman, and there's a behind-the-scenes look as designer Duro Olowu launches his new collection.

Everything Is Average Nowadays: at least according to Kaiser Chiefs' eagerly anticipated second album - they explain why. Ahead of tomorrow's Oscars ceremony, Mark Kermode offers his highly coveted alternative awards, the Kermodes, to those he thinks deserve praise but who won't be acknowledged by the Academy. Tom Dyckoff assesses architect David Adjaye 's ambition to build spaces that bring communities together, and acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Florez speaks to Zina Saro-Wiwa . Presented by Lauren Laverne.

Lauren Laverne talks to the Manic Street Preachers, who perform live and discuss their new album Send Away the Tigers. Eurovision Song Contest fan Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy gives his take on how to write the perfect Eurovision song and political cartoonist Steve Bell talks about his work as a major retrospective exhibition opens in Norwich. Mark Kermode picks up the thread of the story behind the action adventure Spider-Man 3.

This week, Andrew Graham-Dixon tours Britain's land art in a helicopter, Chinese pianist Lang Lang demonstrates his virtuoso skills and Charlie Brooker surveys the week's TV highlights. Plus there's a look at how 9/11 has been depicted in a graphic novel and why chess is the latest urban craze. With music from Mutya Buena and Groove Armada. Lauren Laverne hosts.

This week Helena Bonham Carter discusses her role in the acclaimed film Conversations with Other Women and Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips gives a masterclass in rock showmanship as festival goers gear up for the summer season. There's an examination of just how good the new Wembley stadium is and Mark Kermode sings the praises of the unfashionable music genre skiff le, with a contribution from his own rockabilly band, the Dodge Brothers. There's also live music from broken beat rising star Mpho Skeef. Presented by Lauren Laverne.

This week Mark Kermode travels to the Cannes Film Festival to talk to cult filmmakers the Coen brothers about their new movie, No Country for Old Men. Meanwhile, art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon takes to the skies in a helicopter to present his favourite land art from the air. And Zina Saro Wiwa laments the slow death of pub culture in our major cities. Presented by Lauren Laverne.

Paul McCartney discusses his new album Memory Almost Full and how his work has changed since his first meeting with John Lennon, 50 years ago this summer. Elsewhere, Kitty Empire pitches up at Glastonbudget, a festival where all the acts are tribute bands, and there's a peek at Damien Hirst's latest collection. Plus Mark Kermode's film round-up and a performance by rapper Dizzee Rascal.

A special edition focusing on the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank after its two-year refit. Architecture critic Tom Dyckhoff and Verity Sharp assess its impact then and now. Jarvis Cocker reveals the reasons for his choices for this year's Meltdown festival and John Barry talks about his part in the festival. In a special end to the show, Cornershop perform their own version of Waterloo Sunset on the terrace.

Lauren Laverne kicks off a new series with Mark Kermode gaining a rare interview with Canadian country music star Neil Young. The acclaimed songwriter talks about his forthcoming album Chrome Dreams 2 and looks back at the changes of direction his music has taken over the past four decades. Elsewhere, Quentin Tarantino provides a masterclass in creating the perfect movie soundtrack, Andrew Graham-Dixon takes an aerial tour of Britain's land art, and Tim Samuels saturates a Scottish village with copies of this year's Booker-nominated novels to find out who gets the villagers' vote for the prize. Plus music from Oxford indie trio the Young Knives.

Lauren Laverne meets fashion designer Matthew Williamson ahead of his upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum, and Andrew Graham-Dixon visits the Tuscan city of Siena to assess its role in the Renaissance. In Reykjavik, Verity Sharp talks to Icelandic band Sigur Ros about their film Heima, which focuses on the group's series of unannounced gigs performed across their home country in 2006. Elsewhere, Tom Dyckhoff profiles some of Britain's best young architects and Mark Kermode reviews the week's movie releases.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner reviews the latest films which deal with the war on terror, including Lions for Lambs and Rendition. Verity Sharp talks to Cate Blanchett about Elizabeth: The Golden Age and her role as Bob Dylan in the Oscar-tipped I'm Not There. Plus fresh from the Electric Proms, Handsome Family perform live.

