Obituary
Richard Donner: an underrated director
Suggestions that Donner was a director-for-hire rather than a true auteur are harsh and inaccurate
Once a newspaperman
The true legacy of John Kay
The finest actress of her generation
How Helen McCrory blazed through her life and career like a comet
Leading the good life
Peter Ainsworth 1956-2021
The rise and fall of Bernie Madoff
The notorious fraudster Bernie Madoff has died in prison at the age of 82
Prince Philip — a public life
Alexander Larman looks at the life and duty of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who has died at the age of 99
Paul Ritter: a consummate scene-stealer
Alexander Larman recalls the life and legacy of Paul Ritter, who has died at the age of 54
Murray Walker and the end of Golden Age sports commentators
Murray Walker was the last of the great sports commentators who brought us unforgettable sporting moments and catchphrases which delighted a generation
Steven Spurrier: A class act of the wine world
Steven Spurrier, a British wine expert and a fixture at all London tastings, died this week at the age of 79
Cyril Mango: A titan of Byzantine studies
The celebrated Byzantinist Cyril Mango died earlier this month; his insight will be keenly missed by enthusiasts of Byzantine studies
The disingenuous anti-vax blame game
People have short memories about the MMR scare
Free speech in free fall
As British freedoms are continually eroded, much of the liberty lobby seems to have nothing to say
Canals go national
Canals gave Britain a single national economy, one that connected resources, factories, population centres and ports
Why the goal glut?
Football — never boring, even when Italy is defending a 1–0 lead — has only grown more exciting
World Budget Day
On World Book Day, Jeremy Hunt tried and failed to dress up as Nigel Lawson
Turning a blind eye to a tilted playing field
Not only is it a page-turner, it’s also an essential manual for defending women’s sport
Harry Potter and the bourgeois-bohemian dream
Looking back at the dreams and resentments of an ascendant class
Is Britain a Christian country?
The UK has an established religion alright — the worship of the self
The coddlin’ of the British dance
How Britain’s anarchic rave scene turned authoritarian
Queen of Hearts
Perturbed to find Diana has a starring role in Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted
Death by a thousand regulations
British politicians are allowing unnecessary laws to ruin civil society
