Night Waves - Mary Midgley

The dysfunctional family on screen - Rana Mitter talks to film director Wes Anderson about his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox. Rana is joined by art historian Carmen Fracchia and art critic Alan Caine join to review a new exhibition of Spanish painting and sculpture at The National Gallery in London. Why did religious artists in the 17th century pursue realism with such vigour? Ahead of Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival this weekend, Rana talks to Newcastle’s veteran philosopher Mary Midgley about her life and ideas. It’s almost a month since news broke of a vast Anglo Saxon treasure find. After the media storm settles, archaeologist Mike Pitts joins Night Waves to give his account of the real story of arguments over ownership and the first proper insights coming out of the scholarly assessment of the find. And poet Ian McMillan will be giving his Free Thought on avant-garde art.