Tom Dyckhoff gets a sneak preview of the newly refurbished St Pancras International station in London, before embarking on a tour of Europe's most striking train stations. Elsewhere, Andrew Graham-Dixon visits the Palais des Beaux Arts in Lille, while actor and Oscar-winning director Robert Redford talks to Mark Kermode about his latest drama Lions for Lambs. Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant , and Alison Krauss , bluegrass diva, discuss their new album Raising Sand, which is winning enormous critical acclaim. Plus a backstage report of life on the road with Canadian singer/songwriter Feist, and music from experimental pop singer Bishi.

[Episode 5] In a wide-ranging and frank interview, Stephen Poliakoff talks to Mark Kermode about the themes he explores in his works and how he has maintained his status as an auteur. There are also contributions from some of the leading actors who have worked with Poliakoff including Sir Michael Gambon, David Walliams, Rupert Penry-Jones, Ruth Wilson and Kelly Reilly. [Episode 5]

Tim Samuels examines the enduring power of Beowulf, an epic eighth-century Anglo-Saxon poem that has recently been dramatised into a film starring Ray Winstone. Elsewhere, actor and director Steve Buscemi talks to Mark Kermode about making Interview with Sienna Miller; Scottish electro-pop star Calvin Harris takes us behind the scenes of his UK tour; and Radio Times's Grace Dent casts her acid eye over the flood of US TV series starring British actors such as Bionic Woman, which features former EastEnders star Michelle Ryan. Plus, reviews of Ridley Scott 's American Gangster and the much-anticipated dramatisation of Monica Ali's novel Brick Lane.

US movie star and stand-up comedian Chris Rock talks to Lauren Laverne about what tickles his funny bone. Mark Kermode interviews Sweeney Todd star Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton , while the Coen brothers talk about their acclaimed modern western No Country for Old Men. Author Toby Young goes to New York where the film version of his book How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is being made and confronts Simon Pegg , who has the difficult job of playing the writer on the big screen. Plus Glasgow band Sons and Daughters perform a song from new album This Gift.

Lauren Laverne hosts another bumper batch of cultural gems, including Mark Kermode talking to the multiple Oscar winner Tom Hanks about his latest film, Charlie Wilson 's War, plus there's an interview with cult actress Laura Linney about her role in The Savages. Elsewhere, BBC Radio 1's DJ Nihal travels to Belgium to meet the Dewaele brothers, better known as Soulwax, Author Conn Iggulden visits a story-telling festival in Galway, and folk rockers Beirut hit the streets of Cardiff to see how much they can make as buskers. Studio music comes from electro-pop stars Hot Chip.

Lauren Laverne meets Elliot Page , who has been nominated for an Oscar for her role in the acclaimed film Juno. Also, can art ever make you laugh? London's Hayward Gallery thinks so. They're staging an exhibition called Laughing in a Foreign Language. Podcaster Karl Pilkington takes comic Noel Fielding to find out whether this show can deliver. Elsewhere, artist and film director Julian Schnabel talks to Mark Kermode about his film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Tim Samuels has a night on the tiles with New York singer/songwriter Jeffrey Lewis.

Lauren Laverne lays out another smorgasbord of the arts, including author JG Ballard talking to Mark Kermode about his autobiography and artist Sebastian Horsley coming face to face with six representations of St Sebastian by the great Italian painter Guido Reni. There's a look at a reworking of Mozart's The Magic Flute, Tim Samuels tracks down his childhood hero Morrissey and Verity Sharp talks to kd lang about her album Watershed. In addition Seasick Steve brings his three-string guitar blues to the bar.

Lauren Laverne dishes up another succulent banquet of the arts, including fashion designer Giles Deacon and comic duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Plus, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter discusses the magazine's portraits, which are due to go up in the National Portrait Gallery. Plus music from Moby. Series producer Danielle Graham ; Exec producer Edward Morgan

Lauren Laverne shakes up another intoxicating cocktail of the arts, including, on the eve of the Oscars, film critic Mark Kermode revealing his winners. Plus there's electronics whizz Moritz Waldemeyer, fashion designer Henry Holland and cellist Josephine Knight. Meanwhile, former Pixie, Frank Black, busks and Duffy performs in the bar.

Lauren Laverne and Mark Kermode return to present a new run of the arts show, which this week joins Ricky Gervais on set in America as he directs his first feature film This Side of the Truth. Meanwhile art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon is in Vienna attempting a Freudian analysis of the work of Gustav Klimt, and Mark joins contemporary poet Simon Armitage as he attempts to release his inner rock star in London's trendy Shoreditch.

