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Martin Freeman; American Psycho; Crime books round-up

Arts news. Mark Lawson talks to Martin Freeman, star of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and reviews the new musical American Psycho, in which Matt Smith plays a serial killer.

With Mark Lawson.

Martin Freeman returns this week as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second film in Peter Jackson's trilogy. He talks to Mark about the physical difficulties of shooting scenes with Ian McKellen's towering Gandalf and how his commitment to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Sherlock almost cost him the role altogether.

Bret Easton Ellis' cult novel American Psycho has been adapted as a new musical starring Matt Smith as Patrick Bateman, the successful Manhattan banker turned serial killer. Dreda Say Mitchell reviews.

Mark investigates whether dividing large publishing houses into small imprints improves authors' chances of winning literary prizes. With Editor in Chief of Atlantic Books Ravi Mirchandani.

Jeff Park, Front Row's Crime Fiction aficionado, joins Mark to reveal his Christmas round-up of crime books.

Jeff's Top Six:-
Samurai Summer, by Ake Edwardson
The Ghost Riders Of Ordebec, by Fred Vargas
Dead Lions, by Mick Herron
The Siege, by Arturo PΓ©rez-Reverte
The Enigma Of China, by Qiu Xiaolong
The Square Of Revenge, by Pieter Aspe

Also recommended:-
The Late Monsieur Gallet, by Georges Simenon
The Good Suicides, by Antonio Hill
The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household
A Conspiracy Of Faith, by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Scent Of Death, by Andrew Taylor
Death Of A Nightingale, by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

Producer: Timothy Prosser.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Martin Freeman

    Martin Freeman on his return as Bilbo Baggins in the second installment of The Hobbit

    Duration: 09:32

  • American Psycho

    Dreda Say Mitchell reviews the new American Psycho musical starring Matt Smith

    Duration: 06:19

  • Publishing Houses

    Mark speaks to Ravi Mirchandani about publishing houses

    Duration: 05:32

  • Christmas Crime Books

    Jeff Park joins Mark to reveal his Christmas round-up of crime books

    Duration: 06:22

American Psycho

is at the Almeida Theatre in London until 1st February 2014.


Image above: Hugh Skinner as Luis Carruthers and Matt SmithΒ  as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Photographer: Manuel Harlan.Β 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

is in cinemas now certificate 12A. Β 


Crime Novels

Jeff Park’s Top Six

Samurai Summer by Ake Edwardson

The Ghost Riders Of Ordebec by Fred Vargas

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

The Siege by Arturo PΓ©rez-Reverte

The Enigma Of China by Qiu Xiaolong

The Square Of Revenge by Pieter Aspe


Also recommended

The Late Monsieur Gallet by Georges Simenon

The Good Suicides by Antonio Hill

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

A Conspiracy Of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen

The Scent Of Death by Andrew Taylor

Death Of A Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Mark Lawson
Interviewed Guest Martin Freeman
Interviewed Guest Dreda Say Mitchell
Interviewed Guest Ravi Mirchandani
Interviewed Guest Jeff Park
Producer Timothy Prosser

Broadcast

  • Fri 13 Dec 2013 19:15

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