Podcasts Culture Front Row David Tennant on playing Dennis Nilsen, BBC National Short Story Award shortlist announced, The Painted Bird reviewed

David Tennant on playing Dennis Nilsen, BBC National Short Story Award shortlist announced, The Painted Bird reviewed

Published: Sept. 11, 2020, 7:09 p.m.

David Tennant talks to Front Row about new ITV drama DES, in which he plays one of the most infamous serial killers in UK history, Dennis Nilsen - a civil servant who went undetected as he murdered boys and young men he met on the streets of London from 1978 to 1983.

2020 is the 15th anniversary of the BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Tonight, with the help of judge Lucy Caldwell \u2013 who has herself been twice shortlisted for the award \u2013 Front Row announces this year\u2019s shortlist.

Critics Arifa Akbar and Leslie Felperin join Front Row to look back at the week in culture and to review The Painted Bird, a new film by Czech director/producer V\xe1clav Marhoul - an adaptation of Jerzy Kosi\u0144ski's classic novel. 3 hours long, in black and white, it is the first film to feature the Interslavic language and tells the tale of a young Jewish boy who undergoes a series of harrowing, life-changing episodes in rural Eastern Europe during the Second World War. It was the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars but its brutal depictions of violence have led to walkouts at festivals.

Presenter: John Wilson\nStudio Manager: Emma Harth