Review

It was a big year for centrist dads and reality revivals – but Joe Rogan continued to dominate the podcast world

A string of new music this year provided beautiful and uplifting sounds, but with a dark undercurrent

From deeply unsettling drama to a superior superhero spin-off, here are the shows to stream over Christmas

Sigourney Weaver shines in her west end debut in Jamie Lloyd’s powerful new production of Shakespeare’s final solo-authored play

Patrick Marber’s unremarkable revival delivers polite laughs only

An astounding, eccentric documentary uncovers a murky assassination plot involving Belgium, the CIA and Louis Armstrong

Max Webster's production of The Importance of Being Earnest fails to commit to doing something truly innovative

At a glitzy Paris art fair, a dose of reality from eight photographers who have something to say about the world

Three parallel exhibitions celebrate a great Dutch artist whose career began after a great deal of crying over spilt milk

If the reality show is intended to revive his career, Jacob may end up being disappointed

The Old Vic’s Dickens classic still carries a powerful message about poverty and greed

Our editor-at-large's rundown of the pick of the week’s streaming, cinema, theatre and books

The German artist returns with a playful book that shakes things up by bringing the surreal into the everyday

Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork and produced by Denzel Washington, this feature is a family affair

Restaurants like this tapas bar rarely exist in Britain. People are too reluctant to live

Sent from Berlin to London to escape the Nazis, artist Frank Auerbach – who died earlier this month – painted his new surroundings over and over again

At 86, with a number of all-time classics to his name, Ridley Scott has earned the right to have some fun

There’s pain and glory in The Last Dream – a patchy collection from the Spanish film-maker – but its highlight is all about his mother

In the Italian version of Gold Digger, Monica Guerritore rewrites the rules for women

In Andrea Arnold’s feature, Nykiya Adams and Barry Keoghan present a moving performance without straying into sentimentality

As arguments about Notre-Dame’s restoration rage on, a new exhibition gathers together stained-glass windows that caused their own controversy in the 1930s

If a new novel is to be believed, the former German chancellor retired to the countryside and started solving murders

Yes, it’s amusing - but Steve Coogan is no Sellers and this can’t match the Kubrick classic

A London exhibition featuring Joseph Beuys and two more key conceptual artists feels dated if occasionally thrilling

Textured and monumental, Blitz is the work of a great British director at the height of his powers

A new production of Oedipus shows how it should be done

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s streaming, cinema, theatre and books

A good show first time round is back for an ill-advised encore

In a tense year, a new Athens exhibition celebrates our precious freedom to vote

A play that’s as light and refreshing as a glass of champagne

Joker: Folie à Deux takes music and makes it a medium for deception, pain and lethal misunderstanding

Le Beaujolais, London’s oldest French wine bar, is a timeless haven of wit, warmth and wonder