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Paula Hawkins’s novel The Girl on the Train sold 23 million copies and was made into a film starring Emily Blunt. Now she has written A Slow Fire Burning, a who-and-why-dunnit about damaged people trying to move on with their lives, set along the Regent’s Canal in London. She talks to Front Row about starting with character, creating suspense, and how she reflects on the success of The Girl on the Train.

Alan Warner’s 1998 novel, The Sopranos, won the Saltire Society’s Scottish Book of the Year Award when it came out. It has gone on to be adapted for the stage where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2017. Now it’s been adapted for the cinema with a new title – Our Ladies. Critic David Benedict assesses whether the film adaption will also be in the running for prize. And he also talks to Kirsty about whether theatre critics are being too kind to productions in a post-lockdown world.

As defending British champion Natasha Baker wins a Silver medal in the Paralympic Dressage freestyle event in Tokyo today, composer Tom Hunt explains the art of creating original music for some of the world’s leading dressage freestyle riders with Natasha Baker and Singaporean rider Laurentia Tan.

Nia Dacosta is only 31 but has already directed two blockbusters. Today she talks to Kirsty about her horror film, Candyman, a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name.

Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Harry Parker