In the Studio: Jack in the Green

In the south of England, Hastings' traditional Jack in the Green takes place every early May Day weekend and sees a seven foot-tall conical tower of leaves - the Jack - being processed through the old fishing quarters of the town before being led up to a steep hill overlooking the sea where it is 'slain' to release the spirit of summer as the gathered, fervent, crowds take home leaves from him as symbols of luck and fertility. Neil McCarthy goes behind the scenes of one of the biggest celebrations of May Day in the United Kingdom.

The Bayeux Tapestry has English history stitched into its fabric, depicting the last time the country was invaded, by William the Conqueror in 1066. France has been its home since then. But now thanks to high-level negotiations involving President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III, it will be on display at the British Museum until next summer. Ten colours of woollen thread were used create battlefields and sea voyages on the artwork, as well as scenes of everyday life in the 11th century. Loaded into a specially-built case designed to withstand vibrations, it was transported on its own train under the English Channel – along with a police escort. They even had two practice runs without the tapestry to make sure things ran smoothly. In this episode of In the Studio, where we follow artists as they work, Julian May tells the story of the tapestry’s safe return to England and the preparation for what promises to be a blockbuster exhibition. A million people are expected to see the tapestry and it still inspires memes that show French and English football players in the World Cup wearing chain mail. In the dimly-lit gallery Julian watches while the condition of the Tapestry is checked, as it lies flat in its temperature-controlled case. He witnesses how a millennium after a small group of expert needlewomen embroidered the work of art, a small group of skilled curators – all women too – are nurturing their work: a sisterhood stretching over 70 metres of linen cloth – and a thousand years.

Steve Levine is a multi-award winning British record producer. He has produced albums for stars ranging from Deniece Williams to China Crisis; from Ziggy Marley to Quarterflash; as well as being producer of Culture Club’s first three multi-platinum selling albums from the 1980s. In 1984 Steve won Producer Of The Year at The Brit Awards, and in 1988 he won a Grammy Award for his work with Deniece Williams The Beach Boys self-titled 1985 CD – which Steve originally produced - was the band’s first to be recorded digitally and featured guest musicians Ringo Starr, Gary Moore and Stevie Wonder, plus a track written by Boy George and Roy Hay of Culture Club. Now, the former Culture Club producer accesses individual tracks from the original London (Red Bus Studios) and Los Angeles (Westlake Audio) session tapes. 40 years later, armed with new technology, Steve is able to transform the sonic quality via equipment that wasn’t available four decades ago. As he undertakes the painstaking studio process of remixing the music for a forthcoming re-release, Steve discusses the process – and the original sessions – in detail, with some music business friends. Those friends include original member of The Go Go’s and solo star Belinda Carlisle; founder member of the band America, Gerry Beckley; poet, author, biographer and documentary film maker Michael Feeney Callan; plus young British music duo Smith & Liddle, otherwise known as Billy Smith and Elizabeth Liddle.A Magnum Opus Broadcasting production for the BBC World Service Producers: Steve Levine and Lewis Borg-Cardona

Harriett talks with Daniyal Mueenuddin about This Is Where the Serpent Lives.Daniyal's debut novel is a rich and compelling portrait of contemporary Pakistan, following the intertwined lives of unforgettable characters whose fortunes are shaped by love, ambition, loyalty and betrayal. Set against the backdrop of a vast rural estate, the novel explores the lives of servants and landowners, dreamers and opportunists, as they navigate systems of class, power and privilege.Recorded in front of live audience in Edinburgh, Daniyal will be answering questions about how he created such an intimate portrait of life in Pakistan, the challenges of writing an epic that spans decades, and if it's possible for people to break free of the role society deems they must fulfill.

Harriett Gilbert welcomes you to the Artists at Work podcast feed, the home of arts and culture from BBC World Service, where World Book Club will be joined by In the Studio and the Arts Hour. In The Studio follows the world’s leading creative figures while they work. Nikki Bedi hosts The Arts Hour, with news of the latest releases from around the world, and in World Book Club Harriett Gilbert puts your questions and comments to best-selling authors.In the Studio episodes are released on Tuesdays, The Arts Hour with you on Fridays and World Book Club drops on the first Saturday of each month.

Kaarina Parker talks about her debut novel set in ancient Rome - Fulvia. The novel tells the tale of Fulvia, the daughter of a wealthy but inconsequential Roman family. Raised in the country, she yearns for excitement, for power. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, Fulvia makes her way to Rome to forge her own fate.There she marries a young aristocrat named Clodius, who is more interested in his hedonistic pleasures than politics. Fulvia is drawn into his world of debauchery, and learns that the balance of power in the Republic is precarious. Her ambition drives them both to political power that draws the attention of the senate, as well as shadowy underworld opponents. The heart of the Empire proves to be a dangerous place, and Fulvia soon learns that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost. Kaarina will be answering your questions about the place of women in ancient Rome, how to balance historical back with unique storytelling, and why historical fiction from a female perspective is so popular with contemporary readers.

American author Rachel Kusher talks about her award-winning novel, The Mars Room. The novel follows Romy Hall, as she begins two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, after killing her stalker.The story weaves between the two sides of Romy’s existence. First, the prison world where women struggle for the bare essentials of life. Second, the San Francisco of her youth, The Mars Room strip club where she once danced, and days spent with her angelic seven-year-old son, Jackson.Gritty, daring and sometimes darkly comedic, The Mars Room is both a searing, and deeply empathetic exploration of the American penal system.Rachel answers your questions about her years of research into prison life, how her protagonist came to be, and if wider societal structures mean some people are pre-determined to end up behind bars.Presenter: Harriet Gilbert

World Book Club welcomes Karin Slaughter to answer your questions about her brutal, heart-rending thriller, The Good Daughter.28 years after the murder of their mother, another horrific crime forces sisters Sam and Charlie Quinn to confront the truth about the night that shattered their family so long ago.Karin will be asking your questions about her attitude to violence in her novels, the dynamics of sisterhood, and why saving public libraries is more important than ever in the modern world.

Harriett Gilbert welcomes John Connolly to World Book Club to answer your question on his beautiful, but twisted fairy tale - The Book of Lost Things. Set in the Second World War. The novel tells the tale of twelve-year-old David, who mourns the death of his mother while shut up in his attic bedroom with only his books for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him, tempting him... As his family falls apart, David is drawn into a world peopled by heroes and monsters of fairytale and myth, ruled by a shadowy king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things. Not a fairytale for children, the novel is unnerving, psychologically gripping, and achingly tender in parts. It explores how we survive loss, how we can grow braver than we ever thought was possible, and how the stories we cling to can both save us, and scar us. John will answer questions such as what is the hidden meaning behind the monsters young David must confront, why we return to fairy tales throughout our lives, and if he believes in ‘book magic’.

Octavia Bright talks to Ragnar Jónasson about his shocking thriller, The Darkness.When Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is unceremoniously told she is being forced into early retirement, she is given the chance to work on one last Cold Case, anything she likes. The case she chooses to revive is centred on the death of a Russian asylum seeker, a 27-year-old woman who had been found dead on the icy shore a year before.As Hulda reopens the case, she discovers that another young woman disappeared at the same time - and that crucial facts have been withheld. Witnesses are evasive, records incomplete, and even her fellow officers appear determined to stall her investigation. With only two weeks to uncover the truth, Hulda must uncover what really happened, even at the risk of her own life.Ragnar answers listeners questions such as - how he created his detective, Hulda? How the Icelandic landscape shapes his characters and stories? And if he realised the ending of the novel would shock so many of his readers?