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Alan Bennett and Nicholas Hytner, Diversity in children's fiction, Yves Klein at Blenheim Place

Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Hytner discuss new play Allelujah!, set in a geriatric ward of a Yorkshire hospital. Plus an exhibition of Yves Klein at Bleinheim Palace.

Alan Bennett's new play Allelujah! is set in the geriatric ward of a Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure. It follows a singing, dancing choir of quick-witted elderly patients whose problem is not that they are ill so much as they have nowhere to go. Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Hytner discuss working together and how Alan manages to take on big themes - English identity, education and now the NHS - without being, he says, a "political" writer.

Blenheim Palace is housing a major exhibition of the work of the radical French artist Yves Klein, famous for his ultramarine blue paintings and sculptures. Louisa Buck reviews.

A new survey into ethnic diversity in children's literature has found that only 4% of all the children's books published in the UK last year featured a black, Asian or minority ethnic character. Farrah Serroukh, who led the Reflecting Realities survey, and writer Patrice Lawrence discuss the findings.

Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Hannah Robins.

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30 minutes

Alan Bennett And Nicholas Hytner

Alan Bennett And Nicholas Hytner

, in London.
Image:  Alan Bennett, Kirsty Lang, and Nicholas Hytner.

Yves Klein Contemporary Art Exhibition

Yves Klein Contemporary Art Exhibition

runs from 18th July – 7th October 2018.    Image:   View of Yves Klein, Relief Portrait of  Amman, 1962, Relief Portrait of Claude Pascal, 1962, Courtesy of Blenheim Art Foundation, Photo by Tom Lindboe

Reflecting Realities

published this week which looks at ethnic diversity in new books being published for children.  Farrah Serroukh, who led the survey, and writer Patrice Lawrence discuss the findings.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Kirsty Lang
Interviewed Guest Alan Bennett
Interviewed Guest Nicholas Hytner
Interviewed Guest Louisa Buck
Interviewed Guest Farrah Serroukh
Interviewed Guest Patrice Lawrence
Producer Hannah Robins

Broadcast

  • Wed 18 Jul 2018 19:15

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