Arts and Culture

CHARLIE CONNELLY on the chat show staple often described as the closest thing Munich had to royalty.

Assessing the legacies of five great women writers who left us in just 17 December days.

This recipe is a must for anyone who has some old, stale, sweet Italian bread lying around

Freiburg's Christian Streich is similar to a managerial legend in more ways than one

Fifty years on from the flop film version that became a cult classic, taking another ride along with the psychedelic French-British TV sensation for kids

This online panto embraces the new format while keeping all the old traditions alive and well, says TIM WALKER

Award-winning director Andrea Arnold is back, with a moving documentary about a cow

A collaboration between avant-folk musician Richard Dawson and his long-time heroes Circle is as original as you might expect

America has always been full of 'Rampaging White People'. But if anyone can face them it's Joe Biden, writes BONNIE GREER.

FLORENCE HALLETT examines the Gulf state’s thriving cultural scene

Georgian photographer DAVIT TABAGARI produces stunning images of the rusting remains of the once mighty Soviet empire in his hometown Tbilisi.

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.