Mr Bates this isn’t: The Hack reviewed
As we know, when terrestrial television has a big new hit these days, its response – once it’s got over…
Where was everyone at Newbury?
The West Wing scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin had it about right when he said that so long as you keep one…
Don’t cure my autism
I admit that when Donald Trump announced he had found the answer for autism, I was curious. As an autistic…
The curse of room three
The singer sped past me out of the gate, sending me flying as I tried to say goodbye. We’ve been…
How long does it take to build a runway?
Flight path How long does it take to build a runway? — 33 years (at least) in the case of…
I took on a hornet – and won
Provence Midnight. In preparation for a 5 a.m. rise I’d been asleep for two sweltering hours under the ceiling fan…
First they came for the Jews…
It was moving to watch Keir Starmer announce this week, from a corridor in Downing Street, that his government has…
This is Shabana Mahmood’s moment
What is the point of Keir Starmer? He was the means by which the Labour party could suffocate the hard…
Hard-won gay rights will be easily lost
In the Palace of Westminster a fortnight ago, I spoke at a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Tory…
Portrait of the week: Recognition for Palestine, second runway for Gatwick and questions over Epstein for Fergie
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced that Britain had recognised a Palestinian state. France, Portugal, Canada and Australia…
Hell is a wine list
Wine lists give me the fear. I can still recall the prickle of adrenaline when my father handed me the…
What Nigel Farage told me
I recently attended the Young Dancer of the Year competition at the Royal Opera House, organised by the formidable Jacquie…
What will love and literature become in the age of the Ring doorbell?
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Well, according to the app it was the Evri man at 10.27, the Yodel man at…
What’s really behind Reform’s rise
It is the question dominating bars and fringe debates this party conference season: what exactly is driving Reform UK’s popularity?…
Housebuilding’s in crisis? Bring back Angela Rayner!
Barely noticed amid all the other bad news and political shenanigans, there’s a slump in UK housebuilding that makes Labour’s…
Pine martens for Palestine
How can the nature sector respond to the genocide in Gaza? These are not my words. They appear in the…
Michael Keegan-Dolan’s How to be a Dancer is worthy of Flann O’Brien
Michael Keegan-Dolan’s show doesn’t even pretend to live up to the arresting proposition in its title – anyone hoping to…
Who does Shabana Mahmood have in her sights?
After a fortnight in which Keir Starmer lost both Angela Rayner and Peter Mandelson but also reshaped his cabinet and…
Kate Moss’s new Bowie podcast is far too safe
In January, it will be ten years since David Bowie died. I remember Bowie songs playing out of every London…
The folly of psychology
A young Chinese girl, at school in an English-speaking country, approached me after I gave a talk at a conference…
Northern Ireland Opera have a hit: Follies reviewed
Never judge a musical by its score alone. Even more than with opera, the music is only ever half the…
Let’s just ignore the Church of England
How important do you think it is to know what the Church of England thought about that ‘Unite the Kingdom’…
How Charles III became the richest monarch in modern history
Valentine Low describes the financial deals struck by the Windsors with successive politicians in exchange for relinquishing political power
Letters: French universities still offer a proper education
Unhappy Union Sir: John Power is correct about George Abaraonye, the president-elect of the Oxford Union (‘Violent opposition’, 20 September).…