Lauren Laverne and Mark Kermode host the arts show, tonight featuring 27-year-old Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel , some striking land art along the M8 motorway in Scotland, and more from Mark Pilkington on the set of Ricky Gervais 's film This Side of the Truth. Plus the latest movie releases, including The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton , and The Happening, and music from Elbow and Richard Hawley.

Vic Reeves visits Folkestone to find out whether its inaugural triennial, previewing new works by artists like Tracey Emin and Mark Wallinger , can breathe new life into the town. The BBC Big Band and blues singer Beth Rowley perform at the reopening of Morecambe's newly restored Modernist gem, the Midland Hotel, and there's a special tribute to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Plus a preview of the imminent Edinburgh Film Festival and music from Neon Neon. Presented by Lauren Laverne and Mark Kermode.

Mark Kermode interviews film director Nick Roeg, who turns 80 in August, and whose new film Puffball, based on the novel by Fay Weldon , has so far been panned by critics in advance of its release next month. Plus Peep Show writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong discuss their influences, and Tim Samuels saturates the village of Comrie in Perthshire with hundreds of copies of the novels shortlisted for the coveted title Best of the Booker, due to be announced on 10 July. Music comes from Brazilian disco-funk outfit CSS.

London. In the spirit of Orwellian dread, ex-Celebrity Big Brother housemate Germaine Greer chairs a book group comprising former Big Brother contestants to consider George Orwell 's novel 7984, 60 years after its publication. Plus, DJ Bishi on his blending of English, Bengali and Bulgarian music to the London Symphony Orchestra's Eclectica soundscapes project, and tightrope walker Philippe Petit discusses the new Sundance Film Festival-winning documentary Man on Wire, which deals with his 1974 walk between New York's Twin Towers.

Former Baltimore police reporter David Simon , creator of acclaimed US cop show The Wire, accounts for its impact. With the upcoming Proms featuring many of Vaughan Williams 's key works, Verity Sharp explores his musical legacy on the 50th anniversary of his death. Lauren Laverne and Mark Kermode present.

Lauren Laverne meets style icon and musical innovator Grace Jones, Mark Kermode celebrates the 25th anniversary of cherished film Local Hero, and Andrew Graham -Dixon argues that £100 million is small beer to prevent two paintings by Titian being sold abroad.

Actress Angelina Jolie discusses her career, Martin Freeman meets The Funk Brothers, and Tom Hunter gives Titian's Diana and Actaeon a modern spin.

Five accomplished artists guest this week: actor Michael Sheen discusses his role in Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon while singer Tom Jones takes the show's busking challenge; plus Scottish poet Mick Imlah, music producer Kanye West and, in the week he turns 50, Oscar-winning animator Nick Park. Lauren Laverne hosts.

The Culture Show takes a look at the cinematic visionary, Baz Luhrmann. The director of Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet, and Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann deals in colour, romance and spectacle. He has directed La Boheme on Broadway, and had a worldwide hit single with Wear Sunscreen. Now he's embarked on his most ambitious film to date Australia - a 130 million dollar epic set in northern Australia on the eve of World War II, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Lauren Laverne, Mark Kermode and Andrew Graham-Dixon look back at some of the year's cultural highlights, including a powerful interview with the film director Anthony Minghella, who died last March. Elsewhere, an "encounter" with the late artist Marcel Duchamp and music from Elbow with Richard Hawley. Plus Johnny Depp and Ricky Gervais.

This special edition, marking the 50th anniversary of Motown Records, sees actor and Motown devotee Martin Freeman making the trip of a lifetime to Detroit, and then Los Angeles, to meet some of the label's biggest stars - among them, Duke Fakir of the original Four Tops, Otis Williams, Martha Reeves and Mary Wilson, as well as Marlon, Tito and Jackie from the Jackson Five.

Highlights from the Manchester International Festival, including a collaboration between film-maker Adam Curtis, theatre company Punchdrunk and Damon Albarn - the theatrical experience It Felt like a Kiss. Plus the Young at Heart Choir, a group of singers aged 70-plus, whose new show is based on iconic Manchester songs, and an interview with Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk.

