Why the tie is making a comeback October 2, 2026 Once viewed as stuffy and outdated, the tie is staging a comeback. adam bloodworth explores how the corporate staple is being reclaimed by musicians and London’s underground club scene For generations of men, the tie was something you wore without thinking. Slipping one on was simply part of your morning routine, as mundane as shaving [...]
‘The world of Cat TV is more cut throat than you would ever imagine’ – inside the strange business of TV… for cats October 1, 2026 On the internet, no one knows you’re a cat. But The Algorithm almost certainly knows if you’re a cat owner, and it will increasingly serve you content aimed at keeping your housebound feline entertained. Welcome to the YouTube phenomenon of Cat TV, a peculiar niche of video streaming whose primary audience (one has to assume) [...]
Chef’s Table: Victor Garvey interviews top Japanese actress Yoh Yoshida October 1, 2026 Dine with Yoh Yoshida and Victor Garvey at MATER1A as they discuss Shakespeare, Japan and Michelin-starred cuisine—read the full conversation.
Disinformation wars: The digital mafia weaponising online news October 1, 2026 In part two of our investigation into the disinformation barons, Steve Dinneen dives into a world where hostile factions run smear campaigns for cash and victims have nowhere to hide. To catch up on the first part, follow this link “A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in [...]
Fine dining and The Jab: A Michelin dinner with the Ozempic set July 21, 2026 The age of Ozempic is changing fine dining. Anna Moloney asks how to run a Michelin-star restaurant when your diners don't want to eat.
I saved hundreds watching a tribute band over the real thing July 15, 2026 Tired of spending hundreds on stadium gigs, Damien Gabet set off on a long, dark journey to Cheltenham to watch a System Of A Down tribute band. It might have been better than the real thing We can all recall a piece of music that, on first listening, irreversibly rewired our minds. I can vividly [...]
Everything’s going to sh*t. Here are 25 of the best dystopian novels July 15, 2026 The genre has roared back onto bookshelves and best-seller lists. Harry Owen asks why we keep returning to this bleakest of genres – and recommends some top dystopian fiction Dystopian fiction is once again lining the bookshelves of Waterstones. And is it any wonder? All good dystopia really hinges on its ‘plausibility’, the writer concocting [...]
This is what proper British pub lock-ins used to be like July 14, 2026 If you’re under 60, you’re unlikely to have experienced a proper British pub lock-in. But there was a time when it was a cornerstone of a good night out, a rite of passage and a membership to an illicit club. Andy Blackmore tries to remember the good old days A few decades ago, this country [...]
How to become a (successful) vintage watch collector July 13, 2026 Every watch obsessive has a dream: mine is a 1964 Rolex Daytona 6239. Sadly, even addiction has boundaries and the only way I’ll ever own one is if I sell my house. Thankfully, I can console myself with the knowledge that there are other less-coveted timepieces that, even in these interconnected times, occasionally fly under [...]
The Yahoo Boys: The men behind online romance scams July 10, 2026 In an extract from his new book The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, journalist CARLOS BARRAGÁN travels to Lagos to uncover the truth behind romance scams When journalist Carlos Barragán’s mother fell in love with a man she had never met, it seemed too good to be true. She would [...]