The Pursuit of Love
The enduring appeal of the Mitford family
As the BBC’s adaptation of The Pursuit of Love begins, Alexander Larman questions whether the new dramatisation will do justice to Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel
How the internet killed The Simpsons
Nicholas Clairmont has avidly viewed more than 750 episodes of the comedy about the residents of Springfield — but won’t be watching any more
Don’t ban anti-Israel marches
Principled and pragmatic arguments for prohibition are weak
This is not where I live at all
Cynthia Erivo’s slighting of Sunderland was indicative of British arts establishment beholden to a homogenous, Americanised vision of culture
There is nothing wrong with rules
People can put down their phones for the duration of concert
Giants and pygmies
Some stop-gap leaders of the opposition were never intended to be potential prime ministers
Cognition porn and discursive dehumanisation
Cultural and political discourse can follow the reductive yet seductive logic of pornography
The Conservatives can still reform our cultural institutions
The Tories should cut the Blob down to size before Keir Starmer comes to power
Legal laughs
Legal “humour” is seldom more than mildly amusing
Synaesthesia
Robert Thicknesse, Lucy Lethbridge, and Yehuda Shapiro return for a mind bending and spirit expanding episode of Critical Mash
A great conductor leaves the stage
No conductor from China or Japan ever commanded world orchestras before Seiji Ozawa, and none has since matched his impact
Disbanding St John’s Voices would be cultural vandalism
Modern bureaucrats should leave our choirs alone
