Culture
The death of the DVD commentary
How the rise of streaming platforms has killed home entertainment
Unfinished Business at the British Library
The British Library’s new exhibition on feminism is like being hit with a rolled-up copy of Spare Rib
The Mirror of #MeToo
Luciano Garbati’s new work expresses a widespread decline in symbolic literacy
Starring Chelsea Peretti as Herself
The moments of interruption in Peretti’s stand-up reveal the constructedness of what we are watching
Are fictional politicians as interesting as the real thing?
Sir David Hare’s new BBC drama feels small-scale when we are surrounded by far more impressive real-life spectacles
American Utopia
Facts are overlooked in American Utopia’s HBO concert film to accommodate the systemic white racism narrative
The enduring appeal of Jeeves and Wooster
Ben Schott’s new novel is hugely welcome, but thankfully it will never threaten to obscure the genius of the canon
Lost dream of coexistence
Adam LeBor delves into The Bureau, the utterly absorbing French spy thriller series
The Long Hours: remembering David Oluwale
How one man’s English journey, begun in hope, turned into a nightmare
Dinner at Brasenose? Unmasking the Secret Barrister
The Secret Barrister’s new book tears apart fake news and the notion of compensation culture
Taking on the right-on with cold, hard facts
A practical manual for anyone who has no choice but to sit on committees with idealistic intellectuals
Hellenism in Rome
Children of Athens is an absorbing romp through Greek (and Roman) history
Take trade experts and their models with a bucket of salt
The negative impact of Brexit on trade, and the economy at large, is still being overstated
British universities have a China problem
The increasing influence of the CCP is a threat to free inquiry and free expression
Who are universities for?
Research is important — but serving the needs and desires of students matters more
Democracy contra the majority
What does democracy mean if it is not related to the popular will?
Common prayer
Britain, and her monarchy, have a language fitted for times of joy and sorrow alike — so why does the Church of England make such poor use of our traditional liturgy?
How not to investigate the origins of Covid
Wuhan: How the Covid-19 Outbreak in China Spiralled Out of Control by Dali L. Yang
Synaesthesia
Robert Thicknesse, Lucy Lethbridge, and Yehuda Shapiro return for a mind bending and spirit expanding episode of Critical Mash
Giving noticing a bad name
Observing factual differences is not the same as leaping to conclusions
A new low in anti-vape scaremongering
There is no great risk of oral cancer among vapers
