Last Thursday, I was turned away from my favourite pub. Not for being drunk and disorderly, you’ll be pleased to hear, but because a team from my church were inside, kicking off the 11th annual Beer and Carols night, and the place was too stuffed for a single person more. This is a big pub.......
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There are some actors that I would pay to hear read out the bus timetable, and Mark Strong is top of that list. So when I heard that he was playing opposite Lesley Manville in a modern reworking of Oedipus Rex, I thought ‘yes please’. The play reimagines Oedipus as a modern-day politician, on the......
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The latest season of one of my favourite shows, Couples Therapy has just been added to iPlayer. For those of you unfamiliar with it, each season of the show follows four couples in therapy with the remarkable New York psychologist and psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik. Each of these couples is at a crisis point in their relationship. A common theme is that each of the individuals in the couple is wanting something from the other that they’re not getting. They want their partner to understand and meet their needs, but they’re reluctant to c...
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It Ends With Us premiered in cinemas this August. The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, tells the tragic yet hopeful story of Lily Bloom, whose journey through love and domestic violence explores the complexity and turmoil inherent in such relationships. The story manages nuance but remains uncompromising about the evil of marital violence, the necessity of removing the abused from harm, and the potential for healing through breaking the cycle of abuse and embracing forgiveness. During the promotional campaign, the fi...
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‘Can you imagine being in potentially the coolest band in the world and not doing it because you’re in a mard with your brother? Grow up! Headline Glastonbury!’ Well, you can call The 1975’s Matty Healy a prophet of sorts, because this week (as if you don’t already know), the most famous sibling rivalry in rock’n’roll was stitched back together. Oasis are coming. And though Healy got the Glastonbury bit wrong in his 2023 interview, they’re actually going one better, announcing 14 stadium shows. Whether you’re a parka-swa...
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A yacht floats idly on the water, white parasols pop from the veranda, a young couple splash through the lapping waves and the sun beats down. In the foreground, a smartphone. The feet of the phone’s owner poke out at the end of the lounger, while the screen fills our view. The phone displays a man in a high-vis jacket smiling and waving to the camera, making a delivery to this holidaymaker’s home. An accompanying caption interprets the scene: ‘White sandy beaches and crystal-clear delivery instructions. Inner peace, brought to you by ...
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This August, Taylor Swift returns to London to complete her record-breaking eight nights at Wembley Stadium, in addition to her fortnight of other UK concerts. From being the mastermind of the highest-grossing tour in history to speculation that her endorsement could swing the US presidential election, Swift’s global dominance is undeniable. Swift is clearly an exceptionally talented performer and songwriter. And as an audience member, I can attest to the exhilarating spectacle of the Eras show. However, there is more to the Swift phenomen...
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The Paris 2024 Olympics officially begin today with the genre-busting opening ceremony down the Seine, setting off a two-and-a-half-week festival of sport. Across both the Olympics and Paralympics nearly 15,000 athletes will take part in 878 medal events, while only 5% will win gold. Key to sports psychology and supporting Christian athletes is helping them remember why they compete and the joy of their sport, in the midst of the pressure they will inevitably face both internally and externally to perform. God delighted in making the worl...
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This past week, the faux-Regency romance series Bridgerton returned to Netflix for another season. While it’s known primarily for ‘steamy’ storylines and beautiful costumes, the real draw of the wildly popular show is its desire to redeem and beautify the world it sees. Author Julia Quinn explains that the raison d’etre of the novels is to provide happy, satisfying endings – right down to the props used....
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Last week, the former playboy, substance-abusing comedian-turned-guru Russell Brand got baptised. Not since Kanye West dropped Jesus is King has a conversion been met with such a mix of excitement and suspicion. ...
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