This autumn, a ton of games are dropping before November when Grand Theft Auto VI’s console release hogs the rest of the year. It’s a good time to be a gamer.

Control Resonant

Control finally gets a “proper sequel,” but this time “Jesse is benched in favor of her brother, Dylan,” said PC Gamer. Remedy Entertainment’s “signature weirdness” now takes place in New York City, with a “bigger focus on melee combat.” (out now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)

End of the Abyss

This “challenging yet rewarding adventure” boasts “gorgeous graphics and grotesque visuals” and features an “intricately crafted facility to explore,” said Gaming Trend. The game “manages to stand out amongst a crowded market” while delivering an “experience well worth diving into.” (out now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)

Gears of War: E-Day

The Coalition has “elevated the franchise to new heights” with this entry. It is an “engaging, brutal and surprisingly intimate campaign” full of “smart gameplay mechanics and wonderful surprises,” said Day One. It’s the “best Gears has ever felt to play.” (out now for PC, Xbox Series X|S)

Grand Theft Auto VI

GTA 6, Rockstar’s “long-awaited crime game,” is bound to be “one of gaming’s biggest cultural events,” said Polygon. It’s looking like a “pure open-world flex” that could “push the boundaries of gaming.” (Nov. 19 preorder for PS5, Xbox Series X|S)

“As Brits battle the country’s often-dire rail network”, railway pubs are sometimes the only thing that “keeps us sane amid countless delays, cancellations and strikes”, said Ed Cunningham on Time Out. If you find yourself at a loose end, or in need of travel refreshment, here are some of the best places across the country for a railway pint.

Tap on the Line, Kew, London

“Perched right on the platform at Kew Gardens station is a charming little boozer,” said Katie Forge on Secret London. London is known for its quirky pubs but few are this “unique”. The Tap on the Line (pictured above) is the only pub in the capital which sits directly on a tube station platform, and is one of the last remaining 19th-century stations. “It’s one of the very few places in the city where you can see your train coming, sink your pint, and still be on board by the time the train is ready to depart”. It also has regular live music, pub quizzes and a “wonderful atmosphere”.

The Sheffield Tap, Sheffield

“By my estimation the best station pub in Britain, the Sheffield Tap even stands out in a city full of excellent places for a pint,” said Will Hawkes in The Telegraph. This “Edwardian treasure” has been carved out of the station’s former “Refreshment Rooms”. It had been lying derelict until the mid-1970s, but has been given a second lease of life. It oozes class with a “mahogany bar, ornate barrel-plaster ceiling and terrazzo floor”, and even has a brewery in the “magnificent inner room”, which used to be the first class dining room. “A very elegant place for a pint indeed”.

Scott & Brassey, Carlisle, Cumbria

The Scott & Brassey has only been open since February, said Rachel Dixon in The Guardian, but you can still feel the history of the site. Its predecessor, the 301 Miles From London, closed in 2023, and customers can enjoy the same spot on platform 4, now with a “slick makeover”. There’s still the same original wooden entrance lobby, “hammerbeam roof and Tudor-style stone fireplaces”. Eight handpumps line the mahogany bar, and the feature wall behind is full of clocks, so there’s “no excuse for missing your train”.

Bank of Conwy, Conwy, North Wales

This warm, welcoming pub is across the road from the station at the “heart of this beautiful seaside town with a castle overlooking the harbour”, said Phil Mellows in The i Paper. It has been open since 2015, and has “warmly embraced modern craft beer”, with local favourites from Wild Horse Brewing down the coast at Llandudno. The building itself is a “nicely restored Grade II-listed former bank”, and has plenty of good cask ales on the pumps too, for “those of a more traditional disposition”.

The beauty of Lisbon’s pastel-hued architecture is one of the Portuguese capital’s major draws. Travellers enticed by beautiful surroundings would do well to stay at the newly opened Tarabel Lisbon, a luxury boutique hotel that prides itself on its decor. When you walk in, you’re greeted by an enormous antique birdcage wrought in the shape of a palace, with faux birds perched on top. This playful sensibility sets the tone for your stay.

