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Artwork for Front Row

Front Row

BBC Radio 4
Mental Health
Documentary Filmmaking
Booker Prize
Pixar
BBC National Short Story Award
Elio
Alfred Brendel
Brigitte Bardot
The Salt Path
Tracy Chapman
Hollywood
Mrs. Warren's Profession
David Bowie
Andy Goldsworthy
Alien Earth
A House Of Dynamite
Character Development
BBC
British Museum
Cinema

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

PublishesDailyEpisodes2001Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureArts

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Front Row

Latest Episodes

Critics Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney join Tom to review Half Man, Richard Gadd’s follow up to his hit Baby Reindeer.

They also discuss Anne Hathaway as a faded pop star looking to make a comeback in supernatural thriller Mother Mar... more

A new biopic chronicles one of the 20th century’s biggest and most controversial music icons, but appears not to paint the whole picture about his life. We discuss Antoine Fuqua's Michael, which stars the pop legend Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar in... more

Primavera, a new film about Vivaldi tells the story of his composing for pupils of an institution for abandoned girls. We speak to the film's director Damiano Michieletto, better known as an award-winning opera director, about his film and about Viva... more

Director Charlotte Regan on her new BBC thriller, Mint

Have heterosexual male novelists stopped writing sex scenes? We discuss with writer Luke Kennard, author of Black Bag, and editor of the Erotic Review Lucy Roeber.

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Dreda Say Mitchell
Novelist and commentator
Episode: Reviewing Lena Dunham's memoir, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Big Mistakes
Eamonn Ford
Music and technology journalist
Episode: Reviewing Lena Dunham's memoir, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Big Mistakes
Viv Groskop
Author and podcaster
Episode: Reviewing Lena Dunham's memoir, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Big Mistakes
Patricia Ward Kelly
Wife and biographer of Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly's estate/biography
Episode: Dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly's wife and biographer Patricia Ward Kelly on Starstruck
Aled Maclean-Jones
Writer for The Rake's Digress Substack and For The New Statesman
The New Statesman, The Rake's Digress
Episode: Jack Savoretti sings live, plus Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan
Veronica Ryan
Turner Prize-winning artist, interviewed in-studio
Whitechapel Gallery context
Episode: Jack Savoretti sings live, plus Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan
David Austin
Chief executive, BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
Episode: Jack Savoretti sings live, plus Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan
Alex Clark
Writer and critic
Episode: Jack Savoretti sings live, plus Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan
Jack Savoretti
Singer-songwriter, performer on this episode
Episode: Jack Savoretti sings live, plus Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan

Hosts

Tom Sutcliffe
Host of Front Row
Samira Ahmed
Host of Front Row
Kirsty Wark
Host of Front Row

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 662 ratings
  • Front Row

    Love this podcast! Varied and up to date.

    All presenters very well prepared! ☺️

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Izzyissi
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Let the guests speak

    It's got a good mix of guests on the show but some of the hosts are constantly interrupting the guests which is frustrating to listen to, they often can't finish a sentence without being interrupted by the host giving his answer to his own question. Despite this it's good to have a round up of new films & exhibitions.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Foxtrot Lightning
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Pretty impressive

    Despite a recent drift into the lowbrow with 80s pop nostalgia segments, this is a really useful and enjoyable listen. And the Friday review show takes me back to those happy years when Saturday Review was still being commissioned.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    MarkoB1111
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • An Insular Gaze: How Front Row Fails Global Art

    Listening to the BBC’s Front Row review One Hundred Years of Solitude felt like witnessing a masterpiece reduced to a quaint curiosity, as if they were marveling at a trinket from an exotic land rather than engaging with one of the most profound literary achievements of the 20th century. Their commentary was superficial, hesitant, and tinged with an old-school British arrogance that struggles to believe top-quality art can emerge from beyond its own borders. The tone resembled a diner approachin... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    David Theo
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Kirsty Wark is a poor appointment

    Kirsty Wark — seriously? This latest appointment reveals how little respect the BBC has for the arts. I’m so tired of BBC shows replacing people with serious expertise in their field with random “name” presenters. What does Wark know about the arts? Nothing, if her first shows are anything to go by — and it shows.

    For years we’ve had to put up Jim Naughtie presenting the sole Radio Four book programme as if covering literature is just a nice retirement job anyone can do after covering politic... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Radionoush
    United Kingdom2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the breadth of topics and strong guest lineups.
Many describe it as a dependable, high-quality arts overview and culture companion.
Some criticism about hosts occasionally talking over guests.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Mark Gatiss at the RSC and novelist Margaret Drabble
Q: What is the premise of the play as Gatiss describes it?
Gatiss explains it as a parable: the rise of Hitler staged as mobsters in 1930s Chicago, a device to warn about fascism.
The Birth of Television: A Forgotten History
Q: How did early broadcasters view the potential of television in relation to cinema and live theatre?
Producers saw television as a frontier medium that could complement or compete with cinema and live theatre, offering new forms like close-ups and small-screen storytelling, while also facing challenges such as limited cameras and the need to stage productions within a small studio.
The Birth of Television: A Forgotten History
Q: Why was Alexandra Palace chosen for the BBC's official pre-war TV service, and what did that imply about the audience?
Alexandra Palace was chosen because it was a middle-class catchment area with higher likelihood of owning a television set; this reflected the early adopters and the social makeup the BBC targeted for its experimental service.
The Birth of Television: A Forgotten History
Q: What happened on the night of the first public demonstration of television by John Logie Baird in 1926?
The demonstration featured a crude, grayscale image transmitted over a wire, marking the moment people first saw television on a screen, which set the stage for further experimentation and public interest.
Actor Forbes Masson on the stage production of cult sitcom The High Life
Q: What inspired the decision to set the new plot around the crew proving they're still fit for purpose?
The idea provided a fresh challenge, allowing us to explore aging and reinvention within a familiar world, while giving space to new songs and a modern sensibility for the audience, rather than simply rehashing old episodes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Front Row

What is Front Row about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A culturally focused, interview-driven program that centers arts, literature, film, and broader cultural critique. Episodes frequently feature high-profile authors, filmmakers, critics, and curators discussing new books, exhibitions, and cinematic releases, with occasional dives into publishing trends, theatre, and media. The show tends to blend thoughtful analysis with behind-the-scenes industry context, offering listeners a richly scoped panorama of contemporary arts and culture. Noteworthy strengths include a steady stream of prominent guests across multiple disciplines, a knack for connecting literary and visual storytelling to current events, and a live, conversational format that many listeners find engaging and informative for stayin... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Front Row?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Front Row. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Front Row and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Front Row get?

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What are the audience demographics for Front Row?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Front Row, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Front Row have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Front Row has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Front Row?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Front Row:

1. This Cultural Life
2. Bookclub
3. Great Lives
4. A Good Read
5. Desert Island Discs

How many episodes of Front Row are there?

Front Row launched 20 years ago and published 2001 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Front Row?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Front Row?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Front Row from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Front Row. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Front Row?

Recent guests on Front Row include:

1. Dreda Say Mitchell
2. Eamonn Ford
3. Viv Groskop
4. Patricia Ward Kelly
5. Aled Maclean-Jones
6. Veronica Ryan
7. David Austin
8. Alex Clark

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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