This second show from the Manchester International Festival sees Rufus Wainwright discuss his first opera, Prima Donna; dancer Carlos Acosta preparing a new work for the festival; and a profile of the Young at Heart chorus - 25 singers in their 70s and 80s who are preparing a new show based on iconic Manchester songs. Also tonight, Zaha Hadid converts the Manchester Art Gallery into a music hall where violinist Alina Ibragimova performs Bach.

Tim Marlow presents from the Manchester International Festival, examining the collaboration between indie band Elbow and the Halle Orchestra. Vini Reilly pays tribute to "Madchester" music producer Tony Wilson, and Tom Dyckhoff assesses Zaha Hadid 's new chamber-music hall.

Lawrence Pollard presents from the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall, which features an unusual mix of literature, music and summer entertainment.

Lauren Laverne hosts this week's show from the courtyard of Somerset House in central London, where Pedro Almodovar's new film Broken Embraces is premiering. There she meets the director and the film's star, Penelope Cruz. Also tonight, Mark Kermode chats to director Sam Mendes and Andrew Graham-Dixon reveals a mosaic marvel at Westminster Abbey.

Lauren Laverne presents from the Pleasance Courtyard - the heart of the biggest ever Edinburgh festival. Lauren looks at the best of the first week of the Fringe, including The Hotel, a transformed building in the city centre which offers a different theatrical, comic or musical experience in every room (directed by comedian Mark Watson), and Internal at The Traverse Theatre, which explores the worlds of speed dating and group therapy, and makes the audience take part in both.

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo present a packed edition from the London film festival, featuring highlights and an interview with David Morrissey about his directorial debut. Michael Palin discusses his films and new book, while Toby Young talks to Cosmo Landesman and Peter Bradshaw about the role of the critics. Plus Miranda Sawyer 's visit to the Frieze Art Fair.

As the Glasgow School of Art celebrates its centenary, Lauren Laverne is on hand to tell its story. Art critic Matthew Collings looks at an exhibition of Van Gogh's letters, while Andrew Graham-Dixon reviews a National Gallery exhibition of Spanish religious art. Actor and Motown fan Martin Freeman interviews his idol, iconic soul star Smokey Robinson, and there's a look at Halloween movies.

With the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford due to reopen after a multimillion-pound makeover, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the 39 new galleries. Meanwhile, writer Michael Smith looks at the city's "town and gown" divide. Jane Campion, director of Bright Star, a new film about John Keats, discusses the poet's oeuvre with his biographer Andrew Motion. Also, Lauren Laverne looks at how the internet is the early bird when it comes to new formats for comedy, and Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode discuss the future of 3-D films.

Tom Dyckhoff takes a look around the new Nottingham Contemporary Art Centre, which opens with a show devoted to painter David Hockney, and examines how art galleries have become icons in their own right. Crime writer James Ellroy talks to Miranda Sawyer about artist Ed Ruscha, while Harold Evans discusses the future of the British press with Matthew d'Ancona. Plus a short film by Alain de Botton about Heathrow's Terminal 5 and a tour of places associated with great poets to mark publishing house Faber & Faber's 80th anniversary.

Mark Kermode is at Aardman Studios in Bristol to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit's first outing, with contributions from creator Nick Park and celebrity fans including Sir Terry Wogan, Jonathan Ross and Ian Hislop. Elsewhere, actor and comedian Steve Martin talks to Lauren Laverne about his love of the banjo and bluegrass music.

Is it last orders for the public house, once a cornerstone of British cultural life? Lauren Laverne looks at the past, present and future of the drinking establishment. Sting performs songs from his new album at the Cumberland Arms, one of the oldest inns in Newcastle, and Carol Ann Duffy reads a poem she has written to celebrate the pub. Elsewhere there's an interview with musician John Cale, a debate on films with an end-of-the-world theme, and Martha Wainwright joins Lauren to sing a track from her new album.

The Culture Show returns with a programme presented by Verity Sharp from the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. In 2010, the festival pays tribute to Nick Drake, 35 years since his death at just 26. He's now recognized as one of the 20th century's most influential singer-songwriters.

