麻豆社

The work of Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama is famed for its use of dots and inspired the likes of Andy Warhol. She was a work of art herself, often photographed wearing a bright orange wig and technicolour clothes covered in her signature polka dots. But, behind the canvas Yayoi was suffering with her mental health and spent almost five decades living in a psychiatric hospital. Frances Morris, the former Director of Tate Modern, now chair of the Gallery Climate Coalition, curated a retrospective exhibition of Kusama鈥檚 work.鈥�

The Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladi膰 was jailed for life in 2017 for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was known as the "Butcher of Bosnia" and infamously ordered the death of thousands of men and boys in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995. The author and journalist Tim Judah met and interviewed鈥疪atko Mladi膰 and tells his story.

When the actor Tim Curry slapped on full make up, donned fishnet stockings and corset and let loose his uniquely powerful voice, no one in the audience was ever going to forget meeting the Rocky Horror Show's Frank N Furter. Curry was born in Warrington in 1946 and his first acting job came after university in the original London production of the equally groundbreaking rock musical 鈥淗air鈥� in 1968. He was known also as the original Pennywise from Stephen King's "It鈥�, the naturalist Nigel Thornberry in the much-loved children鈥檚 series 鈥淭he Wild Thornberrys鈥�, and Long John Silver in the 1996 film 鈥淢uppet Treasure Island鈥� alongside a young Kevin Bishop who recalls his experience of working with Tim Curry.

Violet Hensley has died at the astonishing age of 109. She was one of the last surviving links back to depression-era America, she was also a luthier, or instrument maker, and a fine fiddle player. Her instruments were of such high quality that she became known as the 鈥淪tradivarius of the Ozarks鈥�. Violet made her first instrument when she was 14, but four years later she got married and stopped performing and making fiddles while she raised nine children. After a thirty-year break, she started making music again. Her daughter Sandra Flagg remembers her.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producers: Lowri Morgan and Alice McKee
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive:
麻豆社 One, Newsnight, 01/02/2012; 麻豆社 Radio 4, Front Row, 09/02/2012; 麻豆社 One, News, 26/05/2011; 麻豆社 World Service, Witness History, 29/10/2025; 麻豆社 One, News, 04/11/2011; 麻豆社, Film Week, 26/07/1975; 鈥淢uppet Treasure Island鈥�, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company and The Walt Disney Company, 24/05/1996 (UK release)