People read less: Do we still need the Booker Prize? July 30, 2026 The world and it’s reading habits have changed – but has the Booker Prize changed too? And what purpose does it fulfil, asks Eliot Wilson What is the point of literary prizes? The longlist for this year’s Booker Prize was announced on Tuesday, 13 works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, which must [...]
Here we go again: The best roof terrace for yet another heatwave July 28, 2026 Just when you thought you’d got out… they drag you back in. Or up: up to London’s roof terraces to bask in yet another spell of 30 degree heat. We round up some of the top spots up top to make the most of this most clement of summers. Madison Where else to start but [...]
Why the Bank of England museum is a one-of-a-kind July 28, 2026 Where else in the country can you walk into a museum and without any guard present, lift a gold bar worth £1.2 million? Welcome to the Bank of England museum, one of the City’s hidden gems. Apart from the gold bar, a reminder of the 400,000 beneath you, the museum is a real treasure house, [...]
London Sports Festival’s 3×3 Basketball Court Scores Early Success with Basketball England Takeover July 23, 2026 Central London Alliance’s London Sports Festival’s newest sporting activation has made an impressive start, as the pop-up 3×3 basketball court in Paternoster Square welcomed hundreds of participants and spectators for a successful opening day in partnership with Basketball England. Situated in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, the court has transformed Paternoster Square into a [...]
Bonheur by Matt Abé review: This Michelin magnet left me hungry July 23, 2026 Matt Abé, formerly of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, has gone it alone with the opening of Bonheur. His food might be winning plaudits (including two Michelin stars) but our reviewer was left craving french fries I’d eaten like a catwalk model in the hours that preceded my meal at Bonheur by Matt Abe. My guest had [...]
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 [...]