CULTURE

Gaudy or iconic? How leopard print took over

Worn by everyone from pin-ups and "mob wives" to Jackie O and royalty, leopard print has long divided opinion. As…

1 year ago

12 of the best films to watch this December

Searchlight PicturesFrom a steamy age-gap thriller starring Nicole Kidman to a Bob Dylan biopic featuring Timothée Chalamet, these are the…

1 year ago

Matthew Bourne on his Swan Lake with male swans, the show that shook up the dance world

Emmanuel Lafont/ Getty ImagesCelebrating the 30th anniversary of his legendary stage production, Matthew Bourne tells the BBC about the show…

1 year ago

Wicked author Gregory Maguire on the real meaning of the story that captivated the world

Universal PicturesBefore it was a Hollywood blockbuster it was a megahit musical, and before that it was a 1995 novel.…

1 year ago

Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You went from modest 1990s hit to Christmas’s defining song

Getty ImagesWhen it was first released in 1994, it made a mere ripple – but 30 years on, it is…

1 year ago

The British politician who was caught faking his own death

Getty Images(Credit: Getty Images)When John Stonehouse's clothes were found in a pile on Miami Beach on 20 November 1974, many…

1 year ago

Why the poignant Kes is Britain’s greatest coming-of-age story

AlamyFirst released in November 1969, Ken Loach's social-realist tale of a boy who adopts a kestrel still resonates and has…

1 year ago

These five bizarre Surrealist artworks are not what they seem

Courtesy of SFMoMA, San Francisco(Credit: Courtesy of SFMoMA, San Francisco)Dismissed or trivialised by some as unserious and silly, Surrealist art…

1 year ago

The climate warnings in 19th Century paintings

John Brett, 1856. Photo: TateA new exhibition that documents the impact of the Industrial Revolution features several 1800s artists, writers…

1 year ago

Eight photos of the quirkiest groups in 70s and 80s US

Neal Slavin(Credit: Neal Slavin)Celebrating "the joy of being together ", here are eight group portraits – taken by photographer Neal…

1 year ago