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
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
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
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
From The Apprentice to Wicked, the 2025 Oscar nominations are the most political ever
Mongrel Media (Credit: Mongrel Media) The contenders for the film industry’s biggest prizes this year represent a range of genres and styles. But many are
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
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
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
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
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 –