Why stay here?

Situated on a hill in the Estrela neighbourhood, the Tarabel has no bad views. On one side, the former townhouse faces the splendour of the US Embassy building and its gardens. The other looks out at the show-stopping expanse of the Tagus estuary: the 25 de Abril Bridge, the Port of Lisbon, and the huge Christ the King monument across the river in Almada. An entire evening can be spent just sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine, watching the boats and cruise ships go by.

Tarabel’s impeccably manicured garden is on an incline, and is split into levels that naturally carve the space into smaller, intimate sitting areas. Parakeets – real this time – fly overhead and perch in the trees lining the garden. At the bottom is the emerald-green pool, providing guests with welcome respite from the heat. Bright white and yellow parasols complement the lush foliage, and looking up toward the hotel from the bottom of the garden you can see the large-scale tile artwork conceptualised by the owner and designer, a love letter to the azulejos (traditional ceramic tiles) of Lisbon.

The rooms

Rooms are spacious and luxurious. Most of the furniture comes from the owner’s personal collection, gathered over the course of a lifetime from visits to flea markets all over Europe. A trefoil side-table from Portobello Market sits next to a rococo settee from Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, stripped and reupholstered in a modern fabric. The Tarabel also borrows some styling choices from its sister location in Morocco, such as the pleated rattan accents and the occasional white-painted lattice woodwork.

Although bright whites dominate the hotel’s design, the warmth of unvarnished wood furniture does much to temper its starkness, and judicious use of pops of colour – fresh greens, yellows and florals – gives visual interest to the luxe space. Surprising, quirky additions are peppered throughout, such as a small trompe l’oeil ceiling fresco of a conservatory roof, complete with climbing roses and birds. It’s the attention to detail that makes this gathering of unique pieces work.

Eating and drinking

The quaint collection of flea-market finds extends to the cutlery and tableware, down to the miniature silver-lidded salt shakers. Everything is served on antique porcelain, mis-matched in design, yet unified in style.

The menu at Tarabel is a fusion of Portuguese, French and Italian cooking, with offerings sure to please most palates. The starters opened strongly: the fresh hamachi sourced from the Azores was buttery and tender, and the scoop of homemade basil sorbet perched on the tomato carpaccio was surprisingly delightful. The chicken’s accompaniment of roasted and pickled vegetables provided a light, pleasant contrast to the meat.

The standout dish, however, was the juicy scarlet prawns on a bed of creamy, lemony Portuguese rice. It exemplified the principles of Portuguese cooking: simple, unfussy flavour profiles and a focus on high-quality ingredients. It’s a must-try dish for any seafood lovers. Desserts are delicious and uncomplicated. Chocolate moelleux and tropical sorbet, both elevated with a flavoured crumble (cardamom and lime, respectively) finished off the meal with a satisfying hit of sweetness.

The staff are attentive and put in a lot of effort, ready to share tips and favourite restaurants, and really go the extra mile to make your stay pleasant and memorable. I took a croissant from the breakfast spread to my room to have later, only to find that after a few hours it had been replaced on the (now clingfilm-wrapped) plate by two pastries.

Things to do

While there’s no shortage of things to do in central Lisbon, the hotel’s location encourages a trip west, to the historic district of Belém. There, a short walk along the waterfront can take you from the Belém Tower to the Monument of Discoveries, and the luscious Vasco da Gama garden. The stunning Jerónimos Monastery nearby is also well worth a visit, and as a reward for a hard day of sightseeing, right next door you can try the original pastel de nata at Pastéis de Belém, the bakery that created the world-famous egg custard tart in 1837.

The verdict

Tarabel’s design sensibility fits right in with the beauty of Lisbon’s architecture, and if you’re looking for a room with a view of the river, there’s few places where you could do better. Whether in a plush suite or poolside, the hotel offers a wonderful place to rest whenever you’re not exploring Lisbon.

Julia was a guest of Tarabel Lisbon; tarabellisbon.com

The Costa del Sol has had a bad rap. The ultimate package holiday destination, its name was once synonymous with mass tourism, cheap deals and expats seeking sun. But those days are over.

