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Saturday Review

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

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

BBC Radio 4 LW

Tom Sutcliffe

Sarah Churchwell

David Benedict

Dreda Say Mitchell

Oliver Jones

Saturday Review: Hamilton musical, Irish film Sanctuary, Louise Erdrich novel, BBC TV Christmas specials

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23/12/2017

Hamilton musical, Irish film Sanctuary, Louise Erdrich novel, BBC TV Christmas specials

BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Review, Hamilton musical, Irish film Sanctuary, Louise Erdrich novel, BBC TV Christmas specials

A review of the week's cultural highlights.

Hamilton opens in London. Sanctuary, an Irish film with a cast made up of actors with learning difficulties. Plus a new novel by Louise Erdrich and TV Christmas specials.

The much-anticipated musical Hamilton has opened in London. It tells the story of Alexander Hamilton; one of the Founding Fathers of The United States with intentionally colour-conscious casting of non-white actors as the Founding Fathers. It has been a phenomenon on Broadway and across the US; how will it play with British audiences?
Irish film Sanctuary has a cast made up almost exclusively of actors with learning difficulties. It lightly tells the story of a trip to the cinema where the best laid plans go awry. And even though it includes hugging and learning, does it tread the difficult line avoiding sentimentality or patronising the cast and the issues raised? 
In Louise Erdrich's newest novel Future Home Of The Living God, evolution is running backwards and all around the central character society is crumbling. She's a 26 year old fighting for her life in an oppressive post-cataclysm America, pregnant (maybe by an angel)
And we review 3 of the BBC's TV Christmas specials: Father Brown, Upstart Crow and Not Going Out - what is the attraction of these yearly yuletide delights?

Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Sarah Churchwell, Dreda Say Mitchell and David Benedict. The producer is Oliver Jones.

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