A wine-lover’s guide to Sober October October 3, 2023 I fully support those doing Sober October, though I’ll be cheering from the side-lines with a glass of champagne in hand. It can be a worthwhile if rather grim undertaking, so here are my top tips for dealing with tee-totalism with style, flair and, most of all, flavour. Gone are the days of lacklustre lemonade [...]
Why Aruba lives up to its nickname of ‘One Happy Island’ October 3, 2023 There are many places across the world where Brits aren’t truly welcome. Sure, our incessant politeness and love of queuing endears us to strangers, but we also like to drink, and we speak loudly and exclusively in our mother tongue. Amsterdam recently launched a “stay away” campaign specifically targeted at young British tourists in an [...]
Picture a Day Like This at the Royal Opera House: A beautiful ode to hope October 3, 2023 What does it mean to look for a miracle? Hope, as a uniquely human impulse, is the focus of composer George Benjamin and writer Martin Crimp’s latest operatic endeavour, Picture a day like this. This eagerly anticipated fourth collaboration between Benjamin and Crimp marks a departure from their grander operatic triumphs. Picture a day like [...]
Enjoy a luxury car retreat at the stunning Montagu Arms in the New Forest October 3, 2023 Even if you don’t own a classic car you can act like you do while you stay at the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu, a charming chocolate-box village in the heart of the ancient woodlands. THE WEEKEND Even if you aren’t a natural motorhead there is something bone-achingly cool about driving a red 1966 vintage Jaguar E-type. [...]
David Beckham opens London’s new flagship Maserati showroom October 2, 2023 The former England football captain arrived in a new Maserati GranTurismo and talked about his custom MC20 supercar.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance review: Bahn stormer October 2, 2023 Tim Pitt drives the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, a car with a list of go-faster credentials even longer than its name.
iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Light, camera, action September 29, 2023 In a smartphone landscape where iterative improvements are the best you can really hope for, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is one hell of an iterative improvement. It takes the powerhouse of the iPhone range and supercharges it through innovative use of new materials, substantial hardware upgrades and those little quality of life tweaks that [...]
Head to Watches of Switzerland Knightsbridge this weekend for an amazing Patek Philippe exhibition September 28, 2023 If you’re looking for some horological inspiration this weekend, head over to Watches of Switzerland in Knightsbridge, where you can find a unique and inspiring collection of Patek Philippes. The exhibition is designed to celebrate the finest in watchmaking, looking at both the brand’s iconic timepieces and paying homage to the historic references that have [...]
Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play: A tough slog at the Young Vic September 28, 2023 Kimber Lee’s Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play had me right up until the moment when it didn’t. It’s a work filled with righteous indignation about the portrayal of Asian people in popular fiction, from Madam Butterfly to Miss Saigon to a thousand other white, colonial fantasies about mystical “orientals”. The same story is essentially acted [...]
Harry Potter star Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, dies September 28, 2023 Michael Gambon, the actor who played Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potter films, has died. The 82-year-old passed away after a short bout of pneumonia in hospital, his family has said in an announcement. Gambon played the Hogwarts school headmaster Professor Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films. Sir Michael Gambon was [...]