Globetrotting presenter hopes ‘value’ of programmes offsets their carbon footprintExplorer and television presenter Simon Reeve is troubled by the carbon footprint of the travel documentaries he makes and sometimes feels a hypocrite, he has confessed.T…
‘It was John who wanted a divorce’: McCartney sets the record straight on Beatles split
Rock history has painted Paul McCartney as the man who broke up the band. Now he reveals that it was Lennon who was first to look for a way outIt remains the most analysed break-up in rock history: the one that set the template. When the Beatles split …
Statue of pioneering MP Barbara Castle joins recent memorials to prominent British women
Depiction of veteran Labour MP latest in series of sculptures of significant women, including Diana Princess of WalesBarbara Castle, the pioneering British female politician and prominent national figure from the 1950s to the 70s, has been commemorated…
Succession returns: how did a nice lad from Oswestry make such a nasty TV show?
As the British writer’s tale of a media family’s power struggle returns to TV, we chart his path from Peep Show to global award-winning famePulsing away unobserved, inside a room near Brixton underground station, is the heart of a callous transatlantic…
Tantrum of the opera: how Michael Palin’s angry dad inspired new show
Monty Python star has reinvented his play The Weekend as musical theatreTheatres are about to embark on a new “golden age” thanks to the combination of freshly enthused audiences and a drive for new adventurous work, according to Michael Palin.Ahead of…
How leading thriller writer helped reveal plagiarism of Emmy prizewinner
Robert Harris, whose second world war film was copied, tells how the scandal led to George Stevens Jr being stripped of his awardsIt was a just few seconds of vivid footage: joyous scenes of American troops on tanks and Jeeps driving down a Champs Élys…
Arts shows star in new Radio 4 line-up after storm at axing of film programme
Mark Kermode will co-host show exploring ‘unexpected links and discoveries’ in screen historyA film show and a new weekly music programme on Radio 4 will be part of a huge shake-up of arts programming at the BBC due to be unveiled on Monday.Screenshot …
Rich, red and rare: Hogarth’s lady back home after 100 years
The artist’s portrait of the Georgian era’s richest woman is part of a new London showAn independent aristocrat, Mary Edwards of Kensington was a leading figure in 18th-century London. She was also thought to be the richest woman in the world.If her na…
The arts have had it tough, but critics need to take off the kid gloves
Mediocre productions have been rewarded with glowing reviews during the pandemic. It’s time to be a little less gentleSeen anything good lately? It is a common bit of small-talk, but often a reliable way to find the next play or film worth watching. Th…
From Italy to an Oxford library: a new home for Antonio Carluccio’s secrets
Vast collection of notes and recipes by the chef who taught Britain to love Italian food goes on display at BrookesThere was a time when buying “fresh pasta” simply meant picking up a pack of dry spaghetti rather than a tin from the shelf.Just a few de…