Bored of the Rings
Is it time for the Tolkien industry to give it a rest?
The Day of the Jackal: fifty years on
Alexander Larman remembers one of the most exciting, page-turning novels ever written
Boris Bunter
Is our Prime Minister the Fat Owl of the Government?
Stage frights
Do pop stars have what it takes to succeed in the theatre?
Classic mistake
Is Latin a dead language?
The undiscovered country
Ian McKellen’s Hamlet meets impossibly high expectations
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at 30
Is this 1991 blockbuster an underrated masterpiece or kitsch nonsense?
Strap In, or Strap On?
Why is Prince Harry publishing a memoir?
They’re not laughing now
Without taxpayer handouts, will the arts finally be forced to give people what they want?
Vanishing worlds
Round-up: what do these books tell us about literary culture in 2021?
Were lockdowns ethical?
Questionable benefits were emphasised above obvious and dramatic harms
The joy of pets
Pet ownership is one of life’s simple pleasures, but it also lifts the soul
There is no conservative case for Keir Starmer
Despairing at the Tories is understandable, but the opposition of your opposition is not your ally
The royals needs better PR
We have seen too many royal disasters
Hero of the hour
Giles Watling asked the question that was on nobody’s lips, as he rushed to the Prime Minister’s rescue
Laugh to hide the tears
Rishi Sunak was desperate to appear on top form before the Liaison Committee
Justin’s dilemma
Spears got slutshamed; Timberlake was the stud
Of course women support women
Men are angry about where women’s money is going? What’s new?
Hatred and mental illness are not mutually exclusive
Violent men being mentally ill need not make broader societal phenomena irrelevant
And the band played on
Cash crisis in the arts — what’s new?
The creation of canals
Entering the golden age of canals
