78 m. ago Edinburgh International Festival dance review: Scottish Ballet's Mary, Queen of Scots

The iconic title character is upstaged by an older Queen Elizabeth in Scottish Ballet’s vivid portrayal of the parallel courts of Scotland and England, writes Lucy Ribchester

Politics

2 h. ago The Guide #204: The local dystopian TV shows captivating global audiences

In this week’s newsletter: A new wave of post-apocalyptic dramas are serving up disaster tales shaped by the cultures they come from, and the results are fascinatingI’m scandalously late to The Eternaut (El Eternauta), the Argentinian dystopian thriller that was released way back in April on Netflix. I inhaled all six episodes of the show’s first season only a few weeks ago, after a glowing review on the podcast The Watch (which was also fairly late to it, making me feel a little better about my own finger-off-the-pulseness). Anyway, it’s absolutely terrific, an end-of-the-world chiller that is vividly, realistically rooted in the socio-politics of the country in which it is set. This despite a premise that sees Buenos Aires beset by an unseasonal flurry of what turns out to be killer snow.That specificity, as anyone familiar with The Eternaut will know, is mixed into the story’s foundations. The show is based on Héctor Germán Oesterheld’s 1957 comic strip of the same name, which pr...

Events

2 h. ago My Cultural Awakening: Years & Years helped me accept my bisexual identity

Olly Alexander’s stage presence and his band’s lyrics pulled together the two sides of my nature, and accept my desire for menI first discovered Olly Alexander, of Years & Years, by accident. I was teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea, and I showed a video of a BBC Glastonbury roundup on the projector as part of the lesson. I remember glimpsing an incredibly cute blond guy on stage, and being transfixed. I knew immediately that he was gay because the way he moved was unashamedly fluid and graceful. He was doing a pirouette.The clip was so short there wasn’t even a mention of the name of the band, so I had to do some detective work. I Googled something ridiculous like “bleached hair gay man Glastonbury 2015” and trawled through hundreds of search results until I found him. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Filmmaking to be embedded in Scottish school curriculum in bid to boost industry skills

All age groups within the Scottish curriculum from nursery to senior level, will be given access to film education

Events

3 h. ago ‘What I eat in a day’ videos are everywhere. Are they a toxic influence or helpful reminder to eat well?

Influencers are sharing everything they eat in a day as part of a viral social media trend but is this fuelling unhealthy obsessions with food asks Chloe Laws

Events

10 h. ago Little Trouble Girls review – monstrous choirmaster spikes a sublime Catholic coming

Utterly absorbing Slovenian debut reinvents the cliched idea of a Catholic girl’s sexual awakening, and proves that no teacher can be as cruel as a music teacherThis elegant and mysterious debut from Slovenian director Urška Djukić, with its superb musical score and sound design, reinvents the cliched idea of a Catholic girl’s sexual awakening. It’s also proof, if proof were needed, that no teacher in the world can be as cruel and abusive as a music teacher. We have already seen JK Simmons’ terrifying jazz instructor in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash and Isabelle Huppert’s keyboard monster in Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher; now there is Slovenian actor and musician Saša Tabaković playing a demanding, yet insidious choirmaster in charge of a group of talented, vulnerable teenage girls. The film incidentally has a lesson for any teenage person watching: if a music teacher asks you to sit next to them on the piano stool with no one else in the room and murmurs “You can confide in me” y...

Events

14 h. ago I Fagiolini to bring 'emotional power of harmony' to the Lammermuir Festival

Acclaimed vocal ensemble I Fagiolini will take up a four-day residency at this year’s Lammermuir Festival, offering opera, a mighty choral masterpiece, several other vocal works and even a discussion. David Kettle talks to the group’s founding director Robert Hollingworth about what’s in store

Politics

17 h. ago Hostage on Netflix: who’s in the cast, from Suranne Jones to Lucian Msamati

The show is being touted as the next The Bodyguard

Events

18 h. ago Lana Del Rey shares new song teaser referencing Ethel Cain feud

Lana Del Rey has shared a snippet of her new song which references her feud with Ethel Cain.

