Monocle on Culture
Robert Bound and guests explore what’s new in art, film, books, and media. Expect lively discussions, in-depth interviews, and expert insights.
Latest Episodes
Weird-and-wonderful theatre
We take a deep dive into immersive theatre with the acclaimed company Punchdrunk and offer recommendations for what to watch if you’re heading to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Plus: a musical treat from comedian…
How did drag become mainstream?
Drag culture has sashayed its way into the mainstream. Robert Bound speaks to Nicole Pasulka, the author of the new book, ‘How You Get Famous: Ten Years of Drag Madness in Brooklyn’, and one…
Summer reading
Is there such a thing as a ‘beach read’? Susannah Butter and John Mitchinson join Robert Bound in the studio to share their top recommendations of new books – and to question the idea…
Music for moons
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg to explore how she created her new work, ‘The Moons Symphony’. It tells the story of seven moons in our universe and…
Contemporary arts in the Mena region
What does contemporary arts practice look like across the Middle East and North Africa? We head to Morocco to find out from an actress and theatre practitioner, a pop star and an arts facilitator…
Summer soundtrack
Robert Bound is joined by Kate Hutchinson and Christine Ochefu to take you through this summer’s hottest music releases. From the biggest names to the less well-known, find out which artists should be providing…
Chris Blackwell
As the man who signed Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell is credited with bringing Jamaican music to the masses. He talks to Robert Bound about his upbringing on – and love for…
Norway’s new National Museum, behind the scenes of Primavera and Indonesia’s ‘Balinale’
We visit Norway’s new National Museum on Oslo’s harbour, which aims to cement the city’s position as an emerging cultural capital. Plus: we go behind the scenes of Barcelona music festival Primavera Sound and…
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Tom Cruise is back as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for another sky-high adventure in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Robert Bound is joined by critics Clarisse Loughrey and Simran Hans to ask whether this legacy sequel takes…
The films of Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola has been applauded as a filmmaker ever since ‘The Virgin Suicides’ in 1999. In the two decades since, her films have touched on everything from an 18th-century queen on the eve of…
