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Terry Jones on giving 'The Owl and the Pussycat' an operatic makeover

The Owl and the Pussycat is made into an opera by Terry Jones and composer Anne Dudley, plus Steptoe and Son adapted for the stage, and Mumford and Sons on film. With Kirsty Lang.

With Kirsty Lang.

Ex-Monty Python Terry Jones and Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley (The Full Monty) discuss creating "A Water-Bound Spectacle" inspired by Edward Lear's 1871 poem The Owl and the Pussycat. The poem has been given an operatic makeover and performances will take place on a barge.

Two film releases this week take the audience on a 3000-mile musical journey across the USA. In the documentary film Big Easy Express, the British folk group Mumford & Sons join up with two other bands on a train travelling from California to Louisiana for a celebration of music and performance. And in a new Indie feature film The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, two musicians take a road trip east to-west to take part in a battle of the bands. Music critic Kate Mossman reviews.

With a week to go until the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, with its British pastoral theme - the concept of film-maker Danny Boyle - Adam Smith imagines what the ceremony would look like if other British film directors had the chance to impose their own artistic vision on the event.

Kneehigh Theatre's Emma Rice talks about adapting Galton and Simpson's scripts from the original TV series, Steptoe and Son, for the stage. The Play opens in Cornwall this weekend in Kneehigh's trademark tent , known as The Asylum, and moves to West Yorkshire playhouse in Leeds in September.

Producer Philippa Ritchie.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • The Owl and the Pussycat

    Terry Jones and Anne Dudley discuss creating "A Water-Bound Spectacle" inspired by Edward Lear's 1871 poem, The Owl and the Pussycat.

    Duration: 09:11

  • Big Easy Express and The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best

    Kate Mossman reviews films, Big Easy Express and The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best.

    Duration: 06:09

  • Emma Rice

    Interview with Emma Rice, on adapting Galton and Simpson's scripts from the original TV series, Steptoe and Son, for the stage.

    Duration: 08:14

  • Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics

    What if other British film directors had the chance to impose their own artistic vision on the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

    Duration: 03:54

Broadcast

  • Fri 20 Jul 2012 19:15

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