Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks, review: funny, scary, inventive and the best episode in years
New Year, New Who. Happily, Doctor Who (BBC One) began 2022 with a bang. A demolition blast and a spectacular pyrotechnic display, to be precise. Hour-long special…
Resolutions shouldn’t be about self-harm – which is why I’m giving up dating apps
A tangle of fairy lights, the chaotic rush of last-minute presents, piles of unwritten cards, cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down ready for the recycling bin. …
The experts’ guide to what we’ll be drinking in 2022
South African wine is hitting a few sweet spots at the moment. At the £20-plus level, producers in the Cape are making wines that are both interesting…
Does The Princess Bride work even better as a radio drama? Inconceivable!
There was a similarly melancholy undertow to the soothing Moominland Midwinter (Radio 4, Saturday), in which young Moomintroll wakes from hibernation early, and wanders in a lonely,…
Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers, review – a beautifully plotted, confident piece of storytelling
The many fans of the quiet cult comedy The Detectorists would have particularly enjoyed the second episode of Mackenzie Crook’s Worzel Gummidge reboot. Both shows are written…
Christmas cranked up to 11: why Die Hard 2 (not 1) is the greatest festive film
It’s as much a Christmas tradition as tiresome clichés about sprouts and family arguments: “Is Die Hard a Christmas film or not?” But this annual debate overlooks the…
Around the World in 80 Days, episodes 1 and 2 review: a fun story that needed far fewer changes
“I was hoping for a little more colour.” The words of Abigail Fix in Around the World in 80 Days (BBC One) after she asked Phileas Fogg…
Death in Paradise Christmas special, review: a half-hearted attempt at festive cheer
The blurb for the Death in Paradise special (BBC One) promised “a ray of Caribbean sunshine this Christmas time”. I’ve seen more sunshine on a wet weekend…
A Very British Scandal, review: a poor attempt at redeeming a truly unlikeable person
But there isn’t a single sympathetic note. Margaret is a spoiled, scheming, pathological liar. At some level, she is the product of her upbringing: an indulgent father…
Twixmas was invented by women. Why? So finally, we can switch off
If you’re reading this in loungewear, prone on the sofa surrounded by wilfully esoteric Christmas treats and only a hazy idea of what day it is, then…
Dear Richard: ‘I’m still grieving for my husband, but my children want me to celebrate’
Dear Richard, My husband died shortly after Christmas last year. It wasn’t Covid-19 but the pressures on the NHS arising from the pandemic did impact on the…
It would be heartwarmingly apt if the ‘star’ of Bethlehem were a comet
The beginning of the Christian Era is said to have been marked by an extraordinary celestial event – the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas…
Travel tales of Twixmas past, and what to book this year
Drinks with the neighbours – a younger farming family – were, thus, a relief. And then, just short of midnight, it was time to go. And, oh…
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, review: from Peckham to penguinography – a joyful end to a vintage year
Opening the show, Sirieix formed a frisky French-Australian pairing with pro Dianne Buswell. With hair dyed red to match his partner’s, he dressed as an undignified turkey…
The Abominable Snowbaby, review: this Christmas fairy tale is not as charming as it thinks
Whatever legal or marketing zooms led to Channel 4’s big Christmas animation The Abominable Snowbaby being branded as Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snowbaby, they boobed. The implication is that…
Call the Midwife Christmas Special, review: a well-judged lesson in the importance of community
Ten series in, and Heidi Thomas has for some time been confident enough to dispense with the stunts and the gimmicks for the Call the Midwife Christmas…
Dear Richard: ‘There’s no Christmas food my family can all enjoy at the same time’
Dear Richard, After a challenging few months I am delighted to be looking forward to a big family Christmas this year. We’ve ordered the necessary food and…
26 of the UK’s most beautiful winter walks
Hampstead Heath tends to be the busiest walking venue in north London. Hollow Ponds, which is a few miles to the east and in Leytonstone, is just…
How to enjoy Christmas, according to the Van Tulleken brothers
Both are fathers with expertise in children’s issues, which led to them backing the Duchess of Cambridge’s early childhood project, the Royal Foundation Centre For Early Childhood,…
Now I’m in my new home, nothing can dampen my festive spirit
It is compulsory to read this column while listening to Noddy Holder screaming, ‘It’s Christmaaaasss!!!!’ at the top of his lungs, because that’s been the soundtrack blaring…
It would be heartwarmingly apt if the ‘star’ of Bethlehem were a comet?
The beginning of the Christian Era is said to have been marked by an extraordinary celestial event – the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas…
How to dress to impress in any Christmas situation
This year, I’ll be spending Christmas Day in the bucolic English countryside, for the first time ever. I’m very excited, not least because the idea of crackling…
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint: Mark Gatiss delivers sharp, old-fashioned thrills
It’s Christmas time: there’s no need to be afraid. But it’s quite fun to be afraid nevertheless, and so if you’re after some chills in the old…
From Scrooge to Superworm: the definitive guide to watching TV on Christmas Day
Family members giving and receiving (the remote control). Children with faces aglow (from the screen). Everyone gathering around the tree (to face the other way, towards the…
I binge-watched Netflix’s festive films – and they’ve ruined Christmas for me
They wear designer clothing, drink cocktails, drive supercars and speak in hushed, over-elocuted voices, with which they say things like, “it isn’t seemly”. I wonder if Meghan,…