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Saturday Review

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Sharp, critical discussion of the week's cultural events, with Tom Sutcliffe and guests

Presenter Tom Sutcliffe and guests offer sharp, critical discussion of the week's cultural events

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Sarfraz Manzoor

Ekow Eshun

Esther Freud

Miranda Sawyer

Oliver Jones

Saturday Review: Mojo revived; The Counselor; Paul Smith at the Design Museum

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16/11/2013

Mojo revived; The Counselor; Paul Smith at the Design Museum

BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Review, Mojo revived; The Counselor; Paul Smith at the Design Museum

Jez Butterworth's play Mojo, Cormac McCarthy's The Counselor and Paul Smith exhibition.

A revival of Jez Butterworth's first play Mojo, and The Counselor, a new film from the pen of Cormac McCarthy. Plus Fatima Bhutto's new novel and Paul Smith at the Design Museum.

The coincidence of a really hot cast and the restaging of a play by a writer whose most recent work was lauded and awarded should be a guarantee of a hit. Jez Butterworth's Mojo was originally staged at The Royal Court in London 18 years ago. His stratospheric success with Jerusalem and a cast that includes Ben Wishaw and Rupert "Ron Weasley" Grint (making his West End stage debut) means there is a lot of press attention and positivity towards "Mojo" at the Harold Pinter Theatre, but is there enough substance beneath the hype?

The Counselor is a film with an impeccable pedigree - starring Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, directed by Ridley 'Bladerunner' Scott, script by Cormac 'No Country for Old Men' McCarthy, it can't go wrong. Or can it?

Fatima Bhutto is a young writer who comes from the famous Pakistani dynasty, and her first novel The Shadow Of The Crescent Moon follows poetry, journalism and non fiction - telling the story of her father's murder. She's been acclaimed for her writing, so is this novel a successful transition into a new genre or treading on new and uncertain ground?

The designer Paul Smith's career began 43 years ago in a tiny windowless shop in Nottingham and now his 'empire' extends to 37 countries around the globe. The Design Museum in London has an exhibition looking at his career and achievements, and it even includes a recreation of his office with a desk so cluttered he's never been able to sit at it, but what does it reveal about the man and his work?

There's a new series on BBC2 looking at Britain during the Cold War. Historian Dominic Sandbrook considers how the UK dealt with the possible threat of nuclear armageddon and a world where nobody was above suspicion. How did the government respond and how did it affect the British people? It's a fascinating subject; how successfully can TV boil it down to a 3 part series?

Sarfraz Manzoor is joined by Ekow Eshun, Esther Freud and Miranda Sawyer

Producer: Oliver Jones.

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