- December 23, 2025
The ancient monuments saluting the winter solstice
AlamyOrkney’s Maeshowe tomb is a burial cairn created around 2800BC that conceals a stone-clad sepulchre (Credit: Alamy) We will probably never know the specific beliefs
18 of the most striking images of 2025
12. Transit centre, Buganda The image of a Congolese refugee sitting on a swing at a Transit centre near Buganda in May, vibrates with a
The latest in the sci-fi adventure series is the longest and worst yet
The third instalment in James Cameron’s mega-hit blockbuster franchise is “197 minutes of screensaver graphics, clunky dialogue, baggy plotting and hippy-dippy new-age spirituality”. Avatar and
The 25 best books of 2025
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters The follow-up to Torrey Peters’ critically acclaimed debut Detransition, Baby is a collection of tales, each with an intriguing premise,
Harry Potter to Eyes Wide Shut: 12 of the best alternative festive films
Alamy(Credit: Alamy) A Grand Day Out (1998) Way before the feature-length Wallace and Gromit films of more recent decades, my family would tune in each
Seven of the greatest rivalries in art history
Born just a year apart (Turner in sooty London in 1775, Constable in a serene Suffolk village in 1776), the two were, from the first,
Eight paint colours that can easily transform your home
6. Peach, soft browns and cream “Paint colours are a backdrop on which to layer, rather than the hero,” says interior designer Christian Bense. “Mixing
Timothée Chalamet’s ping-pong comedy is ‘fresh, funny and exhilarating’
The star is “captivating”, alongside an “impeccable” Gwyneth Paltrow, in this “madcap” film about a young man who scams and steals his way to becoming
12 of the best films to watch this December
Released on 25 December in the UK and 26 December in the UK Searchlight PIctures 11. The Testament of Ann Lee One of the last
Nine of the best TV shows to watch this December
7. Amadeus The 1984 film Amadeus, in which the composer Antonio Salieri admits to jealously (and fictionally) causing the death of his far more gifted
