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New Bruce Springsteen album

A review of the week's cultural highlights, including RSC in Stratford, the new Springsteen album, 12 Years a Slave, Peter Capaldi in Musketeers, and The Girl With All the Gifts.

Hilary Mantel's novels about Thomas Cromwell - Chief Minister to Henry VIII - have been garlanded with awards and now the RSC has adapted both of them for the stage in 2 three-hour-long plays. We'll tell you whether they're worth queuing up for return tickets for.

12 Years A Slave is directed by British film director Steve McQueen and tells the true story of free African American kidnapped from Washington into slavery in the Southern States. It has been praised as eye opening with stunning performances, but how will our critics rate it?

The BBC's latest costume drama is The Musketeers, a lavish production starring Peter Capaldi as Richelieu - is there a TV audience for swashbuckling and pistol duels set in pre-revolutionary France?

Bruce Springsteen albums are always eagerly awaited by his fans and his latest is a mix of cover versions and previously unreleased material. Can it deliver on the high hopes of listeners who don't yet worship at The Boss' altar?

Zombie books and films are an increasingly popular genre and The Girl With All The Gifts is about an apparently normal little girl with extraordinary powers that she can barely control.

Available now

45 minutes

High Hopes

Bruce Springsteen's 18th studio album, High Hopes, is released by Columbia Records on 13 January.

RSC: Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies

The RSC's stage adaptations of Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies plays in two parts at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon until 29 March.

12 Years A Slave

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, is released in UK cinemas on 10 January, certificate 15.

The Musketeers

The Musketeers starts on Sunday 19 January at 9pm on BBC One.

The Girl With All The Gifts

The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey is published by Orbit on 14 January.

Credit

RoleContributor
ProducerFiona Couper

Broadcast

  • Sat 11 Jan 201419:15

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