Holden out for a hero: seatless Tory chair pitches up in Wellingborough
Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.
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A very British scandal
One TV drama – on the Post Office Horizon scandal – has exposed the unaccountability of power in the UK.
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The new age of magical thinking
The philosophy of magic inspired the founders of modern science. Now it feeds the delusions of Silicon Valley.
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Rishi Sunak is digging his own grave
Why even once-loyal Conservatives are now despairing of the Prime Minister.
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How to escape the self-help trap
Vincent Deary’s exhilarating new book mixes science, philosophy and memoir to argue that self-acceptance is our best defence against the…
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Inside the loneliness bureau
The minister for loneliness, equalities and civil society Stuart Andrew on his own spells of solitude and why language must…
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The Christmas gift of Viagra
I’ve always felt the word festive may be applied as easily to the bedroom as to bunting. Men Up proves…
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Democracy in the era of deepfakes
In October a fabricated clip of Keir Starmer swearing at staff was shared. Imagine the impact if it had happened…
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The 20 best films and TV shows of 2023
Our choice of the year’s essential screen entertainment.
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The 20 best books of 2023
Our choice of the year’s essential fiction and non-fiction.
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The madness of Claude Monet
Jackie Wullschläger’s exemplary biography reveals the impressionist painter’s obsessive commitment to his art.
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Michel Faber’s tin ear
The novelist’s arresting study of the power of music is marred by a clumsy structure and snobbish tone.
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The best children’s books for Christmas 2023
There’s fantasy, folklore and friendship in the best new books for young readers.
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On being the writer in the family
Writers exploit and rebel against their parents – but can never escape them.
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What video games taught me
A collection of essays on gaming confirms the rich complexity of an art form that remains widely misunderstood.
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Maruyama Ōkyo: artist of the frozen world
The 18th-century Japanese painter learned lessons from Western art and used them more daringly than any European.
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Cooking for others gives me purpose. That doesn’t mean I enjoy it
You know why chefs are skinny and have explosive tempers? Because their mothers try to help them in the kitchen…
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A strange and intimate Ghost Story
This podcast mixes true crime, family history and the paranormal – to intriguing effect.
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Matthew Ball’s cerebral ballet
The Royal Ballet principal on embracing pain, bringing the unconscious to the stage, and the dance world after #MeToo.
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The bird that wasn’t there
Soon after the Bay thrush was discovered in 1774, it was lost. But we can no longer blame ignorance for…
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