Simon Collins
The uncompromising nature of Australia’s lockdown may well have been inspired by the example set by other countries. Or it…
Belgravia
Belgravia is the rather coldly beautiful residential part of London bounded by Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Buckingham Palace. It is also…
Letters
Poor treatment Sir: My recent experience supports Dr Max Pemberton’s view that the NHS is letting down thousands of patients…
Barometer
Covid deaths Has Covid-19 evolved to become less deadly? — Global infections reached a new peak on 29 May, with…
A sting in the tale
Did the US secretly write a power ballad in order to bring down the Soviet Union? That’s the question behind…
The 1975: Notes on a Conditional Form
Grade: B+ Just what you wanted. An opening track that matches banal piano noodling to an address by Greta Thunberg.…
South Bank Centre
I must have written about this subject 100 times in 30 years and I’m still having to restate the bloody…
Dallas with violins
On the face of it, a French-language drama about a Parisian symphony orchestra mightn’t sound like the most action-packed of…
The Mystery of Charles Dickens
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the many rival identities of Charles Dickens
Good grief
Sea Wall, by Simon Stephens, is a half-hour monologue about grief performed by Andrew Scott. The YouTube clip has been…
Together and apart
Twins are literary dynamite. For writers, they’re perfect for thrashing out notions of free will, the pinballing of cause and…
There can be no return to the Whitehall status quo
During the pandemic, Nicola Sturgeon has developed a reputation for announcing things just before the UK government does. But there…
Movers and shakers
What have the Akkadians ever done for us? As it turns out, rather a lot, as Philip Matyszak reveals in…
The pain of forgetting
‘Grief is the price we pay for love,’ the Queen once wrote. This memoir is steeped in the pain of…
Random souvenirs
Those who have been on creative writing courses may be familiar with the ‘I remember’ exercise. The two words become…
Portrait of the week
Home Primary schools were allowed to reopen but many did not want to. MPs voted to return to their physical…
The great Newsnight delusion
The Twitter feed of BBC Newsnight editor Esme Wren (remember, I read this stuff so you don’t have to) is…
Taking a lot of flak
Those of us who write occasionally about military aviation can only admire the compelling personal experience that John Nichol brings…
A US import we can do without
It is nearly four years since Black Lives Matter had their first major protest in London. Emulating their US counterparts,…
The joy of the drive-by birthday party
It is a relief to parents that young children are allowed out a bit now as the length of the…
