The Arts Hour

Nikki Bedi and Hanna Flint discuss cultural highlights of the week:
American director Noah Baumbach on working with George Clooney on the film, Jay Kelly.
English-Japanese actor Will Sharpe on portraying Mozart in the TV series, Amadeus.

Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson on their roles as a Neil Diamond tribute act in Song Sung Blue.
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania tells Nikki about the making her film, The Voice of Hind Rajab.
Spanish-born actor Oona Chaplin talks about her work on Avatar: Fire and Ash.
And Brazilian-Norwegian singer songwriter Charlotte Dos Santos explains why she likes recording onto tape.

Nikki Bedi talks to Oscar-winning, Chinese director Chloé Zhao, who discusses making her new film Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.
Plus, Timothée Chalamet on table tennis and playing the title role in the movie Marty Supreme.
Danish-Norwegian film-maker Joachim Trier talks about his latest film Sentimental Value.
And Mexican actor Diego Calva on working internationally as a bilingual South American performer.
Nikki is joined by critic Leila Latif to discuss the cultural highlights of the week.
(Photo: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in Hamnet Crefit: Focus Features LLC)

Welcoming in the new year with a laugh, host Daliso Chaponda is joined by six international comedians for our annual comedy show: Norwegian comedian Thor Stenhaug, Nigerian stand-up Ayoade Bamgboye, South African Indian comic Kaneez Surka, Greek comedian George Zacharopoulos, Singaporean stand-up Jin Hao Li and American comic Kemah Bob.
Main image: Daliso Chaponda
Photo credit: Steve Ullathorne

As 2025 draws to a close, Nikki Bedi talks to writer Zadie Smith in a speacial interview about one of the big literary moments of the year: the publication of her new essay collection, Dead and Alive. The author of White Teeth, On Beauty and The Fraud reflects on what it means to be a muse, the idea of an "Art Monster" and how she grew up watching nine hours of television a day.
Also on the show we hear about Margaret Atwood's early memories of reading George Orwell, and from two men of the moment - Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal - about starring as two music-collecting lovers in The History of Sound.
Australian star Toni Collette reveals what it was like working with Kate Winslet on her directorial debut, the festive tear-jerker Goodbye June; and Kenyan-British director Gurinder Chadha recalls how a trip to India inspired her novel Bollywood take on Jane Austen, Bride and Prejudice.
Plus critic Rhianna Dhillon gives her thoughts on the film highlight of the year, and what to look forward to next.
Producer: Ciaran Bermingham
Photo Credit: Ben Bailey-Smith

Nikki Bedi is on stage at Teatro Italia in Rome with leading creatives and a live audience, to explore the impact of the country’s colossal cultural history on its new wave of artistic talent.
Creative powerhouse Margherita Vicario reveals the inspiration for her film Gloria!, about rebellious women musicians in a convent in 1800 Venice.
Horror maestro Paolo Strippoli explains the meaning of his film, The Holy Boy, set in a village that depends on the miraculous healing powers of a teenage boy.
There is live comedy from Luca Ravenna.
Live music comes from singer songwriter Levante and poetic rapper Mecna.
And Daniele Tinti is Nikki’s insider guide to Rome’s revealing locations
Photo credit: Marco Ponzianelli
This edition has been updated since originally published to clarify a location detail.