13 November 2023
Episode 631
27 minutes
Photo: Errol Morris
We discuss the world and words of spies on today’s show. Robert Bound sits down with Errol Morris to discuss his new film about John le Carré, ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’. Then John Mitchinson explores the author’s works and their legacy.
13 November 2023
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
Monocle on Culture - latest episodes
The best Christmas music of 2024
Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Orville Peck, Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon.
Takashi Murakami and Tate Modern’s ‘Electric Dreams’
We visit two new London exhibitions. ‘Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami’ at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost offers the contemporary artist’s interpretations of Edo-era artworks. We sit down with Murakami to…
New documentaries: ‘The Bibi Files’ and ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’
We cover the release of two fascinating and revealing documentaries. Both take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public – and vastly different – profiles: one as a world leader and the other as an icon…
Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas is a US artist who works across media to explore themes including identity, popular culture and mass media. We meet him at his exhibition of collages, ‘Kinship of the Soul’, at London’s Pace Gallery.
Steve McQueen and ‘Blitz’
Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is known for his in-depth, human exploration of characters and history, which is executed with an artist’s eye. We speak to McQueen about the release of his new film, ‘Blitz’, which…
20 years of Nonclassical
We celebrate 20 years of music promoter, record label and events producer Nonclassical. Over the past two decades, the organisation has been at the forefront of classical, experimental and electronic music, leading the way…
‘Box Office Poison’
We sit down with Tim Robey, author of the new book ‘Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops’. This alternative history of cinema recounts the industry’s biggest bombs, including how they came to be made…
Walla Walla Foundry, a new Italian film and French pop star Zaho de Sagazan
We head to Rome to find out about a new film dedicated to the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s before visiting one of the world’s largest contemporary art foundries in Walla Walla. Plus: an interview with French pop…
Gran Turismo Folgore: A Lucca Roadtrip
As this special episode pauses to consider elements of great design, it is important to not overcomplicate matters. Sometimes, all you need is four wheels and a beating heart. Monocle’s Italian odyssey concludes with a…
A new ballet based on the life and writing of Oscar Wilde
We find out about ‘Oscar’, a ballet based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Plus: artist Sophie Matisse tells us about designing chess sets, and writer and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato discusses her new book, ‘Blue…
Asymmetry and Heartland at Noma
We venture from Monocle’s Marylebone HQ to London’s Dalston to learn about an organisation looking east. Asymmetry is an unusual, forward-thinking foundation dedicated to developing cultural knowledge in and about Asia.…
The ghost and spirit of Mike Kelley
We explore the world of US artist Mike Kelley with the first UK exhibition of his work at the Tate Modern. ‘Ghost and Spirit’ shows Kelley’s influential and experimental practice ranging from drawings and collages to mul…
Public Service Broadcasting and concept albums
To celebrate the release of Public Service Broadcasting’s The Last Flight, we explore the world of concept albums. Robert Bound speaks to the band’s J Willgoose, Esq about the making of the album, which explores aviator…
Gran Cabrio Folgore: a Carrara roadtrip
Making a masterpiece begins with a vision. And where else to start than with the beloved Italian marque Maserati’s new powerful, all-electric sports car: the Gran Cabrio Folgore. As summer turns to autumn, we engage the…
‘The Goldman Case’ and ‘Sugarcane’
We discuss two new films in this week’s episode. ‘The Goldman Case’ dramatises the 1976 trial of revolutionary left-wing intellectual Pierre Goldman and is a thrilling retelling of a momentous event in French legal history…