The 93-mile stretch of Mediterranean coastline in southern Andalusia has gone upmarket and repositioned itself as a year-round destination with an average of 320 days of sun annually. Five-star hotels are opening further down the coast away from Marbella’s flashy nightclubs, and attention has turned from the region’s famous beaches and golf courses to its whitewashed mountain villages, natural parks and cultural sights, including Málaga, with its Moorish architecture, art scene and huge range of museums.

Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol – the only Fairmont property in Spain and which opened in 2025 – is at the forefront of the region’s reinvention and has recently added a new beach club. Unlike so many hotels there, it doesn’t close after the summer making it a great choice for winter sun.

Why stay here?

To switch off and enjoy the sea views with plenty of pampering. The hotel is on a quieter stretch of coast on the border of the lesser known Costa de la Luz, between Sotogrande and Gibraltar. If you’ve heard horror stories about the queues to register for the EU’s Entry/Exit System at busy Málaga airport, you can easily swerve them by flying to less crowded Gibraltar instead, just half an hour away.

Fairmont La Hacienda is on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, a golf course and the distinctive Rock of Gibraltar itself. On a clear day, you can even see Morocco. Cleverly, the whole resort is upside down to maximise the spectacular views through a wall of glass in the top-floor lobby. Rooms are below and the pools and gardens on the ground floor – though this does make the lifts a little confusing as numbers go up even though floors go down.

It’s all impossibly chic inside – shades of white and biscuit-brown with warm wooden furniture, dark green plants and rattan lamps. Corridors are cavernous and there’s space and dappled light everywhere, with lingering airport niggles soothed as soon as you walk in the door by staff proffering cold towels and fresh juice.

There’s no bad – or small – room. All 150 king rooms have private terraces, with pale woods and décor in cool taupe shades, while some of the suites have plunge pools, private gardens or two bedrooms. If you fancy more space, there are 47 villas scattered around the grounds with between four and nine bedrooms each plus full kitchens. All have a sleek minimal feel, with jute rugs and linen cushions adding just a touch of colour to the all-neutral palette. Marble bathrooms have pricey Le Labo products and my signature sea view studio suite had a free-standing bath almost big enough to swim in, plus a bath pillow and wooden bath rack with space to hold a wine glass. It was quite tempting not to leave the room at all.

Eating and drinking

Food is a major focus. I felt like I was never more than a few minutes away from a platter of jamon croquettes or a bowl of juicy green olives. My favourite restaurant was Umbra, a poolside spot shaded by a bamboo ceiling and dotted with plants, which has a tapas-style menu of patatas bravas, fried calamari, prawn tacos and delicious roasted aubergine with sugar cane honey. Dishes can also be ordered straight to your lounger if walking the few steps from the pool feels like too much effort. Similarly, if you’re snoozing on the Blue Flag-certified beach, there’s no need to go far as the hotel’s new seasonal beach club La Cala de La Hacienda has Mediterranean dishes including gazpacho, grilled king prawns and burrata salad, washed down with a glass of cold Spanish albariño wine.

Back in the main hotel building, Il Faro Trattoria has sweeping sea views from its terrace and serves Italian classics including pizza and pasta. Desserts are the real stars of the show, with include limoncello sorbet with Italian meringue, mango and basil panna cotta and tiramisu all featuring. This is also the place for breakfast – a generous buffet of pastries, eggs, fruit and cheese. It’s worth arriving before 9am to avoid waiting for a table (and to try to nab one on the terrace).

However, the fine-dining restaurant Dalmar is the ultimate foodie destination if you’re hoping for a special occasion meal. Overseen by Benito Gómez, whose Ronda restaurant Bardal has two Michelin stars, it specialises in elegant Andalusian dishes such as marinated anchovies, chargrilled avocado with a spicy corn and vanilla dressing, and chicken roasted in a mushroom fricassee, all interspersed with tasty unexpected treats and served alongside local wines.

