Arts & Ideas Folgen

Matthew Sweet talks to Conor McPherson about his new play The Night Alive, working with his own material as writer and director, violence on stage and his muses. On the 700th anniversary of Boccaccio's birth, Matthew is joined by Massimo Riva, Guyda Armstrong and Lindsay Johns to discuss the relevance of the Florentine author today. David Kynaston has been 'Opening the Box' on the years 1957 - 59, the third in his series of books looking across the history of post-war Britain. But are we just too sentimental about the 1950s? New Generation Thinker Chris Harding explains how religions and scientific psychology and psychiatry are drawing ever closer together in our modern consciousness.

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.

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 over-heated discussions about what our children should be taught.