CULTURE

Why Mary Todd Lincoln became the US’s most vilified First Lady

Library of Congress (Credit: Library of Congress) Abraham Lincoln’s wife was long attacked for everything from her spending to her lack of emotional restraint. But

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Will Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive X posts derail the Oscar favourite’s chances?

Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) The unearthing of inflammatory social media remarks by the actress about subjects including George Floyd, Islam and the Oscars itself

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Six Nordic paintings that can help us rethink winter

Munchmuseet/ Halvor Bjorngard Winter isn’t all bad – these “sublime” landscapes of the frozen North from the turn of the 20th Century offer us a

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How TV spy thrillers are booming in an age of distrust

Netflix (Credit: Netflix) From Netflix mega-hit The Night Agent to Apple TV+’s beloved Slow Horses, tales of secret agents and sinister plots are becoming ever

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How Scandinavian dressing can make us happier

Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images (Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images) Nordic style is easy to wear – and can even cheer us up, say

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The 17th Century painting that unlocks this mysterious image

National Gallery/ Trump/Vance Transition Team Following the release of the US president-elect’s official portrait, an expert reveals how scouring the pages of art history can

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Why David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is the greatest film of the 21st Century

Alamy (Credit: Alamy) It puzzled many viewers but delighted critics. We explain why the late, great David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive topped BBC Culture’s poll to

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Our predictions for next week’s nominations

Serenity Strull/Paramount/A24/Neon (Credit: Serenity Strull/Paramount/A24/Neon) Ahead of next week’s announcement, BBC Culture’s film critics forecast the likely contenders – from a musical about a trans

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40 of the most exciting books to read in 2025

Gallery Books, Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Press (Credit: Gallery Books, Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Press) From the most anticipated literary debuts to the return of

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Why influencers are facing a pushback

Serenity Strull/ BBC (Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC) Rejecting the “haul” culture of excessive shopping and promoting conscious consuming, the de-influencer movement is going mainstream –