Things to do

Most guests do little more than walk on the beach, doze in the poolside cabanas or pop to the gorgeous spa, which has a range of hydrotherapy pools, a heated indoor pool, cold plunge baths, two hammams and a salt inhalation room for even more relaxing. There’s also a padel court, a 24-hour sea-view gym and a yoga studio with a resident teacher for those who really can’t sit still, while the neighbouring golf course is one of the best in Spain.

To explore further, the hotel can arrange trips to lively Marbella, the village of Jimena de la Frontera with its eighth-century castle or to Gibraltar, which is even easier to get to since the border crossing was removed as part of a new treaty in July. I headed to smart Sotogrande to tour the coastline by catamaran, watching dolphins swimming alongside the boat over a glass of cava then plunging off the back of the boat for a swim in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar.

The verdict

This stylish hotel has all you need for a do-nothing getaway, from its soothing décor and sea-view pools to its cossetting spa and impressive restaurants. Better still, it’s just a short flight away whenever a weekend reset is long overdue.

Siobhan Grogan was a guest of Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol

Created in the 17th century, Japan’s Fujiko faith fuses Shinto and esoteric Buddhism in its reverence for Mount Fuji, the country’s highest peak. The faith still has some adherents, and visitors can join their pilgrimages, says Kate Crockett in Condé Nast Traveller, hiking 2,300 metres up the mountain’s lower slopes to the point, accessible by road, from which most climbers head out for the 3,776m summit. It’s a “soothing” one-day walk through ancient forests, which offers “tantalising” views of Fuji’s “snow-capped” peak, and stops at shrines along the way. You can do part of the route on horseback, and it’s worth staying longer, to visit other holy sites and sample the region’s “elegant” old pilgrims’ lodges – and perhaps the new luxury retreat Gora Kadan Fuji, with its “restorative” outdoor bath.

A four-day trip costs from £2,950pp, half-board (kammui.com)

The charm of Croatia’s “little Tuscany”

Most visitors to Croatia head for the “scrubby” and “sun-bleached” mountains and islands of Dalmatia. Set far inland, the rolling Samobor Hills are a different world entirely, said Mary Novakovich in The Guardian. Here, you’ll find a lush, “harmonious” landscape that could “out-Tuscany Tuscany”. The area is criss-crossed by forested trails, particularly in the Žumberak Nature Park, where residents of nearby Zagreb come to hike and bike at weekends. But the hills also offer less strenuous pleasures, including wineries known for their “elegant” sparkling wines. More than three dozen of these lie along the circular Plešivica Wine Road, including the “bucolic” 18th-century Griffin, and the “serene” Korak, which has a refreshingly unpretentious Michelin-starred restaurant. Also unmissable is the town of Samobor itself – the prettiest place in Zagreb county, full of “graceful” Habsburg-era houses in shades of “buttery yellow, apricot and pistachio”.

A week at Nadal’s school of padel

Often described as a cross between tennis and squash, padel is booming, with an estimated one million players in the UK. Being “utterly hooked”, I signed up for a week-long training camp at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, said Jemima Kelly in the Financial Times – an “exhausting” experience, but “fun and exhilarating” too. Located in Manacor, the academy not only delivers world-class coaching in both tennis and padel, it has “top-notch” accommodation too, making a stay here feel like a proper holiday. Training days run from 8.30am to 6pm, but include a 3.5-hour break for long lunches and trips to the beach. I was impressed by the attentiveness of our coach, Rodri Ovide, and loved the resort’s spa.

The week costs from €3,984, full board (rafanadalacademy.com)

Isolated in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles west of Angola, the volcanic island of St Helena has a “magic” that is “hard to define”, said Michael Binyon in The Times. It derives partly from the “beauty and variety” of the island’s landscapes, including “rich steep pastures” and “rugged bare mountains” rising to 820 metres. But it’s also to do with the island’s small size and friendly atmosphere: St Helena is less than one-third the size of the Isle of Wight, and is home to just 4,200 people.