Andrew Graham Dixon presents from the Old Vic, where Toby Young talks to artistic director Kevin Spacey. Andrew visits the Chris Offili show at Tate Britain and then heads off to Michael Landy's controversial Art Bin. Mark Kermode talks to Peter Jackson about his new film The Lovely Bones, and Jacques Peretti looks into Wikileaks, the anonymous whistleblowing internet site. Paul Mason meets Slavoj Zizeck, described as the most dangerous philosopher in the West, and asks him about his book First as Tragedy, Then as Farce. Finally, Miranda Sawyer chats to hip-hop pioneer Roots Manuva.

Andrew Graham Dixon presents an edition featuring the big guns of literature, theatre and classical music. Martin Amis talks about his latest novel, The Pregnant Widow; actor Kwame Kwei Armah goes behind the scenes with legendary theatre director Peter Brook; and superstar pianist Daniel Barenboim demonstrates his passion for Schoenberg.

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents from the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, where he explores the new exhibition of war artist and surrealist Paul Nash. Tom Dyckhoff talks to Ron Arad about his first major British exhibition about to open at the Barbican. Mark Kermode talks to fashion designer-turned-film-director Tom Ford about his debut film The Single Man. Writer Michael Smith discusses patriotism and Rule Britannia, and psychologist Oliver James chats to author Siri Hustvedt about her latest book The Shaking Woman. Artur Pizarro talks to Clemency Burton-Hill about Chopin, and we hear how Damien Hirst sent a little something to a woman he saw on telly.

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents the latest edition of The Culture Show and meets two-time Man Booker prize winner Peter Carey to discuss his latest novel, Parrot and Olivier in America. Fashion photographer Rankin gives his opinion of the new Irving Penn retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery. Masters of the macabre - Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman set out to find out what really scares us in their new theatrical experience, Ghost Stories. Clemency Burton-Hill meets exciting new choreographer Jonathan Watkins as he rehearses his new work for The Royal Ballet. Peter York takes us through the ever changing culture of business books. Alan Yentob meets art collector Anthony d'Offay, and Hadley Freeman advises what not to wear on the eve of London Fashion Week.

Miranda Sawyer chats to Stephen Vicinczey about his 1965 novel and cult classic, In Praise of Older Women. Tom Dyckhoff has an access-all-areas pass to the Design Awards, and Mark Kermode introduces the fifth Kermode Awards for those cruelly overlooked by Uncle Oscar. Clemency Burton-Hill talks to Tom Morris about his new production Romeo and Her Juliet, which casts the famous lovers as 80-year-olds, and Alan Yentob chairs a discussion with culture ministers from the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Scottish Nationalist parties with questions from leading figures from the world of art and culture. Before the release of the first feature film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, the Culture Show previews the film and looks at how the artist achieved a global reputation, building a career which has gone from the walls of back streets in London to the pinnacle of the contemporary art movement.

Coming from the Brighton Festival, artistic director Brian Eno talks about his line-up, Miranda Sawyer drops in at rehearsals of Simon Stephens's new play Marine Parade, and we hear from Seun Kuti, youngest son of Fela and successor of the Afrobeat crown. Sue Perkins visits the Scottish highlands to hear an unusual performance of Benjamin Britten's opera Noye's Fludde, while Mark Kermode reports from the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. Andrew Graham-Dixon meets prize winning author David Mitchell and explores the new Mystery Portraits exhibition at Montacute House. Plus Alastair Sooke talks to artist Alex Katz about his show at the National Portrait Gallery and portrait of Anna Wintour, editor of US Vogue.

Art critic Matthew Collings celebrates the birthday of one of the most successful modern art museums in the world. With contributions from director of Tate, Sir Nicholas Serota, and artists Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Rachel Whiteread and Olafur Eliasson, this Culture Show special asks what lies behind the extraordinary popularity of Tate Modern, with over 45 million visitors to date, and examines how this institution has changed public perceptions of art forever.

Andrew Graham-Dixon discovers the history of gargoyles at Westminster Abbey and travels to Llandudno, Wales for a preview of the new Mostyn Gallery. Miranda Sawyer and Mark Kermode argue over theatre versus film, Michael Smith questions the heritage industry, Sarfraz Manzoor visits The Onion in America, and literary critic Geoff Dyer reviews the new wave of war writing.

Andrew Graham-Dixon contemplates the past, present and future of British comic art; artist Grayson Perry looks at the dwindling craft of potting; while Tom Dyckhoff checks into hospital to find out if good design can actually improve our health. Plus an all male book group from Bolton checks out the Orange Prize shortlist, rising star Noel Clarke talks about his latest film and pictures from Platon - Brit photographer for the New Yorker.

