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I'm So Excited; Tony Garnett

Mark Lawson talks to TV-film producer Tony Garnett, the verdict on Pedro Almod贸var's film I'm So Excited, and Meera Syal selects To Kill a Mockingbird for the Cultural Exchange.

With Mark Lawson

Pedro Almodovar's film I'm So Excited features Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, and returns to the comedic style of his early works such as Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. When technical problems develop on board a plane, the pilots and flight attendants strive to keep morale high. Adam Mars-Jones reviews.

Film and TV producer Tony Garnett's work includes Kes, Cathy Come Home and This Life, and the British Film Institute is marking his 50 year career with a retrospective season. In a rare interview, he discusses how personal tragedies affected his work, the battles that went into making films tackling controversial issues - including back-street abortions - and why he wouldn't work in television now.

More from the Cultural Exchange project, in which 75 leading creative minds share their passion for a book, film, poem, piece of music or other work of art: tonight writer and performer Meera Syal selects To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

Amanda Knox's autobiography, Waiting To Be Heard, is being published in America today, but its UK release has been indefinitely postponed, on account of the British legal system. This is not the first time that a book has been unavailable in the UK but available in other countries. Professor of English Literature John Sutherland and lawyer Susan Aslan consider the issues this raises.

Producer Claire Bartleet.

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30 minutes

Chapters

  • Tony Garnett

    An interview with Tony Garnett

    Duration: 10:55

  • Waiting to be Heard

    A discussion on books published in the US but not here.

    Duration: 06:30

  • I'm So Excited

    A review of the film I'm So Excited

    Duration: 04:34

  • Cultural Exchange: Meera Syal

    Cultural Exchange: Meera Syal

    Duration: 06:03

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Mark Lawson
Interviewed Guest Meera Syal
Producer Claire Bartleet
Interviewed Guest Tony Garnett

Broadcast

  • Tue 30 Apr 2013 19:15

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