Trainspotting the Musical: A bad, bad trip down memory lane July 23, 2026 Trainspotting the Musical | Theatre Royal Haymarket | ★☆☆☆☆ I was 13 when Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting adaptation was released – I’d never seen anything like it and it became a seminal text of my teenage years. Two decades later, I luxuriated in the condensed hit of nostalgia of the 2017 sequel. I’ve read the books: [...]
Is ABBA Voyage suitable for children? You bet it is! July 23, 2026 It’s one of those questions that follows a person for a lifetime: what was your first gig? The Spice Girls at Wembley, since you asked – a fact at which I cringed during my goth phase but of which I am now proud. A young person’s first experience of live music is a defining moment [...]
Jeff Goldblum plays the cinematic hits at joyful Royal Albert Hall show July 22, 2026 Jeff Goldblum at the Royal Albert Hall | ★★★★☆ Nobody does it like Jeff. Not my words but those printed on the t-shirt of a fan at his show at the Royal Albert Hall. Few actors have forced their way into the cultural zeitgeist quite like Jeff Goldblum, whose personality looms over everything he does [...]
The Square Mile art gallery with amazing free exhibitions July 21, 2026 This Square Mile gallery is hosting free exhibitions throughout the summer You might have noticed a group of twenty-something students and creative types gathering in an art gallery at 130 Fenchurch Street recently – if you’ve wondered what’s going on there, the first bit of good news is you’re welcome to join in too. The [...]
Heartstopper Forever review: Bucketloads more queer joy from Netflix July 17, 2026 Heartstopper Forever review and star rating: ★★★★ “Everyone thinks teenage relationships don’t last,” teases Joe Locke’s Charlie Spring in the feature length finale of Heartstopper. To be fair, they tend not to. But Netflix’s LGBTQ teen romance series has always been dished with a side of fantasy: literal multicoloured sparks fly across the screen when [...]
I was on the Goodyear blimp above London – here’s what it was like July 10, 2026 Unless you’ve fully committed to hiding from the heatwave, you’ve probably noticed the return of the iconic Goodyear blimp, which has been cruising above the London skyline for the first time since 2022. With a capacity of just 14, getting a seat beneath its 75 metre balloon has been like finding a golden ticket to [...]
Supergirl movie review: another disjointed DC superhero film July 10, 2026 Supergirl film review and star rating: ★★ I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie has been handed a rather heavy baton inheriting the next film of James Gunn’s rebooted DC franchise. It seemed last summer’s surprisingly heart-warming rendition of Superman (2025) had turned a new leaf for DC following Zack Snyder’s decade-long churn of lukewarm superhero films [...]
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced review: A classic rebuilt July 10, 2026 Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced | PlayStation 5 (reviewed), PC, Xbox Series X/S | ★★★★☆ The year was 2013: Pope Benedict XVI resigned, Margaret Thatcher died, Breaking Bad ended and traces of horse meat were found in beef burgers sold by the likes of Tesco and Lidl. And Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The [...]
The Yahoo Boys: The men behind online romance scams July 10, 2026 In an extract from his new book The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, journalist CARLOS BARRAGÁN travels to Lagos to uncover the truth behind romance scams When journalist Carlos Barragán’s mother fell in love with a man she had never met, it seemed too good to be true. She would [...]
Who is scrawling poetry on London streets? And why? July 10, 2026 London’s self-styled street poets are scrawling messages on walls and pavements. Lucy Carter tracked down the creators Walk down any central London street and you’ll spot them: pithy statements scrawled on paving slabs, walls and hoardings. They often take the form of simple white words, signed off with an Instagram handle. These pavement poems are [...]