An episode dedicated to the relationship between science and art. Andrew Graham-Dixon investigates the science behind fakes, misattributed art and previously lost masterpieces. Michael Smith visits the Wellcome Collection's bizarre new show Skin. Mark Kermode talks to mathematician and movie buff Marcus Du Sautoy about the portrayal of science in film. Will Self walks the East Riding coast riffing on its erosion, and Tom Dyckhoff visits the world's first materials library that will inspire the buildings of the future. Clemency Burton-Hill talks to artist Conrad Shawcross, and Ben Lewis conducts a poll to measure attitudes on the future of art.

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents a Culture Show special from the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, the biggest open submission exhibition in the world, now in its 242nd year. He goes behind the scenes of the selection process and picks out four artists he hopes will make it into the show. Tom Dyckhoff explores the architecture room, this year bigger than ever before, curated by star architect David Chipperfield. Alastair Sooke talks to artist Fiona Rae in the process of selecting work for one of the rooms at the show. Andrew Graham-Dixon sits in as the judges for the Wollaston Prize decide who should win the 25,000 pound prize for the most important artwork in the exhibition. Critics Matthew Collings and Miranda Sawyer, plus artist Grayson Perry, share their thoughts on the highs and lows of the 2010 show.

Coming from the 60th anniversary celebrations for the Festival of Britain where Nancy Durrant talks to Tracey Emin about her new show at the Hayward. Also, Andrew Graham-Dixon travels north to the new Hepworth Wakefield exhibition space designed by David Chipperfield, while Tom Dyckhoff explores the militarisation of urban architecture. Mark Kermode tries the new video game LA Noire, which draws its inspiration from film noir, while record producer Danger Mouse talks about his new album Rome, spawned from the spaghetti western soundtrack. Alastair Sooke checks out the four shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize Museum of the Year and choreographer Wayne McGregor selects his own prize moments from the BBC archives.

Hugh Laurie was best known for playing bumbling British toffs until he reinvented his onscreen persona in the role of House MD, and became the highest paid actor in the world. One skill that features throughout his meteoric career is a facility for music, from Bertie Wooster bashing out Minnie the Moocher to House dueting with a patient. Now though, Laurie has finally put his music centre stage. As he releases an album of New Orleans blues titled Let Them Talk, he speaks with Alan Yentob about the role music has played in his life and career.

Fronted by Andrew Graham-Dixon, this week's Culture Show comes from the recently revamped Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and ranges from sci-fi to psychopaths, with Shakespeare, singing, art, hip-hop, design and new media packed in too.

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents The Culture Show featuring David Attenborough on British painter John Craxton; actor turned director Philip Seymour Hoffman on his new film Jack Goes Boating and Alan Hollinghurst on his latest novel The Stranger's Child.

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents from the 2011 Manchester International Festival featuring new plays by Victoria Wood and Johnny Vegas, music from Bjork and Damon Albarn, and performance artist Marina Abramovic.

Sue Perkins presents the first of three programmes featuring highlights from 2011's Edinburgh Festival. Marc Almond tells us about his acting role in a new musical play, Ten Plagues; AS Byatt talks about her latest novel prior to her appearance at the Book Festival; and Alastair Sooke gives his verdict on the exhibition of work by Robert Rauschenberg, one of America's most influential 20th century artists. Also the best comedy and performance from the Fringe.

The Culture Show is back and will be featuring many of the highlights from the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. In this episode, Mark Kermode meets film director David Cronenberg and his lead actor Robert Pattinson to talk about their new movie Cosmopolis. Martin Amis discusses class, character and his latest novel, while Yoko Ono makes a bid to get the whole world smiling. There is a a performance from the acclaimed Pina Bausch dance company, and Andrew Graham-Dixon joins Michael Landy and Bob and Roberta Smith to discover what happens when a gallery is transformed into a classroom and the artists take charge of the lessons.

In this episode, comedian Alexei Sayle joins art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon at Tate Liverpool for an exhibition of later works from three of the greatest painters of the last 150 years: Turner, Monet and Twombly. Mark Kermode interrogates director William Friedkin about his new blackly comic film Killer Joe. Miranda Sawyer travels to the Eden Project in Cornwall to talk Matilda, musicals and megalomania with Tim Minchin. We have an exclusive extract from a lovingly restored print of Alfred Hitchcock's debut feature film with live music specially composed by Daniel Patrick Cohen; and James Runcie meets Richard Ford to explore the borderline between the ordinary and the criminal in his haunting new novel Canada.

