Front Row: Archive 2012 - Horrible Histories on TV; ballerina Tamara Rojo; Mozart's Sister

Horrible Histories on TV; ballerina Tamara Rojo; Mozart's Sister

Download Horrible Histories on TV; ballerina Tamara Rojo; Mozart's Sister

With John Wilson.

Prima Ballerina Tamara Rojo will be the new Artistic Director of English National Ballet, it was announced today. She discusses what this means for her dancing career and how she intends to strike the difficult balance between choreographic innovation and balancing the books.

The children's TV series Horrible Histories returned this week, offering a comic take on often gruesome parts of the past. Series producer Caroline Norris and actor Simon Farnaby talk about how they take inspiration from adult shows such as Blackadder, and the role of their musical numbers, including turning RAF fighter pilots into a dancing boy band.

The new film Mozart's Sister argues that she - like her brother - was a musical prodigy, but was prevented from performing or composing because of the period's repressive attitudes towards women. Nicholas Kenyon, managing director of the Barbican Centre, London, reviews.

Roger Ballen's photographs of working-class white South African life are renowned for their square, black and white format, and uncompromising subject matter. As a retrospective of his 30 year career opens at Manchester Art Gallery, he reflects on how he hopes his camera captures the souls of his subjects.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie.

Published on Friday, 13th April 2012.

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