Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Front Row

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music

BBC Radio 4 FM

Matthew Sweet

Tom Holland

undefined A.Dot

Igor Levit

Nick Laird

Samira Ahmed

Hannah Robins

Front Row: Whales vs dinosaurs in art; A.Dot; Nick Laird; Igor Levit

front-row_whale-solo_130717_e_hilary-buchanan.jpg

13/07/2017

Whales vs dinosaurs in art; A.Dot; Nick Laird; Igor Levit

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Whales vs dinosaurs in art; A.Dot; Nick Laird; Igor Levit

We debate whether dinosaurs or whales have inspired the best art.

We debate whether dinosaurs or whales have inspired the best art as a blue whale replaces Dippy the Dinosaur at the Natural History Museum.

As the Natural History Museum in London replaces Dippy the Dinosaur with a Blue Whale skeleton, we debate which animal group has inspired the best art. Broadcaster Matthew Sweet champions whales while historian Tom Holland is on the side of the dinosaurs, but who will convince Samira theirs is best?

Frank Ocean's ground-breaking album Channel Orange is chosen for our Queer Icons series by rapper A.Dot, who presents the BBC Radio 1Extra Breakfast Show. 

Samira talks to pianist Igor Levit backstage at the Royal Albert Hall as he prepares to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3 in the First Night of the Proms tomorrow. 

The poet and novelist Nick Laird's new book, Modern Gods, is set in Ulster and New Ulster, which is an imaginary part of very real Papua New Guinea. Despite seeming worlds apart, Laird explores the strange parallels between these contested tribal lands. 

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Hannah Robins.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Front Row

Whales vs dinosaurs in art; A.Dot; Nick Laird; Igor Levit

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4