Just over 45 years ago, in what now feels like a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas released a then unknown space opera: Star Wars. Nearly half a century, nine saga movies, numerous spin-offs and TV shows, and a $4 billion sale to Disney later, Lucas’s science-fiction universe has become a cultural phenomenon, one that is woven into the fabric of society and …

Without Glastonbury, summer in the UK doesn’t feel quite right. It doesn’t matter whether you manage to camp at the fabled festival every year or just catch up on TV, June is made for watching music legends play to huge, mud-soaked crowds. Don’t know where to start? Here’s everything you need to know about Glastonbury Festival 2023.  When is Glastonbury 2023? Glastonbury 2023 …

Robert Eggers’ blood-soaked Viking epic is a widescreen rallying cry for cinema in the age of streaming Bored of identikit blockbusters and flatpack franchises which always seem to end with something smashing something else amid an ocean of CGI? Thank Odin, then, for Robert Eggers and his mad, brilliant, violent, hypnotic, trippy Viking opus. And thank the heroic people who …

The world-famous landmark’s operators are bidding to have its planning permission extended An iconic part of London’s skyline could disappear for ever in a few years. The London Eye, which has become as much a part of the capital’s furniture as M&M World and adult ballpits, could be removed by 2028. The Millennium Wheel, as it was originally known, opened on December 31 1999. …

What dates are the tube, train and Overground strikes? It may be a new year, but it’s the same old story when it comes to London’s trains. After lots of disruption over the festive period, rail and Overground strikes are continuing into 2023.  London transport got off to a shaky start this year with the first week of January being …

Qixi Festival – also known as the Double Seventh Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day – falls annually on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, and for this year that day falls on August 4. While it’s not as commonly celebrated nowadays, the Qixi Festival has been observed for over 2,000 years and it dates back …

Oxford is one of the oldest and most celebrated university towns in Europe, and for centuries has rivaled Cambridge for academic pre-eminence in England. Its untrammeled spirit of exploration, numerous delightful gardens, courtyards, and university parks – together with the hectic bustle of its pedestrian zone and excellent cultural facilities – all help create a very special atmosphere. Oxford has plenty of …

As the commercial and cultural capital of Lancashire, Manchester is a celebrated center for the arts, media, and higher education. Together with Salford and eight other municipalities, it forms the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, in which some three million people now live. Like neighboring Liverpool, Manchester has undergone something of a renaissance with the introduction of initiatives such as …

Although Yorkshire has long been divided into four counties, York is still considered the capital of this lovely corner of Northern England. The city is filled with fun things to do and attractions that reveal the many layers of its long history. York boasts the country’s longest circuit of medieval city walls, stretching over two miles and offering marvelous views of …

Delicate Cantonese cooking, fiery Sichuan delights and high-end banquet-style dishes are all in our round-up Chinese food in London remains a vast and delicious proposition. You can keep things authentic in Chinatown – which is still full of great discoveries – or pop down to a treasured local, or even go all out at a swanky high-end spot. Enjoy Cantonese dim sum, fiery Xinjiang hotpots, poshed-up teahouse …

The cheapest home on the list cost £4 million, while the most expensive was £35 million Perusing Rightmove and imagining a life of property ownership is par for the course for many of us unable to get on the ladder.  And whether or not people are making genuine enquiries about them, some homes are being viewed far, far more than …

Among Bristol’s many tourist attractions are numerous art galleries and a number of pleasant parks and green spaces. It’s also an extremely fun city to walk around, with some of the best routes taking in Bristol Harbour, with its preserved and rejuvenated old wharves and promenades. For families, there’s Bristol Zoo Gardens and We The Curious, a science and arts center that’s especially …

Liverpool is famous for so many things, some of which you’ll know about (ever heard of a band called The Beatles?) and others you may not.Of course, there are the city’s two magnificent cathedrals, the historically significant Albert Dock and even the city’s own Tate art gallery. But did you know that few cities rival Liverpool for its number of …

Soho is the home of London’s main gay and LGBTQ scene and remains most visitors’ first port of call, whether for drag nights or mingling. It’s centred around Old Compton Street, where you can spend a raucous night at the enduringly popular G-A-Y bar or down unpretentious drinks at pubs like The Admiral Duncan. Here’s our pick of the best gay bars and …

Love them, hate them, or just accept them as a sort of immutable fact of life, Christmas songs are a thing, and as December 25 gets inexorably closer and closer they’re a thing that becomes increasingly inescapable. And although there’s been a fair amount of disposable novelty rubbish written over the years, the reality is that a lot of Christmas songs are bangers. There …