Then there’s its pleasant tropical climate, its extraordinary history, the charm of its old buildings, and the sense of “stepping back into an earlier age” (although there is Wi-Fi here). In any case, I find it so “enticing” that I’ve returned seven times since first visiting in 2009.

The island is Britain’s oldest colony after Bermuda, having received its charter in 1659 during the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard. Its tiny capital, Jamestown, has “barely changed in two centuries”, and has the oldest Anglican church in the southern hemisphere, as well as a “beautiful” botanic garden. The governor’s mansion, Plantation House, was built in 1791 by the East India Company, and is famed today as the home of Jonathan, a tortoise from the Seychelles who is now aged about 194 and thought to be the oldest creature on Earth.

St Helena’s other “world-famous resident”, Napoleon, was exiled here in 1815, after the battle of Waterloo. The farm where he lived, Longwood, is now French property and has been restored to how it looked on the day of his death in 1821.

The island has an extraordinary wealth of endemic wildlife, with hundreds of species found nowhere else on Earth; and it’s also a good spot for diving and for dolphin-watching trips, although it has no proper beaches. If you go, I can recommend the Mantis St Helena hotel. But be warned that flights (from Johannesburg, plus Cape Town in summer) are often cancelled due to bad weather. If you can, add a few days to your trip just in case.

The Turner Prize no longer inspires the excitement and the “ire” that it used to, said Waldemar Januszczak in The Times. Once the “main event” of Tate Britain’s schedule, it is now a travelling show, chugging around provincial museums. In principle, this is an admirable attempt to “spread the word about contemporary art”, but in practice it means the Turner has become rather a sideshow.

This year’s iteration takes place in Middlesbrough, a corner of the country that has recently been much maligned. As ever, it presents the work of four British artists (or artists working in Britain) who are nominated for exceptional exhibitions in the past year.

The winner receives £25,000, the runners-up £5,000 each. And in this case, the participants truly deserve it. All of the nominees field “solid showings” – and, for the first time in years, “there is a genuine sense of the display putting its finger on Britain’s artistic pulse… I loved it.”

‘Boring’ at points

This year’s show, which features no painters, is “relatively conventional – and even, at points, boring”, said Alastair Sooke in The Telegraph. Kira Freije (b.1985) fashions figurative sculptures from “aluminium casts of parts of her own body and others’ faces”, creating “skeletal” effigies draped in “faded scraps of folksy fabric”. She fills a room with them, her creations projecting “a dramatic, sorrowful quality” that evokes “a broken world populated by impoverished survivors”. It’s impressive enough, but it feels “rehashed”: Freije fails to “synthesise” her influences.

Far better is the French artist Marguerite Humeau (b.1986), whose huge sculptures of animals, including a dying elephant and dramatically enlarged fungi, have “genuine flair, originality and refinement”. Humeau’s description of her own art – she says she is on a “quest” for “transcendence” – can sound a bit “hippy-dippy”, but the “unsettling” proliferation of sculptural forms she creates is “bizarrely beautiful”.

‘Feels, smells and tastes’ like modern Britain

Far from being disappointing, “this is one of the strongest Turner Prize shows in recent memory”, said Mark Hudson in The Independent. The favourite to win is 31-year-old Tanoa Sasraku. One piece covers an entire wall with paper imitations of fabric patterns used by her father, a Ghanaian fashion designer, coloured with saturated earth dyes. It has the air of “something Mark Rothko might have produced”, if he’d worked with wrapping paper.

My personal favourite, though, is Simeon Barclay (b.1975), who presents a spoken-word piece synced to a video, itself presented within a replica of the Huddersfield nightclub he was barred from as a teenager. It’s about growing up Black in South Yorkshire, and it hymns the M62 – the motorway “that connected Huddersfield, and by extension Barclay, to the wider world”. Maybe it’s odd to have spoken-work poetry in an art prize, but it’s a piece that really “feels, smells and tastes” like modern Britain.

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. Until 29 March.

