Civilisation
Self-Censorship And The BBC
The London Bombers was a major drama-documentary about 7/7 of which the BBC should have been proud
There’s no Place Like Home for a Singer
Intimacy, authenticity and domescity combine to make for a great performance
Musical Theatre Is A Matter Of Taste
Slick and professional popular productions have many merits, but the gap between Les Mis and opera is very wide
That’s Enough Protest Movies
This summer, we’ve seen the release of two more leftwing documentaries. Isn’t it about time the other side said its piece?
Hadrian: Man, Hero, Husband, Lover, Emperor
The British Museum’s exhibition reassesses the great Roman, a complex figure who left a legacy of unique glory
Flight from Egypt
Chicago by Alaa al Aswany
Pulling Punches
Boxing, A Cultural History by Kasia Boddy
It’s Better in Latin
The Aeneid by Vergil, translated by Sarah Ruden
Power Behind the Throne
Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford
Hypocrites are not What They Seem
Political Hypocrisy: The Mask of Power, from Hobbes to Orwell and Beyond by David Runciman
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal