Front Row: Archive 2013 - Andrey Kurkov, workplace TV, Australian circus, Jeffrey Archer

Download Andrey Kurkov, workplace TV, Australian circus, Jeffrey Archer

With Kirsty Lang.

The acclaimed Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov is best known in the UK for his cult novel Death and the Penguin. He reflects on the origins of his new book, The Gardener from Ochakov, a dark satire where a young man can time travel between 2010 and 1957 Ukraine, with the help of a vintage Soviet police uniform.

Two new TV documentary series begin tonight, aiming to reveal what it is like to work in retail and sales at the moment. Channel 4's The Dealership shows Essex car salesmen in action, while BBC Three's Shoplife follows a group of young people who are employed at the Metrocentre in Gateshead. Tiffany Stevenson gives her verdict.

With three Australian circus troupes taking to the stage at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and another currently entertaining audiences in London, Kirsty talks to the creative minds behind two of these shows - Wunderkammer and Limbo - to find out why Australian circus seems to be soaring.

For Cultural Exchange, writer Jeffrey Archer chooses the painting Ecce Homo by the 19th Century Italian artist Antonio Ciseri, which depicts the moment Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to a hostile crowd.

Producer Dymphna Flynn.

Published on Thursday, 1st August 2013.

Available Podcasts from Front Row: Archive 2013

Subscribe to Front Row: Archive 2013

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Front Row: Archive 2013 webpage.