Arts & Ideas Folgen

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 Merridale to discuss the power that Hitler and Stalin still exert over writers in Germany and Russia.

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 spending. He talks to Philip about what role scientists play in the big decisions of public life?

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 rather than plays - in creating that meaning.