Front Row Daily

With Mark Lawson: news of the longlist for this year's Art Fund Prize for Museums and Galleries, announced on the programme by the chair of judges, Lord Smith of Finsbury

Husband and wife theatre producers Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, recently named the most influential people in British theatre by The Stage newspaper, discuss how they now run 39 venues around the UK. Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets make their cinematic comeback this week, 12 years after their last big screen outing. The new film sees the cast re-unite to save their old theatre from the clutches of an evil oil baron. Natalie Haynes gives her verdict. Novelist Ian Rankin dissects Death Unexplained, a new TV documentary series about a coroner's office. To celebrate the centenary of the neglected composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Surrey Opera is staging a world premiere of his recently discovered opera Thelma. Mark finds out why Coleridge-Taylor is now so often overlooked, with composer Errolyn Wallen and music historian Roderick Swanston.

Mark Lawson previews the US television series Homeland, meets the 81-year-old pioneering Syrian poet Adonis, the singing of low notes, and Restoration comedy.

With John Wilson who reviews Martha Marcy May Marlene, Anne Rice discusses swapping vampires for werewolves in her latest book; the end of filming on the Aylesbury Estate; and Howard Hodgkin on his collection of Indian art.

John Wilson interviews musician-turned-actor Ashley Walters who is now starring in a new BBC drama, Inside Men. Katherine Kelly from Coronation Street stars as Kate Hardcastle in a new production of She Stoops To Conquer, at the National Theatre which also features Steve Pemberton and Sophie Thompson. Rachel Cooke reviews. Professor Martin Kemp speculates on the news story that a contemporary copy of the Mona Lisa has been discovered in the vaults of the Prado Museum in Madrid. In Man On A Ledge, a new film out this week, the majority of the action takes place high up on the outside of a Manhattan hotel. Film historian Ian Christie and critic Adam Smith consider the enduring appeal to film-makers of the vertiginous setting of the high-rise building.

Mark Lawson meets Australian novelist Kate Grenville; a review of Charlize Theron's latest film Young Adult. And, The Singing Detective, back on our screens after 26 years.

Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster as warring parents in the film Carnage; the UK's first Waiting For Godot with a black cast; Sacha Mirzoeff on filming child protection teams.

Mezzo-soprano Alice Coote on the demands of being a jet-setting soloist, Iain Sinclair on Turner and the Elements, barrister Greg Foxsmith on why he's restaging Joe Orton's trial 50 years later and Kitty Empire reviews the debut album from singer du jour Lana Del Rey.

With John Wilson: Mehdi Hasan and Thomas Asbridge discuss Hajj, at the British Museum; plus a review of the romantic drama film, Like Crazy

Andrew Miller on winning the Costa Book of the Year Award, the latest plans from the National Theatre with its director Nicholas Hytner, Paul Farley reviews new Harry Enfield film Acts of Godfrey in rhyme and an interview with Swedish crime writer Jens Lapidus.

Mark Lawson reports on this year's Academy Award nominations, announced today - with critics Chris Tookey and Larushka Ivan-Zadeh.

Suzanne Moore reviews the Oscar-tipped George Clooney in The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne, who made the Academy Award winning comedy Sideways. In a candid interview, author Edmund White discusses his life and work as his new novel is published. This week sees the start of three new series following members of the medical profession. Mark meets Dr Ben Allin from BBC Three's Junior Doctors and Mr Mark George, veteran of the original 1980s Horizon series Doctors to Be, to find out how the filming process has changed. As Jean Vigo's barge-set classic film L'Atalante is re-released, critic and houseboat dweller Antonia Quirke reveals why it still makes waves almost 80 years after it was made

John Wilson meets soldiers starring in a play based on their combat experiences; documentary maker Norma Percy on filming Putin and the oligarchs.

With Mark Lawson, who hears from Leonard Cohen on the inspiration for his new disc; screenwriter Abi Morgan reflects on recent projects, including The Iron Lady and Birdsong; a review of Coriolanus starring Ralph Fiennes who also directs; Anthony Sher stars in the National Theatre's production of Travelling Light - Peter Kemp reviews.

A.N.Wilson reviews Madonna's W.E. Chad Harbach explains why it took 10 years to write his debut novel; lawyer Duncan Lamont discusses the rights of dissatisfied arts consumers. Ian Rankin and Frances Fyfield discuss their unpublished first novels.