Front Row Late

Mary Beard returns with a new series of the live arts and cultural debate programme to discuss the clash of generations. Boomers and millennials may be bitterly divided over pensions and house prices, but are the old and the young also waging a war in theatres, galleries and bookshops? And how do artists relate to generations that have gone before? Mary and her guests discuss Damien Hirst's latest show at Houghton Hall, as well as The Inheritance - a new play directed by Stephen Daldry about different generations of gay men in New York today.

Mary Beard and her guests discuss the issue of taking offence. As debates on censorship and the freedom of speech rage in the media, comedy and literary worlds, the panel look at preparations for Theatr Clwyd's play The Assassination of Katie Hopkins and South African film The Wound.

In this week's episode, host Mary Beard and her guests enter the wonderful world of musical theatre. As a self-confessed sceptic Mary looks at some genre-busting shows - and asks whether it is now cool to like musicals.

This week Mary and her guests look at what it takes to make it in the arts. Is it talent and hard graft, or is it all down to your parents? They discuss a new report on class and the creative industries and relate it to Thomas Chatterton, hearing from some artists at Glasgow International Festival, and reviewing Maxine Peake's new film Funny Cow.

In this week's programme, pre-recorded on Thursday, Mary and her guests look at the role of Britain's museums in the 21st century, and Mary experiences life as a museum attendant.

In this week's episode Mary Beard and her guests discuss gender-blind and colour-blind casting, and what it really means to get 'the right person for the job'.

Front Row Late comes from the Hay Festival, where Mary Beard is joined by actor Rose McGowan, writer Laurie Penny and novelist Kamila Shamsie.