Recorded in English for broadcast to a global audience on BBC World Service Radio, The Arts Hour on Tour visits cities all over the world to explore their hottest cultural trends by talking to the artists who live and work there, promoting artistic exchange across the world.

We are especially excited to visit Bangkok – with its rich mix of cultures, ancient and modern – to present an amazing showcase of Thai talents. The programme will feature live performance and star guest interviews with the city’s leading creatives, who join BBC presenter Nikki Bedi on stage, in front of a live audience, to discuss themes of cultural life in Bangkok and Thailand right now.

We will explore the fascinating layers of Thai culture that take us far beyond the country’s international image as a beloved tourist destination, from the phenomenon of ‘Boys’ Love’ dramas, and the devoted fans who occasionally blur the lines between ‘on screen’ relationships and reality, to the importance of the supernatural in Thai culture.

Popular screen actor, Joss Way-Ar Sangngern, is among the latest stars to be cast in the growing Boys’ Love series industry in Thailand. He joins us to discuss his starring role in the hit drama ‘My Golden Blood’, where he plays a vampire who will do anything to protect his love.

Director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke reveals the thinking behind his film ‘A Useful Ghost’, which won the top prize in the Critics’ Week section at the Cannes film festival in France this year. The title refers to the main character, who is the spirit of a woman who died from dust pollution and is reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner.

There is live music performance from the sensational singer/rapper Milli, who is the first solo Thai artist to perform at the Coachella music festival in the USA, and from alternative rock band Tilly Birds, whose spectacular sound is reaching international audiences. A stand-up comedy set is provided by Pim Boonyawee, one of the youngest rising stars on the Thai comedy scene.