Last updated on October 28th, 2020Think you know your Dickens? He’s poised, sombre, a mass of Victorian beard and he looks a little worn out, right? But you’ll be thinking your Dickens again after touring Technicolour Dickens, a new exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum which brings him full throttle into the glossy age of…
17 quiet and scenic picnic spots in London
Last updated on March 12th, 2021Having trouble finding a quiet picnic spot in London, courtesy of lockdown and with restaurants off the menu? We all know the usual al fresco hangouts: Regent’s, Hyde Park, Richmond and St James’s Parks, as well as Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill and Kew Gardens. But there are also plenty of…
Tales of my City: Charles Dickens’ London
Last updated on May 14th, 2024This week marks the 150th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ death. The celebrated author shares his London secrets with me and tells me how Queen Victoria is a big fan of his acting. Dick – do you mind if I call you Dick? I do. But you may call me Boz….
London After Lockdown: the first thing these Londoners will do
As our capital eases out of slumber, it’s time to start planning what to do in London after lockdown. Parks, schools and offices are slowly reopening, and non-essential shops, cinemas and museums are poised to follow suit. Picnic mania may have hit the capital, but many of us are yearning for our restaurants and pubs,…
Tales of my City: Beau Brummell’s London
Last updated on July 15th, 2022As London revs its engines to re-open after lockdown, I speak to the famous English dandy Beau Brummell. He shares his favourite London secrets and tells me how he would like to have tea with the Duchess of Cambridge. Where do you buy those exceedingly good cravats? I like to…
Lockdown 2020 – A note of gratitude to the creative sector
Last updated on August 17th, 2020When the UK hunkered down into social hibernation in March, a new kind of warrior emerged: our NHS staff, our shopkeepers, delivery and public safety personnel, together with our ever-cheerful postal staff and rubbish collectors, became the nation’s knights in shining armour. More recently, the country fell head over heels…
How to entertain yourself at home during self-isolation
Last updated on March 12th, 2021Are you stuck between four walls and wondering how to entertain yourself at home during Coronavirus self-isolation? Beat the social distancing blues with cinema streaming, some classic laugh out loud books, and keep company with websites and podcasts which will add colour to your world. Listen to some soothing classical…
A Tour of Handel’s London – Visit 16 Handel Locations
Last updated on September 25th, 2024George Frideric Handel was born in Germany, but he spent a whopping 47 years in London, arriving here when he was just 26. He went on to write some of the world’s most famous operas and oratorios in the capital and became the toast of London town. His patrons included…
Review: Message in a Bottle – Peacock Theatre, London
Last updated on March 29th, 2022What do you get when you weave Kate Prince’s hip hop choreography together with Sting’s greatest hits, a dance company with superpowers and a story that centres on the plight of refugees? You get Message in a Bottle, a dance-off at the Peacock Theatre which is dizzying to watch and…
Luisa Miller at the English National Opera
Last updated on February 20th, 2020I braced Storm Dennis’s ferocious embrace on Saturday night for a dose of operatic drama in the company of the English National Opera’s Luisa Miller. This is the ENO’s first staging of Verdi’s fifteenth opera and one which I have been longing to see for years. Written when Verdi was…