“Welcome to Bentley’s EV future,” said Top Gear Magazine – of the flagship new Torcal, unveiled last week. “The most powerful and torquey Bentley ever”, it has the same “whopping” 113kWh battery as the new Porsche Cayenne, with which it shares an EV platform, giving it an “ample” range of 360 miles. Add in 400kW charging and you’ve got a “capable transcontinental cruiser”.

The battery promises to retain 90% of its capacity after 100,000 miles of driving, because Bentley envisages the car as an “heirloom” to be “passed down through generations”, along with signet rings and castles.

Bentley’s first EV blends “heritage with cutting-edge innovation”, says CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser. Production is due to begin in Bentley’s Crewe plant this year, with just two trims from launch, both with twin-motor powertrains and four-wheel drive. The standard car packs 811bhp, while the 876bhp S has “more of a sporting bent”, said Autocar.

With 995lb-ft of torque, it can get from 0-62mph in just 2.9 secs, with a top speed of 162mph. “Tuned for maximum refinement”, its bespoke suspension uses active dual-valve dampers to create a “true ‘magic carpet’ ride”.

The Torcal is “impressively spacious inside”, said PistonHeads, with the “material plushness” that customers expect, including the world’s first 100% merino wool car upholstery. Bentley has opted for proper knurled buttons instead of a passenger display; the driver’s curved touchscreen is a “nice touch” and the adjustable seats are “exceptional”.

Live orchestral recordings have been used to replicate the noise of a combustion engine; other sound effects include a finger on the rim of a crystal glass for the voice command response. This is “one of the best Bentleys ever”, says Walliser – and with a lower-price Range Rover Electric arriving imminently, “it will need to be”.

Fall is when studios love to drop some of their juiciest awards-season contenders. And October’s slate unsurprisingly features several buzzy, prestigious new offerings, with a movie for virtually all tastes.

‘East of Eden’

Florence Pugh stars in this adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel. She plays Cathy Ames, who shoots her husband, Adam (Christopher Abbott), and flees to run a brothel after delivering their twin boys. The series offers an “allegory of the moral corruption of a nation,” said Inkoo Kang at The New Yorker. (on Netflix now)

‘War’

Creator George Kay’s new drama tackles the divorce between actress Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and tech tycoon Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) while foregrounding their warring law firms. The series is an “old-school adult drama,” said Michel Ghanem at The Cut. (on HBO Max now)

‘Carrie’

In this new take on Stephen King’s novel from horror auteur Mike Flanagan, updated for the social media era, Summer H. Howell plays Carrie White, the shy student whose bullying results in supernatural tragedy. Flanagan’s take on the story makes “everyone a little more sympathetic,” said Katie Rife at Inverse. (on Prime Video now)

‘The Diplomat’ season 4

“The Diplomat” returns with President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) and Vice President Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) scrambling to contain the fallout from a shocking act of espionage while Hal’s wife, Kate (Keri Russell), tries to salvage the international order. It’s a show that “treats politics as something deeply personal,” said Lacy Baugher Milas at Paste Magazine. (Oct. 15 on Netflix)

Halloween is all about “dressing up, carving pumpkins, sharing treats and enjoying spooky fun with friends and family”, said the BBC. Here are some of our favourite activities from across the country. Pick pumpkins in Yorkshire, cuddle tarantulas in Oxfordshire, or encounter ghostly figures in the Tower of London: no tricks, only treats.

Ghosts and ravens at Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London

“Where better to mark All Hallows’ Eve than some of London’s most haunted locations?” said Connor Sturges in Condé Nast Traveller. Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London are putting on their usual “spook-tacular” events for all ages throughout half term. Expect “roaming ghostly apparitions” as the sun sets, and follow autumn trails “filled with pumpkins, scarecrows and seasonal surprises” around the Palace grounds. For the first time at the Tower, there will be “early-bird access into the fortress for a unique encounter with the ravens”, while wardens regale you with tales of the Tower’s “darkest secrets”.
24 October to 1 November; hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace; hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london

