David Edgar
Monday 25 February 2008 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)
Matthew Sweet talks to political playwright David Edgar about Testing the Echo, his new play about a group of immigrants preparing to take the new British citizenship exam. Does he believe that immigration and citizenship should be top of the country's agenda?
Plus a review of the latest film from Danish maverick director Lars Von Trier, famous for starting the Dogma movement, whose work now seems to have taken another new turn with The Boss of It All, a comedy about an IT firm.
David Edgar
David Edgar 
Playlist
David Edgar
On Night Waves with Matthew Sweet, a conversation with one of Britain's leading playwrights. On the eve of his sixtieth birthday, David Edgar discusses his latest play - a wry look at the British Citizenship Test, modern British values boiled down to the practicalities of finding a dentist - and his concerns at an overemphasis on text-based drama at the Arts Council.
Testing the Echo by David Edgar is on tour around the country until 10th May
Michael X
We revisit the story of Michael X, a hugely controversial figure in the history of race relations in Britain. A new film claims to tell the real story behind the massive 1971 heist of Lloyds Bank in Baker Street. It suggests that the robbery was all a put-up job, orchestrated by the secret services to retrieve compromising photos of Princess Margaret, stored in a deposit box by Michael X as an insurance policy against imprisonment for his various criminal activities. What was Michael X really about? An out-and-out crook or a creative opportunist in a racist society?
Secularism in Israel
Matthew is joined by two prominent Israeli academics, Yirmiyahu Yovel
and Menahem Brinker who'll be discussing the ongoing work to define a secular Jewish identity in their country, which to this day has never been able to agree on a Constitution properly defining the relationship between religion and State.
Click here for more information on Jewish Book Week
The Boss of it All
Last year the Danish director, Lars von Trier, announced his career was on hold due to depression. Now he's back, with a comedy - The Boss of it All. Matthew is joined by film critic Adrian Wootton to review the film.
The Boss of it All, certificate 15, opens on Friday 29th February
