Front Row - 28/05/2009

Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson. Hugh Laurie is returning to UK screens as Dr Gregory House. Laurie discusses playing an American and mastering the accent, whether he reads Stephen Fry's twitter updates and tells Mark Lawson that he would love to rekindle his comedy partnership with him. Ian Rankin reviews Fermat's Room, a crime thriller in which four mathematicians are locked in a shrinking room. To save themselves from being crushed by the encroaching walls, they must solve maths questions. New research shows that playing music to babies can help them cope with pain and feeding and there is news of a horse race to be run to a live musical soundtrack. Musician Paul Robertson discusses the beneficial effects of music on humans and animals. With the news that TV cookery game show Come Dine With Me is being recreated by fans at home, comedy writer David Quantick reflects on the other formats that might take off at home even when the television is switched off.