Programme Details

'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'

When the first Star Wars film opened to the public in 1977, it was one of the greatest cinematic events for decades, heralding a major new style of cinema. The six-episodes are now complete, with the release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith , but what are we supposed to take from it? In this evening's Night Waves Philip Dodd talks to the man behind the 28-year project, George Lucas. And live in the studio Julian Baggini, the editor of The Philosopher's Magazine , assesses the concept as a whole and gives us his philosophical and spiritual understanding of the film cycle about one man's rather troubled relationship with his dad.

Also in the programme, What Good are the Arts? This is a question addressed in a new book by Professor John Carey. Are the arts good for the soul, do they make us better people, are they a sign of civilisation? In a long interview, John Carey reveals his scepticism about outdated attitudes towards the true value of art, and makes a case for why, of all the arts, literature is the greatest of all.

And as Mark Rylance stages his final play as artistic director of the Globe Theatre in London, Susannah Clapp gives her verdict on his version of The Tempest , which has the distinguishing feature of having just three actors playing all the parts.

Join Philip Dodd live for Night Waves at 9.30pm here on BBC Radio 3.


Presenter: Philip Dodd
Producer: Jerome Weatherald



Additional details:

1) Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith opens on 19th May, cert 12A
http://www.starwars.com/

2)What Good are the Arts? by John Carey is published by Faber

3) The Tempest is at the Globe Theatre in London until 2nd October
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/