Which books appealed most this year? Candia McWilliam’s memoir of blindness, Jonathan Franzen’s blockbuster and John le Carré’s latest thriller are among our favourites ...... more
Control-freak divorcées, fashion obsessives and sexual predators- Madonna and Wallis Simpson have a lot in common. But is the Material Girl the right person to bring the Duchess of Windsor's colourful life to the big screen?... more
New luvvie in training Freddie Fox is the latest in a long line of foxy thespians. But he's not afraid to play against type with his breakthrough role as a Cockney transsexual, discovers Pip Clements... more
The 175th anniversary of the Tolpuddle martyrs' struggle for union rights is to be marked this week with a rare showing of a classic film on the story... more
Sir Clement Freud, who died this week, was just one member of a colourful family dynasty that continues to leave its mark on us, as Sebastian Shakespeare reports... more
Festival juries usually give prizes to worthy subject matter rather than style. But French film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly has both. A shoo-in for a prize of some sort.... more
Amazing Grace may not be an outstanding success, but it is hardly a failure. It gives a good idea of the horrors of the slave trade, and deals with the parliamentary debates without boring.... more
She had a triumphant first night in the West End, but the days before were peppered with damaging speculation. In her first interview, Billie Piper hits back at the gossips.... more
Billie Piper and Laurence Fox are playing lovers on stage - and they are both said to have ditched long-term partners to be together in real life.... more
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets defeated Labour to be elected. Livingstone not only backed him but some of Ken's key players are now at the heart of running the council. Stephen Robinson reports
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