Culture
-
Backlash as TV’s most popular show turns 25
Is it wrong to watch Friends? It has been called the “greatest comedy ever broadcast on TV”. But, 25 years after the show first aired, a growing number say it is sexist, offensive and outdated.
-
‘Back off, human! It’s MY family home now.’
Do we love animals more than humans? The winning entries for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have a special power to warm our hearts, and make us gasp with amazement.
-
The woman who can see into the future
Is Margaret Atwood a prophet? She seems to have foretold #MeToo, seen the climate crisis coming and predicted the rise of Trump. Yet she insists she sees only the present, not the future.
-
Apocalypse could return us to Middle Ages
Is it wrong to scare people with visions of doom? Britain’s best thriller-writer, Robert Harris, warns that our hyper-advanced civilisation could be set back 500 years by a sudden catastrophe.
-
Tourists hit Birmingham in Peaky Blinders mania
Why are we so fascinated by gangsters? The hit TV series about a violent mob is inspiring baby names, fashion lines, and putting the West Midlands on the global “screen tourism” map.
-
The writer: ‘Rejection sets you on the path’
What does it take to work in the media? Lollie King is a writer and TV presenter. Whether she’s hosting a radio show or interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, every day is different.
-
France hires sci-fi writers to predict threats
Can fiction be truer than fact? The French army is to create a “Red Team” of sci-fi writers to imagine possible, future threats. But many say it is absurd and that soldiers would be better.
-
Shock findings: Junk TV undermines democracy
Is trashy television partly to blame for populism? Research shows that politicians peddling simple messages and easy answers are boosted by public exposure to “brain-numbing”, mindless TV.
-
It’s the circle of life: The Lion King returns
Are there only seven basic stories? After a long wait, Disney’s all-star, live action remake of the classic film is in cinemas. For many, the story’s timeless familiarity is its greatest appeal.
-
Android artist’s show makes over £1 million
Can robots create art? One AI artist created by Oxford scientists has just completed her first solo exhibition and sold over £1 million worth of paintings. But some say it isn’t real art.
-
Terror for teen heroes as Stranger Things returns
Is horror the best way to explore adolescence? After a two-year wait, Stranger Things 3 is here. It is the latest of many shows to probe teenage anxiety through darkness, death and monsters.
-
Stormzy rocks at the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’
Do experiences matter more than things? According to millions of posts today, this year’s Glastonbury Festival will be the memory of a lifetime for many fans. Is this part of a deeper trend?
-
Imagine there’s no Beatles. It’s easy if you try.
How would the world have looked without the Fab Four? That is the question posed by Richard Curtis’s new film, Yesterday. Pop, protest and the sexual revolution might have been very different.
-
Lipman attacks ‘silly’ Rylance for BP protest
Are celebrity resignations a waste of time? Oscar-winning Mark Rylance has left the Royal Shakespeare Company over BP funding. Maureen Lipman says he will live to “kick his own britches”.
-
Toy Story 4 explores what it means to be alive
Why are we alive? This is the surprisingly existential question posed by a new character in Toy Story 4, released today. The new film tells the story of a plastic spork that comes to life.