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Judi Dench has won major acting awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Oscar, the Tony and six Oliviers (England's top theatrical honor). The British actress is famous for Shakespearean roles, but she's also played spy chief M in James Bond films and currently appears in the Vin Diesel science fiction action flick The Chronicles of Riddick. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews Dench about the art of acting.

New York Times writer JASON DEPARLE. He covers poverty and social welfare issues for the Times. Recently DEPARLE has been writing about the disappearance of affordable housing. Government guidelines suggest that renters should be paying 30% of their income for housing, but many of our nations disabled and poor are paying 50, 60 and 70 percent of their income on housing. On top of that government subsidies for low-income housing have all but disappeared. DEPARLE's New York Times Magazine cover story about housing appeared on October 20, 1996. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE

The number one song in Britain is sung by a cartoon character, his name is Bob the Builder and his show appears on the BBC. The song shot to the top of the charts in Britain during the holiday, surpassing Scottish boy-band Westlife and Eminem's "Stan". The cartoon series -- and the song -- will be coming to the States next month. Linda talks with David Sinclair, pop music critic for the Times of London, about the sensation created by the Bob the Builder. (3:30) Bob the Builder is written by Paul Joyce, voiced by actor Neil Morrissey. The Audio CD is "Bob the Builder," from BBC Worldwide Music; ASIN: B00005244T Catalogue Number: WMSS60372.

Billboard reports that last week was the best week for vinyl record sales in three decades. Adele's 30 was the top-selling vinyl album of the year. Taylor Swift's Red also broke vinyl sale records.

The English-Irish pop group One Direction was near the top of the list with their 3-D concert film One Direction: This Is Us. It grossed $17 million in its first three days. The documentary cost $10 million to make.

M. Ward has always followed his own path. Propelled by both his agile acoustic guitar work and his considerable wit and charisma, Ward's folk-blues take on classic Americana has won him countless fans and a place among the nation's top contemporary singer-songwriters.

Having recently moved from basement performances to the top of the U.K. singles charts, Sandi Thom continues to win fans, thanks to a whimsically appealing brand of folk-pop. Characterized by powerful vocals, her songs find Thom lusting for the era of vinyl at the record store and letters through the mail.

The legendary songwriting trio, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland. They wrote many early Motown hits, and helped turn the company into a powerhouse. Their songs include "You Can't Hurry Love," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Baby, I Need Your Loving," "Heat Wave" and "Stop! In the Name of Love." Their songs were recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, and Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. In 1990 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On May 13, 2003, they will receive the BMI ICON award, given to songwriters "who have been unique and indelible influences on generations of music makers." [The audio for this segment is unavailable due to Internet rights issues.]

Green Gartside is the driving force behind the various incarnations of Scritti Politti, which has been making music on and off for 35 years. Driven by Gartside's childlike voice and uplifting melodies, Scritti Politti's smooth pop sound surfaced on the Top 40 in 1985, but has mostly been heard on pop culture's margins.

All Songs Considered asked you to share your favorite new artist of the first half of 2016. Here's your top 10.