Monday 9th February 2026

Culture

Irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny: ‘My Dead Mum’s AI Boyfriend’

Aled is a chatbot, but also, more concerningly, Carrie’s mum’s AI boyfriend.

A twisted tour-de-force: ‘Bugonia’ in review

Bugonia is a triumph for director Yorgos Lanthimos and his collaborators. He has produced a cynical but rewarding reflection on the human condition.

‘Heated Rivalry’ vs ‘Stranger Things’: Case studies in creative control 

Stranger Things, like Heated Rivalry, has dominated the cultural zeitgeist at various points across its ten-year airing schedule.

Dropping hints before dropping albums: The art of the tease

Promotion seems to be a part of the performance for many artists, setting the stage for the project they are going to release, and priming their audience.

Can our individual habits solve the fast fashion problem?

​​It is no mystery that fast fashion is a Bad Thing. I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years thinking about fast fashion,...

“Emotionally and physically draining”: ‘A Little Life’ on West End

Ivo Van Hove’s dramatization of Hanya Yanagihara’s divisive novel A Little Life took to the West End this summer, with a brief stint at...

Manele: the controversy around Romani music in Romania

Manele is a modern form of Romani (or Roma) music in Romania. Using traditional Romani instruments and sounds, it also fuses other genres from...

“Five Lost Dads’ Descent into Nihilism”: Strike Force Five Review

With the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike now officially over, it’s time to say goodbye to the brief, joyful and surprisingly nihilistic podcast...

A walk down Magpie Lane on one winter night

Wandering nightly through the cobbled pavements of the city of dreaming spires,I could not help but notice the darkening shade of sandstone under the...

Warhol Island: Large-scale exhibition on a German island

At the meeting point of the Austrian, Swiss, and German borders lies the historic old German town of Lindau. The entirety of the old...

A24’s Rise Through the Ranks

Celine Song’s moving debut ‘Past Lives’, the most recent release for distributor and producer A24, is being showered with critical acclaim, but this sort...

Book Recommendations from the Editors’ Desk

Read our book section editors' Michaelmas book recommendations: Rufus Jones on Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon, Ananya Parakh on Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer,...

Is Shakespeare’s Globe still Relevant?

The Globe is certainly still one of the biggest and most recognisable names when it comes to theatres despite now being over 25 years...

A Very Short Guide to Art Gallery Dates

There are a million better ways to spend an afternoon than moping around a largely windowless building with a complete stranger and an inability...

Lost In Hugh’s: The Oxford Open Doors Festival

Over the 9th and 10th of September, dozens of colleges across Oxford opened up to the public for the Oxford Open Doors Festival. Alongside...

Fringe: “Quite absurd”, Review of Blue Dragon

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”, says a harried wife to her brooding husband as she looks out onto a small and scattered audience in an...

Fringe: “Continuously Shocks”, a Review of Cruelty

“Imagine. You're a character. You're in a club.” This may be Oli's (Luke Nixon) first line to the audience but it does not feel necessary....

Fringe: “Uncannily familiar”, Review of Cowboys and Lesbians

"Immensely funny, masterfully constructed, and, uncannily familiar", Anuj Mishra reviews Billie Esplen's original play 'Cowboys and Lesbians'.

‘ASMR Eat Your Heart Out!’: A Review of The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis was, understandably, intense, and weird – in a good way. Blessed with excellent performances, and clever use of technology, the play captured all the absurdity of Kafka.

‘He eagerly played the lead guitar whilst simultaneously thrashing a piano chord with his foot’ – A review of Jacob Collier’s Bristol concert

'With at least 12 different musical instruments on stage, Collier tirelessly leapt from one instrument to another across the stage'

Harry Potter as Therapy

'I am 25 years old, and I have reread the Harry Potter books 10 times, but in this review I want to introduce you to something truly special'

“A Brilliant Balancing Act”: A Review of By Proxy

By Proxy is shocking, morally complicated, and will have you frustrated, yet empathetic towards both Kit and Jo. It is also hysterically funny, with witty dialogue and inside jokes that will appeal to the Oxford student. By Proxy is a brilliant balancing act that engages at every turn.

“A Joy to Watch”: A Review of ‘Window Seat’

The play is a joy to watch. Coleman always provides just enough detail in the dialogue to allow the audience to follow what is happening without making the relationship between the two characters seem overlaboured or mechanistic.

“Bugs Are Cool”: Interview with the Cast and Crew of The Metamorphosis

"Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman in the cloth trade who has been worked to the bone and suffers under the pressure of his family, who rely on him financially. At the beginning of the play, he wakes up to discover that he has transformed into a repulsive and unhuman creature."

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