Not only is Jason Isaacs one of our best-loved character actors and a mighty raconteur, as anyone who has tuned in to his regular Wittertainment powwows will testify, he also makes an excellent on-screen baddie. His latest, cartoon rotter, Dick Dastardly in Scooby-Doo origin story Scoob!, is another to add to a pantheon of superbads that includes […]

Huw Oliver was a life-long vegetarian until lockdown – not by choice, but out of hippyish family custom. Twenty-five years of no meat. Then he got stuck in a house with a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore. Desperate to inject some sort of excitement into his...

Throughout All of This, London’s parks have become a haven for many, offering an escape from tiny living rooms as well as being basically the only place they could have a social life. But the park temporarily replacing the...

The London music scene is at a standstill right now. With social distancing in force and no agreed financial support from the Government, the future of indie venues and gigging artists is in flux. If the closures continue, the core live music industry in the UK...

If you’re missing festival season, Wireless is providing some consolation by putting on the first ever 360-degree virtual reality festival, with the likes of Stefflon Don, Skepta, Lady Leshurr and Saweetie on the bill.   Wireless has become...

You could say I’m biased about Wales. You wouldn’t be wrong either. Wales is an absolute beauty and having lived there for so many years, I’ve gotten to know and explore this beauty first hand. Indeed, some of the best hikes in Wales once completed will leave...

Prior to the arrival of the Romans, there were no real roads in London or the United Kingdom; in fact, there wasn’t even a London.  The Romans founded the city in 43 AD, and as was usual for their expansion of the Empire, they brought roads with them.  Being...

Today’s hidden gem about Chee Dale in the Peak District is by Rob Haggan from The Outdoor Adventure Blog. Rob thinks Chee Dale is the perfect alternative to the busy Monsal Trail. The Monsal Trail is an undoubtedly gorgeous trail to walk or cycle along but […]...

Theatres are facing an extremely tough time right now, but a glimmer of hope is on the horizon: it’s been announced that Sir Ian McKellen will star in an age-blind production of ‘Hamlet’, with rehearsals starting next...

Cast your mind back to The Before Times. The lights are dimmed. The music is pumping. You’re dripping in sweat. You’re buzzing.  No, this is not a basement club, but a familiar scene at London’s boutique fitness studios, where, in the old...

We might be daydreaming about leaving the city, or even the country, now that lockdown restrictions have begun to slowly ease. But travel as we once knew it might still be a long way off returning.  Since June 8, people entering the UK have...

Today’s blog comes from Sophie, the blogger behind Sophie’s Suitcase. Sophie wants to share more about the gorgeous Newburgh Beach in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where you can spot seals all year round! I’ve been asking bloggers to share their favourite hidden...

Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts about the UK’s hidden gems. I don’t know about you, but since lockdown began I’ve discovered so many local hidden gems. My local area has even more to offer than I imagined! I’ve asked some top […] The post...

It’s been a tough time for London’s theatres and it looks like the uncertainty continues over when the sector will be able to return, following an announcement that ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Mary Poppins’,...

One of the highlights of lockdown (not a phrase we thought we’d ever be saying, tbh) has to be the weekly theatre dose administered by London’s National Theatre. The line-up of plays streamed for free via YouTube – a new one...

Do you remember the days when we stood waiting for a train before we had mobile phones to distract us? Some read the paper and some simply stared into space daydreaming and avoiding eye contact with any strangers. Back in the early twentieth century, Frank Pick...

For many, the National Theatre’s calendar of weekly free-to-stream plays has been a highlight of lockdown, a cultural saviour and an escape from the humdrum of staying at home. The first production to air for free on YouTube as part of the...

What to do this summer? Most of us have got pretty fed up with sitting in the local park and are yearning for a holiday. With oversees travel looking fairly unlikely this summer, we’re going to have to fall back in love with the Great British Holiday. We’ve got...

Since 2020 became all about cancellations and closures, all eyes are on what will happen in London during 2021. Here’s one we weren’t expecting: next year, construction will begin on The London Resort, an enormous theme park and water resort on the...

Back in 2015, I redecorated my dining room to include a feature wall section with a London Theatreland map from 1915. (This is the wallpaper – as an aside, I got the self-adhesive version so it was really easy to hang.) One hundred years after the map was...

Have you ever had something really, really terrible happen to you and – in the middle of it all – managed to laugh about it a tiny bit? That’s potentially the smartest trick in Michaela Coel’s smart new show ‘I Will Destroy...

There aren’t many perks to this lock down despite the abundance of people taking to social media to show us all their perfect sourdough loaves and ‘accidental’ half marathons. We can be scathing about the foodie trends flooding our algorithm but in this time of...