Artsnight

In the 19th Century, Thomas Carlyle came up with the Great Man theory; a view that history is formed by the impact of certain charismatic and powerful men. David Baddiel travels to New York to see if there are any Great men left, and whether the idea, embodied by huge priapic figures like Picasso...

Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, makes a personal journey to one of the most economically deprived areas of the UK, as he dares to ask why contemporary art matters? In the former steel town of Middlesbrough, Serota encounters a radical experiment by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern...

After detailing the impact of a financial meltdown in her new novel `The Mandibles', Lionel Shriver asks why economics, once seen as a difficult subject for fiction, has become one of the most exciting and apocalyptic subjects for writers, artists and filmmakers. She speaks to Damian Lewis, star ...

Charlotte Church meets musicians using the power of singing to push the boundaries of what a voice can do. `Festival of Voice' will launch in June 2016, a new international arts festival in Cardiff. For her edition of `Artsnight', life-long Cardiff resident Charlotte Church explains why she belie...

At the Hay Festival, Paul Mason talks to six writers engaged with the most urgent issues of our time. From documenting the horrors of the war in Syria, to how AI will determine our future; from the fall of past empires, to the possibility of a war with Russia. In the face of these momentous chall...

The V&A's architecture curator Kieran Long explores the future of the home in Britain. In an era of rising prices and housing shortages across much of the UK, Long talks to British architects who are designing homes for the future. He visits a new RIBA exhibition that re-imagines the staples of B...

In a rare interview, Mumford & Sons talk to Lynn Barber about becoming an international super group, their varied influences and tastes, and their ongoing collaborations with musical giants. So far in 2016 they've toured three continents, will headline at London's Hyde Park, and will release a ne...

Ahead of the announcement of the 2016 Museum of the Year Award, Maria Balshaw visits each of the five museums shortlisted for the prize. As Director of the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, Maria won the award herself last year and knows what the judges are looking for as they make their final sel...

Carla Lane redefined British comedy drama in the 1960s with her unique brand of `situation tragedy'. At a time when television writing was the preserve of middle-class men, she brought a convincing cast of working-class female characters to British screens.

Is fiction the best way to access the truth? Award-winning Scottish crime writer Val McDermid explores the relationship between fiction, video games and real-life crime documentary. She talks to Ken MacLeod and Richard K Morgan, whose science fiction novels offer a commentary on current political...

Lynn Barber meets up with the self-ordained King of Punk, John Lydon, who turned 60 this year. Fresh from a European tour with his group PIL (Public Image Ltd.) and with a new album out, `What the World Needs Now', Lydon discusses his life, legacy and songs. Reflecting on the death of his father,...

Meg Rosoff is a multi-award winning novelist and author of the international bestsellers `How I Live Now', `Just in Case' and `Jonathan Unleashed'. For `Artsnight', Meg explores the relationship between art and the unconscious mind. She meets Irish novelist Eimear McBride, author of the Baileys P...