Culture

Cinema

Six things we’ve missed about cinemas

For the first time since lockdown began, cinemas in England will reopen their doors on July 4. The good news came a bit earlier for Ireland, where cinemas were allowed to reopen on June 29.

It will certainly be a new and different cinema experience, as seating will follow social-distancing measures and many theatres will be using air purifiers to reduce the spread of the virus....

Serving drinks with mask at nightclub

Nightclubs and bars around the world are adapting to Covid-19

Nightlife has been at the pointy end of the coronavirus crisis, and the world’s clubs and bars are having to get creative to avoid empty chairs at empty tables.

These are some of the strangest measures put in place by venues to ensure the show can go on…

Seated dancing

You could have bodybuilders for bouncers and a dance floor the size of a football pitch, and there...

Glastonbury festival

Eight things we won’t miss about festivals this year

Until this weekend’s cancelled Glastonbury Festival loomed closer in the diary, we didn’t realise it was possible to get FOMO over an event that isn’t even happening.

It turns out, you totally can, especially if you’re tuning into the BBC’s ‘virtual festival’ which is torturously airing classic sets on TV and iPlayer throughout the weekend, reminding us of how epic Glastonbury really...

Black lives matter child holding t-shirt

How to talk to your children about racism and white privilege

George Floyd’s death in police custody and the subsequent protests across the world for the Black Lives Matter movement, has catapulted racism to the forefront of social consciousness.

It’s long overdue, but the outcry has forced many white people to consider and better understand systemic racism, take an honest (sometimes uncomfortable) look at white privilege, and question how they...

Black Lives Matter protest

Six anti-racism Instagram accounts to follow

While you might be used to using social media for cute animal memes and liking your friends’ pictures, it can also be a valuable educational tool.

Conversations around racism and white privilege have come to the fore after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, with many people looking for ways to educate themselves on the key issues.

There are plenty of Instagram...

Protests in London

Five things you can actually do in the wake of George Floyd’s death

Protests continued overnight in the US following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died on May 25 in Minneapolis, after a white police officer held him down by kneeling on his neck for several minutes.

Knowing what to do and how to help, if you feel angry and overwhelmed by the situation – especially in the midst of a pandemic – can be difficult and upsetting,...

Good reads in lockdown

Five new books to read in lockdown

Patrick Ness returns with a powerful story of a world that has dragons in it, and retired Met Police chief superintendent John Sutherland shares what he’s learned.

Fiction

1. Looking For Eliza by Leaf Arbuthnot is published in hardback by Trapeze, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now

It’s often hard to consider a book on its own merit when it’s potentially ‘...

Couple watching film on sofa.

Film fans want to be quarantined with Dwayne Johnson

Film fans might currently not be able to enjoy big screen blockbusters during lockdown but they’re certain about which movie legend would help make social isolation a bit more bearable.

Cinemagoers from the South-west would choose Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, as their favourite lockdown partner, according to a study by Showcase Cinemas.

In a nationwide poll, Showcase fans...

Manchester Arena survivor Freya Lewis

Manchester Arena survivor Freya Lewis on her second chance at life

Freya Lewis keeps a MAC lipstick in the centre of her make-up drawer, used by her best friend Nell Jones during the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena nearly three years ago.

It was inside the tan bag Freya, then 14, was carrying when the terrorist bomb which killed 22 people went off metres from where she was standing.

Arm in arm, the friends had left the concert on...

Breakfast at Tiffanys film

Seven of the most fashionable films to watch

Now is the perfect time to get lost in a classic movie.

Whether it’s glittering costumes or Nineties minimalism, film often uses fashion to dazzle – or even give inspiration for your own wardrobe.

When it comes to fashion, some films are a cut above the rest – where the style or certain characters have become iconic for a reason. Here are some of the most fashionable movies...

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