This week The Culture Show comes from London's East End, where Andrew Graham-Dixon takes a photo tour of a changing landscape with Newham's famous son and legendary snapper David Bailey. Alan Yentob has a rainy encounter with controversial architect Renzo Piano, the mastermind behind Britain's tallest skyscraper The Shard. Mark Kermode meets the actor with over seventy films to his credit, Willem Dafoe, to talk about his latest movie The Hunter. Ground-breaking all-male dance company Tomorrow's Men perform; and Sarfraz Manzoor tees off with Booker prize-shortlisted author Nicola Barker whose new comic novel The Yips unearths the giddy world of golf.

Mark Kermode is in Bexhill-on-Sea, the setting for a new sculpture from artist Richard Wilson which recreates the final scene in cult movie The Italian Job. Miranda Sawyer meets Plan B to talk about his latest album, and Brooklyn-based choreographer Elizabeth Streb rehearses with her dancers for a pop-up performance around London's landmarks. Tom Dyckhoff takes a tour of London's Olympic architecture, and we join thousands as they witness Stonehenge brought to life by a spectacular installation of fire.

Mark Kermode takes part in a movie marathon of short film screenings, Hansel of Film, a relay race of short film screenings taking place around the UK. Alastair Sooke looks at the transformation of disused oil tanks into a sleek new art space at Tate Modern. Also, Cerys Matthews shares her passion for poetry with Fiona Shaw and gets a sneak preview of Peace Camp, a series of unique living artworks across the UK coastline from Northern Ireland to Cornwall.

Mark Kermode meets Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan to talk about his take on the caped crusader. Blur are back and Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon talk about their new songs and how they feel about headlining at Hyde Park - the closing ceremony for the Olympics. Mat Fraser explores our desire to be Superhuman with a new exhibition at The Wellcome Institute. And, no strings attached - why puppets are back in a very big way.

Manchester's International Festival is a collection of world class talent, theatrical premieres, ground breaking musical performances and global stars from the contemporary art scene. Amongst these gems will be Shelley's The Masque of Anarchy, performed by Maxine Peake, one of the most gifted actors of her generation. The poem is seen as the most politically powerful in the English language, written as a response to Manchester's 1819 Peterloo massacre, an event which ultimately led to the birth of the working class movement. This is the first time it will be performed as a piece of theatre and will be staged yards from where it took place.

This summer, Tate Modern has opened its doors to Africa, dedicating an entire wing to two of the most important artists working today: 82-year-old visionary modernist Ibrahim El-Salahi and contemporary free-thinker Meschac Gaba. Writer and curator Morgan Quaintance discovers their extraordinary personal stories, and a struggle for recognition that spans six decades. Studying at the Slade in the 1950s, Ibrahim El-Salahi returned home with a crate full of modern art, to meet a stony faced public in Sudan. Reconciling the language of modernism with the culture of his heritage, he found a powerful new way to express the dreams and ambitions of African independence. It was to lead to imprisonment, exile and eventually freedom.

lan Yentob witnesses the birth of an idea at the hands of the designer, creator, and some call 'inventor' - Thomas Heatherwick - whose recent triumphs include the remarkable cauldron for the 2012 Olympic Games and the provocative redesign of the London double decker bus. Gaining a reputation as a maverick who defies commission briefs to come up with extraordinary creations - everything from dizzying chairs resembling oversized spinning tops, to a bridge that curls into a ball, and to the giant 'hairy' cube he built to represent Britain at the World Expo, Thomas is now incubating his most audacious plan for London yet. With access to Thomas, his creative team and Joanna Lumley, who brought him this latest idea, the film follows their daring proposal to float a garden across the river Thames. Will the man who Terence Conran labeled the 'Leonardo of our times'... deliver the wonder again?

