Arts and Culture

This production of Lillian Hellman’s play once again makes the point that the Donmar Warehouse is a centre of theatrical excellence

The French director's obsessive desire for perfection proved ultimately self-destructive

Gianluca Vialli was a man who chose his own paths and could articulate the reasons why

Snacking is so, so important. Prepare a batch of these and pour a beer

A new book tells the story of two of Britain’s most famous mystics

The work of four female artists in the Royal Academy’s Making Modernism show speaks volumes about their troubled lives

A captivating movie about a fruit-farming family is part of a new rural film trend

Over two decades since he sent shockwaves through the world’s sullen youth, Ville Valo is back with his debut solo album

Despite British perfidy over the protocol, and the reneging of basic humanitarian values when it comes to migration, the French seem more bemused than belligerent

Forget the purists – letting young Welsh speakers borrow words from English will help to preserve the language

The Cardigans' Nina Persson on Sweden, Britpop and getting back on the road

This play seems to want to challenge stereotypes, but inadvertently and ridiculously reinforces them

There’s no doubt that she knew how to make clothes in every sense – but the idea that she represented a spirit of rebelliousness is frankly ridiculous

A counting system used by children playing games was once used by shepherds for counting sheep in Cumbria

This pavlova is light yet soothing, and an excellent pudding to share

There are literary delights to look forward to this year – but authors won’t be getting a pay rise

The National Gallery’s failure to properly showcase female artists continues with its treatment of Eva Gonzalès

Go on, dive in. The cold water will do you a world of good – just ask Hippocrates

It looks as if it’s going to be another challenging year for theatre, but there is certainly a lot to look forward to

Europe will continue to show it is a musical powerhouse this year

The riptide of 20th century politics had pulled him from his homeland and set him adrift. A tumultuous period that soon defined his work

Spielberg, Mendes and a year of film nostalgia

Three works which will require room on your shelves

This will be the year Scottish artists put IndyRef2 on their setlists

The game of football, and the world, has lost one of its very finest

Welcome to your new, continental playlist

Charity shops are for the most part either full of dismal tat; or, are like Oxfam’s specialist bookshops: stocked with the crème of the haute bourgeoisie’s discarded… crème

In death as well as in life, the Rasputin story is shrouded in an awed mythology

Jesus and his disciples would have spoken a Galilean dialect of Aramaic, the language of the area at the time

Christmas will be along soon. Celebrate it with this brilliant venison Welly recipe

Sri Lankan ghosts, queer love and a fictional nation all made for riveting reading this year

After three years of renovation, Piero della Francesca’s masterpiece is back on show at the National Gallery in time for Christmas