With its fun new series, Julian Fellowes’ preposterous ‘transatlantic’ Downton has morphed from joylessly pompous to truly joyful TV. Consider me a convert! The Gilded Age is a curious, unwieldy thing. It is rich in qualities that I love, such as Broadway stars of a certain pedigree and truly extravagant […]
Month: June 2025
The foreign secretary was trying to catch up, unsure whether it would be better to have been in on the plan, or have deniability The situation was, said the foreign secretary, “fast-moving”. Fast-moving as in totally suboptimal. Fast-moving as in completely out of his control. Fast-moving as in he would […]
‘We knew the prize money had to go up fast. No one would say, “Better not put the kettle on in case somebody wins a quid”’ I was responsible for the schedule. I’d listened to Chris Tarrant doing this game on the radio – Double or Quits – which was […]
The heatwave media formula is still extravagantly weird: all stock photos of ice-creams and suns with their hats on. It is time we recognised this extreme weather for exactly what it is I think I must be on someone’s Rolodex of killjoys, because whenever something good happens – schools break […]
As the shockingly violent anticapitalist hit returns, its star and creator talk about spinoffs, the dangers of desensitisation, David Fincher’s mooted remake – and why they couldn’t say no to tie-ins with McDonald’s and Uber When season two of Squid Game dropped, fans were split in their response to Netflix’s […]
This summer will mark 80 years since the attacks stunned the world. Today, every one of the crew members who carried out the bombings is dead. Here, one of the last writers to interview them reopens his files ‘It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining on the buildings. […]
If Palestine Action becomes a proscribed group, writing these words of support could become a serious offence. It’s vital we fight this alarming attack on free speech On 20 June, in what has now become an appallingly familiar story, Israeli forces once again opened fire on Palestinians at an aid […]
From medically unqualified influencers pushing expensive supplements online, to nurses peddling myths about pregnancy, I had to find out all I could about my condition myself. This is what I’ve learned I suspected I had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) long before it was confirmed. The signs were there: the acne […]
For many, work starts before sunrise and stretches late into the night, with nearly 270 notifications a day, report finds It is 10pm in Seoul, South Korea, but Hyun Jin Lee is not heading home. The recent college graduate – an employee in the IT industry – is at a […]
This week’s Windrush Day reception at No 10 was joyous – but also a reminder of the ugliness behind the ‘island of strangers’ rhetoric This week I went to a Windrush Day reception in the gardens of 10 Downing Street. Standing in the brilliant sunshine, with a steelband tinkling away […]