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The Thick of It, Cerys Matthews, Lucy Liu in Elementary

Writers of The Thick of It on life imitating art, singer Cerys Matthews celebrates the women of country music, and the verdict on new Sherlock series Elementary. With Kirsty Lang.

With Kirsty Lang

The plot lines from the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ political comedy The Thick of It - school breakfast club closures, texting in cabinet meetings and the launch of a community bank - have been an uncannily accurate reflection of recent announcements from our real-life politicians. Kirsty Lang talks to Sean Gray and Ian Martin, both writers on The Thick of It, and wonders if they have been gazing into a crystal ball or have a mole in Westminster.

Singer Cerys Matthews gives the verdict on a new Country Music album which celebrates the women who were pioneers in a field previously dominated by men. Matthews, who has lived in Nashville, assesses the influence of artists such as Kitty Wells, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.

The adventures of Sherlock Holmes are set to hit our screens again, this time in the US-produced series Elementary. It comes hot on the heels of Guy Ritchie's films and the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ TV series Sherlock. Boyd Hilton discusses this latest version, starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as his sidekick Dr. Watson.

New Yorker cartoonist Chris Ware discusses his non-linear graphic novel, Building Stories. It comes in the form of a big box containing 14 separate strands of narrative, in different shapes and sizes, which when pieced together in a random order build a picture of a New York Brownstone building and the psychological landscape of its inhabitants.

Producer Claire Bartleet.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • The Thick Of It

    Kirsty Lang talks to Sean Gray and Ian Martin, both writers on The Thick of It.

    Duration: 08:28

  • Country Soul Sisters

    Cerys Matthews gives the verdict on the new album β€˜Country Soul Sisters'

    Duration: 08:06

  • Elementary

    Boyd Hilton discusses the latest Sherlock Holmes starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

    Duration: 04:11

  • Chris Ware

    Chris Ware discusses his non-linear graphic novel, Building Stories.

    Duration: 07:09

Broadcast

  • Fri 28 Sep 2012 19:15

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