Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, announcing £40bn of tax rises, Central London Alliance comments November 1, 2024 | City Talk Given the straitened public finances it is understandable to leave no stone unturned when looking to balance the books, and we welcome the much-needed investment in the public services. But business owners, the ones creating jobs, are paying this bill. The likely outcome; job losses. Business owners are the lifeblood of the economy, driving growth [...]
Barcelona play review: Lily Collins can’t save bland two-hander October 31, 2024 Barcelona with Lily Collins, review and star rating: ★★☆☆☆ Emily in Paris star Lily Collins makes her West End debut opposite Spanish heavyweight Álvaro Morte in Barcelona, a two-hander set in a soon-to-be demolished apartment in the Spanish city. Writer Bess Wohl has on-boarded Lynette Linton, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, and the visionary behind [...]
Our thoughts on the Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum October 30, 2024 The World of Tim Burton at the Design Museum, review and star rating: ★★★★☆ The Design Museum is leveraging itself as a heritage attraction of equal weight to the behemoths of South Kensington. Its latest exhibitions, a look inside the world of Barbie and, newly opened this week, The World of Tim Burton, are both [...]
The Buddha of Suburbia has the most amazing sex scenes I’ve seen in London theatre October 30, 2024 The Buddha of Suburbia review and star rating: ★★★★★ Only London theatre titan Emma Rice could convince an audience to suspend their disbelief when a party popper symbolises someone ejaculating. Of course – why wouldn’t it? Freshly arriving in London after a run at The RSC Swan, Stratford upon Avon earlier this year, The Buddha [...]
What’s on in London in November 2024 October 29, 2024 | City Talk As London’s streets start to glow with early festive lights, November in London promises an exciting mix of events that capture the city’s essence. From sparkling markets and iconic parades to live music and hidden pop-ups, there’s something to surprise Londoners and visitors alike. Ready to explore the best of London this November? Dive into [...]
A ski holiday on the Swiss Riviera, with deserted slopes and a long snow season October 28, 2024 Enjoy the precision and serenity of German-speaking Switzerland for a unique Swiss Riviera ski holiday adventure by train, boat and bus. By Rob Rees The Luzern area of Central Switzerland provides a perfect gateway to top notch ski areas, easily accessible from Zürich or via train from Paris. Zürich airport, with its efficient train station [...]
Unique Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger is the ultimate Bond car October 25, 2024 As an emphatic statement of wealth, it’s hard to top a Rolls-Royce made from solid gold. But then Auric Goldfinger was never the modest or timid type. It was 1964 when this evil mastermind scaled the Swiss Alps in his Phantom III Sedanca de Ville, pursued at a safe distance by Sean Connery as James [...]
Emilia Perez is an early tip for all the top awards October 25, 2024 As we approach awards season, Emilia Perez, the new film from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, The Sisters Brothers), will hope its joyful and jagged tale rightly captures the imagination of judges. Set in Mexico City, Zoe Saldaña plays Rita, a brilliant but frustrated lawyer working to keep the guilty from prison. Feared cartel leader [...]
The Apprentice: Is the Trump biopic fake news? October 24, 2024 The Apprentice, a film directed by Iranian-Danish Ali Abbasi out last week in the UK, constitutes a brutal character assassination against presidential candidate Donald Trump. Focusing on the years 1973 to the early 1980s, it tracks Trump’s rise from real estate mogul’s awkward son (he’s literally knocking on doors collecting rents) to the man liberals [...]
London theatre icon Rob Madge: I’ve been drinking with Joanna Lumley (imagine if it was Echo Falls!) October 23, 2024 Rob Madge is one of Britain’s biggest grassroots theatre success stories. They tell Adam Bloodworth about their creative process You might not have heard of Rob Madge, but it’s hard to sum up the massive impact their career has had on the UK theatre industry. Madge, who uses they/them pronouns, has a naturalistic style of [...]