You’d have to be mad to swim in Britain’s murky rivers now
‘Wild swimming’ used to be something that old ladies in rubber hats did. They didn’t call it that — it was just swimming, in the same way…
A useful reminder of China’s true nature
Before yesterday, it was hard to imagine Westminster gripped by any topic bar the fate of the Prime Minister. Then came the revelation that Parliament had been…
Sajid Javid met his match in the Commons – even right down to the jackets
It was positively surreal. Hearing the party of “Lockdown early and often” and “If in doubt, self-isolate in the airing cupboard until further notice” suddenly bewailing the…
The regicidal Tories won’t oust Boris until a successor steps up
The Conservatives have long been the natural party of regicide which is, right now, what is keeping Boris Johnson in place. A more impulsive party might have…
This is what America gets wrong about Britons from watching TV
It’s more than just the wonderful quality of writing and acting in British dramas that makes us Americans wobble at the knees. With neither an aristocracy nor…
Sleaze, sexism, and Scream: how Neve Campbell survived Hollywood with her dignity intact
It was partly true – in 1997, Campbell’s cameo in the disco drama 54, revolving around the intersecting lives of visitors, employees and proprietors of the iconic…
Willard White interview: ‘I thought no real man would go on stage and sing’
Nature certainly had fun creating Willard White’s voice box. A combination of treacle and granite, its sweet and hard sonorities cannot be muffled even by Zoom. It’s…
Ronnie Spector in 2019: ‘MeToo is now, but I’ve been living it my whole life’
All those years I went through hell only made me stronger,” says Ronnie Spector. The lead singer of The Ronettes, who lived through a frightening, controlling marriage…
BBC says statue by paedophile artist will remain in place at Broadcasting House
Critics of the decision raised fears the verdict would embolden activists to target controversial statues over matters of conscience. The 10ft-tall Ariel and Prospero sculpture, depicting characters…
TS Eliot Prize-winner Joelle Taylor: ‘The internet has killed off our subculture’
Joelle Taylor cuts a sharp figure as she walks through Soho: three-piece suit, burgundy tie, oxblood brogues and what she calls a “tsunami quiff”. For the poet…
Teen utopia or capitalist commune? Netflix’s Hype House is the most depressing show on TV
Jake Paul, one of the internet’s most famous social media stars, has inspired plenty of controversy, and no less for Team 10, his own collaborator house. Last…
Why comedians love to hate Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais is getting cancelled again. Albeit, as usual, he’s cancelling himself. The third series of After Life – his Netflix comedy about a grieving husband taking…
Unless it fires Lord Sugar, The Apprentice is destined for the scrapheap
From the excruciating bungles to the boss’s belligerent reaction, it could have all come from any series over the past 17 years. Bar Sugar’s pre-scripted put-downs, which…
What’s on TV tonight: Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific, Andy Warhol’s America and more
Hidden AssetsBBC Four, 9pm and 9.50pmOne of the Irish republic’s more imaginative laws allows the state, via the police force’s Criminal Assets Bureau, to seize property (everything…
Memoria, review: Tilda Swinton stars in a mesmerising cosmic mystery
Many films have been made about things that go bump in the night, but Memoria may be the first about the actual bump itself – a dense,…
Ascension, review: from sex dolls to duck carcasses – a hypnotic study of what it is to work in China
A graveyard for black-and-yellow rental bikes, seen from above in the remarkable Ascension, is like an Andreas Gursky photograph come to life – one of his godlike,…
Cow, review: Who’d have thought a Kent-based cow could seem so alien?
Would it be fair to describe Andrea Arnold’s new film as a mooed piece? The director of Fish Tank and American Honey has spent the past four…
Why every arts company needs a Tamara Rojo
Of course, she is not the first performer to take up a managerial role. In fact, the artist who becomes a manager is particularly common in the…
The BBC’s Eric Gill statue is hard to defend
It still remains unclear what precisely the statue represents. Gill was rather bemused by his commission, never quite understanding what precisely Prospero and Ariel had to do…
Timeline: All the government parties during lockdown and what restrictions were in force at the time
A picture emerged in December 2021 showing the Prime Minister, his wife and about 15 members of staff enjoying wine and cheese in the garden of Downing…
Brexiteer becomes fifth Tory MP this week to submit Boris Johnson no confidence letter
Mr Bridgen said he and many others “will always be grateful for what Boris has achieved and his legacy should be cemented by a dignified exit from…
Police will only investigate Downing Street parties if report finds criminal wrongdoing
But in a statement on Thursday night, Scotland Yard said it did not routinely investigate breaches of the Covid regulations retrospectively and would only do so in…
Liz Truss targets Northern Ireland Protocol deal by end of March
The Telegraph understands that the Northern Ireland elections are a definite factor in the Foreign Office’s thinking. Officials have yet to agree on the length of the…
Keir Starmer branded an ‘absolute hypocrite’ for drinking with staff during lockdown
“Keir was in the workplace, meeting a local MP in her constituency office and participating in an online Labour Party event,” the statement from the time said….
Labour MP Barry Gardiner accepted £425,000 in donations from Chinese spy
A Labour MP accepted more than £425,000 in donations from a Chinese spy, it emerged on Thursday, prompting demands for an urgent probe into her links with…