Pumpkin Picking at Stockeld Park, North Yorkshire

A trip to Stockeld Park is “fantastic” all year round, said Alice Saville in Time Out. But it “lures” you in with an “added bonus” of themed adventure playgrounds around Halloween time. You can jump on a tractor and head out into the fields to select your own pumpkin, before settling in for a day of autumnal fun. The main event is a “pumpkin slingshot” which is included in your ticket price, but there are also wand-making sessions and a friendly roving scarecrow.
24 to 31 October; stockeldpark.co.uk

Scarefest at Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire

Each year, the theme park “raises its Halloween game to offer an increasingly spookier experience for their annual Scarefest celebration”, said Amy Burns in The i Paper. This year it has after-dark rides on Nemesis Reborn, plus Wicker Man and The Smiler. Over the years, the park has introduced more “live actor experiences” and Halloween is the ideal opportunity to expand this trend – and offer “genuine frights”. To tone down the scare factor, you can head to Amigos in the Afterlife or Trick o’ Treat Town, where live actors will “amuse younger visitors and even hand out a few treats”.
10 to 11 October, and 16 October to 1 November; altontowers.com

Victoria Park Guardians, Victoria Park, Manchester

As October draws to a close, Stretford’s Victoria Park “transforms into an interactive family trail”, said Emmeline Banks in Secret Manchester. Teams gather together to solve clues to “uncover the mystery of the Keeper’s missing key” from the 13 Guardians hidden across the park’s paths, gardens, and historic spots. It’s designed for ages three to 12, and can take up to 90 minutes, but it’s well worth the reward waiting for you at the end.
24 to 31 October; eventbrite.com

Thrill-seeking at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

The Palace’s “haunted half term” has plenty to offer for a family day out, said Fran Watts in The Independent. Handling animals in the ZooLab is perfect for little ones, allowing them to see tarantulas, snakes, giant snails and more up close. There are also witch storytelling sessions, circus workshops and the popular Pip and Posy trail. “Older thrill-seekers may want to wait until after dark” for the spooky trail – think “immersive entertainment, light displays, jumpy twists and turns and Halloween food and drinks”.
22 October to 1 November; blenheimpalace.com

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Spooky season is all about getting your thrills, and for the literary-inclined, there is plenty afoot this month. Notable releases include a novel about police brutality, Barbara Kingsolver's return, 1980s fiction, and a deep dive into the very real specter of artificial intelligence.

‘The AGI Chronicles’ by Kevin Roose

Kevin Roose, a technology columnist at The New York Times, interviewed “over 150 insiders at OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind” for this deep dive into the “race to reach the next frontier” of AI: a “system that can outdo humans at nearly anything,” said the Times. (out now, $29, Macmillan Publishers, Amazon)

‘The Occidental Book of the Dead’ by T. Geronimo Johnson

A cop killing a teenager “sparks an epic disquisition on race in the U.S.” in T. Geronimo Johnson’s forthcoming novel, said Kirkus Reviews. It is a “swing-for-the-fences novel,” both a “gripping procedural” and a “high-literary study of American bigotry.” (out now, $34, Harper Collins Publishers, Amazon)

‘Partita’ by Barbara Kingsolver

Livia’s “staid collegiate career” as a “scholarship piano prodigy” was upended by an affair with a “blue-collar Socialist.” Decades later, “he wants to reconnect,” said The Boston Globe. Kingsolver’s “still got the goods in her assured tenth novel.” (out now, $32, Harper Collins Publishers, Amazon)

‘Peck & Peck’ by Bonnie Garmus

“Peck & Peck” caters to readers who adore literary fiction set in “1980s New York City” that follows “young people with literary ambitions,” said The Skimm. The novel promises to be a “tender, thoughtful and thoroughly entertaining coming-of-adulthood story.” (Oct. 13, $30, Simon & Schuster, Amazon)

The movies are getting serious in October. The Iraq War, the Covid-19 pandemic, the billionaire bubble and a social media audit are among the heady subjects tackled in cinemas this month.

