On 20 October the full extent of the government's budget cuts will be laid bare in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Fears are growing that the arts are to be hit hard.

Entertainment editor Paul MacInnes is joined in the studio by Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian's chief arts writer, who despairs at the impact the cuts will have.

Lisa Opie, chair of the East Midlands Media film funding body, points out that investment in the arts brings economic advantages.

And Marcus Romer, artistic director of Pilot Theatre in York, wonders at the viability of a philanthropic solution.

Plus we hear from Globe director Dominic Dromgoole.