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
Max Porter
Writer Max Porter joins Robert Bound to talk about his new book, ‘The Death of Francis Bacon’. Porter, whose previous works includes the titles ‘Lanny’ and ‘Grief is the Thing with Feathers’, discusses art, death and truth, and the impact of 2020 events on the writing of this book.
‘Little Scratch’ by Rebecca Watson
We review ‘Little Scratch’, the debut novel by Rebecca Watson, an experimental exploration of a day in the life of a young woman in London. Robert Bound is joined by critics Susannah Butter and Lucy Scholes.
Looking ahead to 2021
We look to the year ahead in film, books and art with our critics: Anna Smith, John Mitchinson and Francesca Gavin.
2020 music, film and TV review
Our critics Simran Hans, Will Hodgkinson and Fernando Augusto Pacheco reveal their top albums, films and television shows of the year.
A Christmas story: ‘The List’
Celebrate Christmas with us in a ‘Monocle on Culture’ first: an original piece of festive fiction written by Chloë Ashby.
‘Winter Light’ at the Southbank Centre
We go for a wander around the outside of London’s Southbank Centre to see its new multimedia exhibition, ‘Winter Light’. Robert Bound is accompanied by curator Cliff Lauson and artist David Ogle.
Jonathan Coe
Novelist Jonathan Coe joins Robert Bound to discuss his new book, ‘Mr Wilder and Me’, a fictional depiction of a young woman who finds herself on a Greek island working for American film director Billy Wilder.
‘Mank’
Robert Bound is joined by film critics Tim Robey and Karen Krizanovich to review David Fincher’s latest film, ‘Mank’, the story of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz as he battles for credit on the Oscar-winning ‘Citizen Kane’. Set during the golden age of Hollywood, it stars Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.
‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’ by Nigella Lawson
We discuss the balance of stories, recipes and personality in cookery books through the lens of Nigella Lawson’s new volume, ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’. Robert Bound is joined by food writers Felicity Cloake and Olivia Potts and we hear from Lawson herself about the sort of recipes she wanted to write…
2020 vision
In this 2020 television bonanza, we discuss the streaming services eyeing up linear TV opportunities, whether the news has been the most popular TV show of the year and how well satirists are keeping up with the rolling headlines. Robert Bound is joined by guests Fernando Augusto Pacheco, Inkoo Kang…
