Monday 19th January 2026

Culture

‘Songs, skits, and a third thing beginning with S’: Jack McMinn in conversation

If there’s one thing I believe Oxford’s theatre scene is missing, it’s a button-down-shirt-wearing ex-zoology student with a penchant for writing songs about Pret A Manger.

The Oxford art calendar: Hilary 2026

Oxford’s frosty Hilary term is best spent looking at new exhibitions. This art calendar will guide you through some of the upcoming highlights.

‘Beautifully we may rot’: ‘Madame La Mort’ in review

In a small, black-painted room on the top floor of a pub in Islington, known as The Hope Theatre, Madame La Mort was staged for the public for the first time.

Damaging detachment: Reflections on the Booker Prize 

This Christmas vac, I made up my mind to get out of my reading slump using the Booker Prize shortlist, revealing toxic masculinity as a key theme.

Evidence of magic at the British Library

Harry Potter: a History of Magic wonderfully illuminates the inspirations behind a cultural icon, writes Raffaella Sero

A woman weaving herself into history

Hypnotising acidic colours scream out for Anoushka Kavanagh’s attention

The legend of Sherlock Holmes

Erin O'Neill explores the iconic status of Arthur Conan Doyle's literary creation

The Christie Mystery

Raffaella Sero considers why Agatha Christie's characters still enthral us in the present day

We need diverse books now more than ever

Sally Christmas reflects on the importance of diverse literature in the current political climate

Spike Lee Doesn’t Have It

Imogen Edwards-Lawrence finds fault with the Netflix reimagining of Spike Lee's classic film

Blockbuster bust-up?

This might be the year when mainstream movies shake up awards season

The Death of Stalin review – ‘it straddles that oh-so-narrow line between repellent and comic’

Christopher Goring enjoys the satire of Iannucci’s warped world behind the Iron Curtain

Poirot’s enduring appeal

Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express reminds us why the detective remains so intriguing, writes Raffaella Sero

All That Fall review – ‘Powerful and perturbing, with something of the uncanny about it’

Sam Rice immerses himself in a stage adaptation of Beckett's radio play

The strange death of Constable’s rural idyll

Daniel Villar explores how the English countryside has changed since John Constable painted The Cornfield

Five minutes with… Sos Eltis

This week, we chat to Sos Eltis, vice principal of Brasenose College and senior member of OUDS

Adolescent queer love in ‘Call Me By Your Name’

Angelica De Vido finds the rich exoticism of Italy a perfect compliment to this tale of summer homoeroticism

Fairytales can show us the horrors of Hitler’s Germany

The stories of Günter Grass bring Germany’s repressed trauma into the light

A gendered rewatching of The Silence of the Lambs

25 years on, Clarice Sterling's defiance of the patriarchy is as relevant as ever

The late Mr Salinger deserves his enduring reputation

The Catcher in the Rye encapsulates central tenets of our modern world, writes Barney Pite

A beastly tale of life and death

Josephine Southon reflects on the animals and beasts in Grimms' fairy tales

Those Who Follow review – “an appreciation of some too often ignored parts of this city we all call home”

Matthew Roberts explores the different faiths of modern Oxford, as presented in the exhibition Those Who Follow

Confessions of a Drama Queen: The Final Showdown

Our drama queen's term ends, not with a bang but a restraining order.

Passion over party in Pasternak’s Russia

Maria Minchenko marks the Russian Revolution centenary by casting her mind back to one of cinema's classics

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