91¸£ÀûÉç

Available for over a year

The Japanese film Departures won this year's Oscar for best foreign film. Inspired by the memoir of a Japanese mortician, it reveals the world of a sacked orchestral cellist who gets a job performing encoffinments. Sarah Dunant reviews. Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and cartoonist Posy Simmonds talk about their collaboration on the book, Mrs Scrooge, a spin-off from the Dickens classic with a twist on modern politics. Welsh singer Rhydian Roberts was the X Factor runner-up two years ago and since then has released, under the guidance of Simon Cowell, two classical crossover albums. The most recent, O Fortuna, is out now. Lionel Shriver gives the fourth of Front Row's five interviews with authors shortlisted for this year's 91¸£ÀûÉç National Short Story Award. The stories are broadcast at 3.30pm every day this week on Radio 4, with Lionel Shriver's Exchange Rates going out tomorrow.