Politics

19 h. ago All the actors who regretted turning down major roles as Leonardo Di Caprio reveals Boogie Nights opportunity

All the actors who regretted turning down major roles as Leonardo Di Caprio reveals Boogie Nights missed opportunity

Politics

19 h. ago First it was family, now it’s a feud. But even in meltdown, Brand Beckham is raking it in | Marina Hyde

Brooklyn and his wife Nicola have fallen out with the rest of the multimedia-lifestyle-industrial-complex. Luckily, it’s all being kept very private What is “Brand Beckham”? I don’t mean to question the very idea of a celebrity brand – far from it. In fact, part of the reason that celeb-watching phrases like “the brand” and “controlling the narrative” have gone completely mainstream is because of David and Victoria Beckham. So ubiquitous is the professionalisation of celebrity these days, and so media-literate is the public, that it’s hard to remember just how revolutionary the Beckhams were in British culture back in the day. Twenty-five years ago, nobody except some rarefied elite publicist wanged on about narratives. But now everyone knows how to read an influencer. Almost all celebrities are regarded primarily as people who are selling something. Furthermore, people act like mis-selling a lifestyle is worse than several major financial crimes.Anyway, back to the brand. What is t...

Politics

20 h. ago From cosmopolitans to vibrators, the cultural heft of Sex and the City

Just some of the ways that SATC helped to revolutionise the way we dress, eat, date, exercise and workBefore Sex and the City, the cosmopolitan was just vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice. Afterwards it was a symbol of girlfriends, sex, flirting and freedom. But it wasn’t only the image of the pink cocktail that the show revolutionised.From the time it first aired in 1998, the show – and to a lesser extent its descendant, And Just Like That – has shaped the way we dress, eat, drink, date, exercise and work. What it did for the cosmo it also did for everything from nameplate necklaces to vibrators, catapulting them to pop-culture phenomenon status. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Hisaishi review – frothing strings and quacking brass as Studio Ghibli’s composer debuts

Royal Albert Hall, LondonSwitching between podium and piano, Joe Hisaishi’s suite from The Boy and the Heron sparked joy, but Reich’s demanding Desert Music was vibrant and hypnoticOne of the pleasures of the BBC Proms is that they bring some of classical music’s biggest names from around the world to the Royal Albert Hall. But celebrity is always relative – and, for better or worse, most Proms artists don’t also headline stadium gigs.But Japanese composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi does and, at 74, is a Proms debut artist like no other. He came on stage to waves of screaming and phones brandished to capture the moment. Never heard of him? You’re probably not part of the vast fanbase of the “cultural phenomenon” Studio Ghibli. Hisaishi is the John Williams of anime, responsible for the music in global hits from My Neighbour Totoro to The Boy and the Heron. Continue reading...

Politics

21 h. ago Scottish Comedian Marc Jennings announces extra Fringe shows due to huge demand

With the rest of Marc Jennings’ shows this week sold out and very limited availability for next week, Monkey Barrel Comedy have added a second extra show at 10.40pm on Saturday, August 16. Book now - this will sell out fast too.

Culture

21 h. ago Fringe in full colour: Let your favourite colour guide your festival picks

With nearly 4,000 shows to choose from at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, deciding where to begin can be overwhelming. Do you search online? Trust the flyerer on the Mile? Or maybe you let your favourite colour make the call.

Politics

21 h. ago How incel terminology like 'sleepmaxxing' and 'sigma' infiltrated pop culture

The niche language of incels has permeated social media, schools and even beauty standards. So, how did it become normalised?

Politics

21 h. ago Four Star Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025: 17 acclaimed shows you can still get tickets to see this weekend

Looking for some comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this weekend? We’ve got you covered.

Sport

21 h. ago Luther Ford: The Crown's breakthrough star on acting opposite James Norton

Before answering an open casting call to play the Prince Harry, Luther Ford wanted to be a filmmaker. Now he’s starring in an epic TV show about the Battle of Hastings

Politics

22 h. ago Margaret Qualley awkwardly laughs off Taylor Swift question as Jack Antonoff absent from new album

Margaret Qualley awkwardly laughed off a question about Taylor Swift’s upcoming album, which producer husband Jack Antonoff is notably absent from.

Events

22 h. ago Chase & Status at All points East: Full line up and set times

Everything you need to know about Victoria Park’s All Points East line up this weekend

Politics