The Guardian has launched The Close Up, a new culture show hosted by journalist Carys Afoko and Guardian Senior Culture Writer Lanre Bakare.

Launching in November as an always-on series, new episodes will be released twice a week in video and audio formats on the Guardian's website and platforms including YouTube and Spotify.

Carys and Lanre will be joined by industry experts and celebrity guests to discuss the week's biggest cultural questions, covering topics from the Booker Prize to reality TV, the Met Gala to SNL sketches, Oscars campaigns to art world news.

The Close Up is the first release from Guardian Studios, the Guardian's new creative hub for video-first, personality-led journalism.

Carys says: "Culture shapes how we understand ourselves and the world around us. The Close Up will take a serious look at culture without taking ourselves too seriously. I'm thrilled to be making the show with Lanre and the brilliant Guardian Studios team."

Lanre says: "I'm so excited to start this new chapter at Guardian Studios. I've covered culture at the Guardian for 15 years spanning print, digital and podcasts. The Close Up is the perfect next step in the Guardian's culture coverage at a time when audiences are looking for new ways to learn about the world. I can't wait for everyone to see what we've been cooking up."