Latest Stories
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Britain under Nazi rule in ‘what if’ BBC drama
SS-GB depicts Britain in 1941, with a twist: the Nazis have taken over. Alternative histories are increasingly popular among both artists and historians — but can they...
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Philip Pullman announces new fantasy trilogy
The award-winning series His Dark Materials has captivated readers young and old for two decades. Now, the first book in a ‘parallel’ trilogy is...
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Row over BBC’s real-life kidnapping drama
Last night, the BBC aired an emotional drama about the search for Shannon Matthews — a missing girl who was kidnapped by her own mother in 2008. But is the story appropriate entertainment?
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‘Children must be trained to fight fake news’
Fake news, propaganda, misinformation: the media, says one prominent journalist, has reached its ‘nadir’. And another columnist says children should be taught to separate fact from fiction.
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The speech: in Trump’s beginning — words
Donald Trump becomes president of the United States today. A pragmatic man of action, he must launch his term of office with words. Will his speech set the tone of what is to come?
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‘Confusing’ Sherlock finale panned by critics
The final episode of the BBC’s hit TV series involved long-lost sisters, James Bond explosions, and a Crystal Maze-style series of tasks. Critics hated it. Has it lost the plot — literally?
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A brave reporter and the scoop of the century
In her first week as a reporter, Clare Hollingworth got the ‘scoop of the century’: world war two had arrived. She went on to report from many more war zones. Is courage our greatest virtue?
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A bigly, post-truth, surreal 2016 ends …
‘Post-truth’, ‘hate crime’, ‘xenophobia’: the world’s leading dictionaries have revealed their words of the year. What do they say about 2016, and how can they help us in the months ahead?
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2016 in review: campaigning culture
In a year dominated by dramatic political news, no coincidence that the big awards in the arts tended to go to creative people with a campaigning edge. But was it good for culture?
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Nice! Sad! Unfunny! Trump’s Twitter diplomacy
He follows just 40 people, mostly his own hotels. His policies come in 140 characters. He attacks everyone from China to Alec Baldwin. What is up with the future president’s Twitter account?
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For PM, cake becomes thorn in the proverbial
Starved of detail about Britain’s plan to leave the EU, journalists have made much of a phrase in some notes snapped outside Number 10. But what does ‘have cake and eat it’ really mean?
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Harry Potter gets political in new prequel
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a tale of quirky magical creatures causing chaos in New York City. It is also a warning about Donald Trump. Should children’s...
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Fox, Williams, Slater: how names define us
A new study has revealed the origins of British surnames. Some are extremely common and some have almost disappeared. What does your name say about you — and is there a perfect name?
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Facebook’s fake news: ‘post-truth’ is the word
‘Post-truth’ could be ‘one of the defining words of our time’, says Oxford Dictionaries. The announcement comes as Facebook continues defending itself from criticism over fake news stories.
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Women swear more than men, study finds
According to British researchers, the way men and women swear has changed radically since the 1990s. Our use of profanities is constantly shifting. What do these trends say about us?