Arts and Culture

PETER TRUDGILL on the East Anglian hermit thought to be the first woman to write a book in English

The BBC’s three-part dramatisation of the notorious case of Argyll v Argyll is a scandalous tale of egoism and hypocrisy.

CHARLIE CONNELLY on arguably the most enigmatic figure to orbit the strange world of The Beatles

PETER TRUDGILL on a word with many different meanings in the past 700 years

Pile your plate high with tagliolini, tender pickled shrimps and chunks of lobster.

New Year's Eve in agricultural Extremadura is not to be refused - just don't head out before 3am

Football's authorities need to pay more attention to players' physical and mental burnout, says ROB HUGHES

From a fresh perspective on a classic French tale to a tense drama set on a freezing Russian train, our movie picks for the first third of 2022

Netflix's A Classic Horror Story deserves a wider audience, says MEGAN NOLAN

CLAUDIA PRITCHARD enjoys a European journey in the company of a German genius.

SOPHIA DEBOICK on the traditional songs of celebration continuing to be sung across Europe

2022 promises more great fiction by women and writers of diverse nationalities and backgrounds

James Graham’s plays feel as if they’re about little more than actors regurgitating vast quantities of Wikipedia, says TIM WALKER

As much as the arrival of a New Year encourages us to look forward, it also offers a chance to look back. JONATHAN SALE flags up the most notable anniversaries in 2022.

He’s remembered as an unsmiling, bloated figure festooned with medals. But at one point the Soviet leader was classed as a heart-throb.

The play is as chaotic as the times we are living in, and offers some much needed laughter.

The festive period just won't be the same this year without my favourite shop, writes BONNIE GREER.

On Christmas Eve 33 years ago, he died a criminal, but perhaps Hans Gruber should've been remembered for something else...

PETER TRUDGILL on the rich seam of history behind Costa Rica’s languages.

Food writer JOSH BARRIE brings readers a recipe from Wales with French roots. And, if done right, it resembles a Christmas tree.

The new festive release from Netflix is unwatchable. Perhaps all involved in the production had some serious tax bills to pay, wonders MEGAN NOLAN.

Environmental and technological changes will transform the way we eat in coming decades. So what we can expect on our plates in the next 20 years?

CHARLIE CONNELLY rounds up the best titles of 2021 and names one absolute favourite.

Powerful and poignant, the production is the National Theatre at its best.

Producer Bill Kenwright understands that the theatre is a place to laugh, and no more so than after this last year.

Intelligent, genuine and in control, Brussels has sprouted the future of European pop as we approach 2022.

Choral music can bring communities together and lift the soul - if religion is involved then that's fine too. But with Church attendance numbers dropping every year, is it time for some different hymns?

An exhibition of photos by Sefton Samuels evokes memories of football, long before the monied Premier League took over.

Board games have grown up. The big issues of our age can now be played out on tabletops, and one popular game even predicted the USA’s messy exit from Afghanistan.

The master satirist’s complicated relationship with his European contemporaries is explored in a stunning exhibition in London’s Tate Britain.

What can the exploits of the Roys tell us about a real-world media empire?

Still, after 8000 years, Maltese music is centred around cultural eclecticism and originality.