Modern art expert Alastair Sooke heads to Venice with art dealer and historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor to explore the vast cornucopia of art the city has to offer. 2013 is a Venice Biennale year, and Alastair is passionate about this multinational contemporary art extravaganza. But Bendor is a modern art cynic who loves the city for its extraordinary art history, from Renaissance geniuses that changed the very nature of painting, to landscape maestros that dominated the 18th century.

rt critic Alastair Sooke heads to the new Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at The Queen's Gallery in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The show from the Royal Collection will reveal the startling accuracy of the master's anatomical drawings - artwork which lay undiscovered for hundreds of years. They include a series of 18 mostly double-sided sheets known collectively as the Anatomical Manuscript A, on which Leonardo crammed more than 240 meticulous drawings and some 13,000 words of notes in his unmistakeable mirror-writing. These anatomical studies are shown alongside state-of-the art modern medical imagery. Alastair will delve into the sketches and examine the 3D films, CT and MRI scans in order to uncover just how close the Renaissance genius got to the truth of what lies under the skin. The tragedy of Leonardo's anatomical investigations is that he never got around to publishing them. If he had done so, his work could have transformed the history of our medical knowledge.

Sue Perkins explores the highs and lows of being a woman in the unashamedly macho world of stand-up comedy. With unique behind-the-scenes access to the most important date in the stand-up comedy calendar, Sue discovers the thrills of a good gig and the spills of a disparaging review as she follows three stand-up comedians at the Edinburgh Festival: Bridget Christie, Claudia O'Doherty and Dana Alexander.

Lynn Barber has been interviewing famous people for more than three decades. Renowned for her audacious, brilliantly honest and often caustic profiles, Barber asks the questions no one else dares ask. The 'Demon Barber of Fleet Street' they call her. In this irreverent half-hour programme, Lynn Barber talks to Alan Yentob about her job interviewing and writing about celebrities. She recounts her combustible clashes with Rafa Nadal and Marianne Faithful, she explains why actors are so difficult to interview and why she relishes shouty men. 'I'm embarrassment proof,' she says, 'if somebody loses their temper and starts shouting at me I feel quite cosy with that'.

Sir Kenneth Clark was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century British art. Born into a world of privilege, his achievements were staggering. He keeper of the King's Pictures, director of the National Gallery, founder of the Arts Council and independent television, and best remembered as the presenter of the most ambitious arts series ever made - Civilisation. A staunch defender of Reithian values, Clark was attacked for being an elitist 'posh man in tweeds'. But he held a passionate belief that art was for everyone and made it his mission, through television, to share his love of art with the masses. To coincide with Tate Britain's exhibition on Clark opening in May, this Culture Show special presents an intimate portrait of a contradictory and elusive character who transformed our cultural landscape.

When Edward St Aubyn summoned the courage to write the fictionalized version of his unbearable childhood and describe the horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of cruel and neglectful aristocratic parents, he not only broke a taboo, but he also pulled off a rare act of literary alchemy. He turned the grim material of his life - rape, drug addiction and the ever-present pull of suicide - into a series of exquisitely crafted books (The Melrose novels) that critics rate amongst the finest achievements of contemporary British fiction. The surprise is that they are wickedly funny too. Through his alter ego Patrick Melrose he slays the monsters of his past with witty, elegant rage.

Miranda Sawyer enters the wild imagination of celebrated British conceptual artist Ryan Gander. A cultural magpie renowned for his playful, cryptic and complex creations, Gander is one of the world's most exciting young talents whose creations can sell for up to £500,000. It is a big summer for this Chester-born innovator with works appearing at the Royal Academy and Hayward Gallery, exhibitions all over the world, as well as a massive solo show opening in Manchester in July.

or centuries, folk art has been ignored by the art establishment, but in June 2014 the first national exhibition to look back at the tradition of folk art in this country opens at Tate Britain. Artists Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane get a preview of the show and give their own take on what folk art is. They go on an illuminating tour of British folk art. From Blackpool promenade to customised motorbikes, from shop signs to street parades, they show that, if you look closely, we live in a folk art culture and that folk art is all around us.

All architecture begins with the tent. Tents are what humans lived in before we put down roots and began our love affair with bricks and mortar. And no-one is more obsessed with solid, heavy, permanent buildings than the British. To us, the tent is something flimsy and temporary that we will only endure bedding down in on rare occasions. But has civilisation - and architects in particular - unfairly overlooked the brilliant, efficient design of the tent? In an overcrowded world faced with a housing crisis and dwindling natural resources, could the tent be the answer? Tom Dyckhoff thinks it could well be.