‘Atonement’

Boyd Holbrook stars as Lou D'Alessandro, a Marine who kills several members of an Iraqi family during the U.S. invasion and later tries to connect with Mariam (Hiam Abbass), who survived the attack. Director Reed Van Dyk’s heart-wrenching film “builds to a climactic sequence of stirring nuance and power,” said Owen Gleiberman at Variety. (in theaters now)

‘Love of Your Life’

Director Rachel Morrison’s unapologetic romance stars Margaret Qualley as an ER nurse whose husband, Charlie (Gabriel Basso), dies during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading her to wander numbly before meeting Felix (Aaron Pierre). It’s a “gorgeously shot romantic drama,” said David Ehrlich at IndieWire. (in theaters now)

‘The Social Reckoning’

In director Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to “The Social Network,” Mikey Madison plays a whistleblower, and Jeremy Allen White is the reporter who pens an expose about Facebook’s intentional harms. The “semi-admiring mood of the first film has drifted toward something darker” here, said Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times. (in theaters Oct. 9)

‘Sacrifice’

In this riotous send-up, Anya Taylor-Joy plays Joan, an eco-terrorist whose apocalyptic cult thinks it can avert a global cataclysm by doing away with three people. So the group storms an elite gala in Greece hosted by vapid billionaire Ben Bracken (Vincent Cassel). Director Romain Gavras delivers a “heady odyssey of self-discovery,” said Lyvie Scott at Inverse. (Oct. 16 on Netflix)

Whitney Houston was a cultural icon who sold more than 200 million records.

Yet her achievements “were, and remain, obscured by public interest in her private life: her sexuality, her relationships, her relationship with drugs”, which ultimately contributed to her untimely death in 2012 at the age of just 48, said Liam Kelly in The Telegraph.

This, in part, is what makes her such a “compelling character” for Emily Lordi’s new biography, “Holding Lightning: the Life, Loves and Art of Whitney Houston”.

The version of Houston’s story that has played out time and again in the many books and documentaries produced since her death is of the “wholesome choirgirl” destroyed by her marriage to bad boy singer Bobby Brown in 1992, said The Times’ Victoria Segal. The tale is one of a “sparkling pop princess sliding catastrophically off the rails and into the drug abuse that claimed her health, her voice and, ultimately, her life”.

Refusing to “reduce Houston’s story to another ‘good girl gone bad’ narrative”, Lordi, a critic and professor of English at Vanderbilt University, instead “presents a pluralistic take on her life” in which the singer’s “queerness, drug use and eccentricities are not dismissed as aberrations (as they were in her lifetime) but rather seen in the wider context of her unique talent and the pressures placed on her to embody Black excellence”, said Priya Elan in The Guardian.

Going even further, Lordi “repeatedly and persuasively” makes the case that while she almost never wrote her own material, Houston was an artistic “genius”, said The New York Times culture editor Leah Greenblatt.

While Lordi’s analysis can “tip into academic mode, and she sometimes overreaches in her attempt to make the singer all things to all people”, the book “works eloquently to elevate and re-reframe an icon, and in its best moments also allows her the grace of something she longed for and rarely got to be: life-size”.

Autumn is for drinking a mite more seriously, not in a snobby way but by sipping your well-crafted drink instead of tanking endless low-alcohol beers or cheery rosés. These bars serve admirable cocktails without taking themselves or the drinks too seriously.

Allegory, Washington, DC

Whimsy and political materiality crash into each other at Allegory, where a mural of “Alice in Wonderland” stars the inadvertent child civil rights icon Ruby Bridges. The bar, with its lively cocktails, is “very much about storytelling, and our drinks reflect that,” said beverage director Princess “P.J.” Johnson to Punch magazine.

Holywater, New Orleans

Any time a new bar opens in New Orleans’ French Quarter serving cocktails that are made well and might get you righteously tipsy, an angel gets its wings. Holywater is a bar, yes. But it’s also an oyster house and, thanks to the return of beloved chef Alex Harrell to town, a destination for great eats.

Lonely’s Bar, Minneapolis

How refreshing to see a bar debut that “doesn't exist to serve the algorithm but rather to be a true respite for bargoers looking to meet friends face-to-face,” said Callisto Martinez at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Lonely’s Bar serves solid drinks at admirable prices in an 1890 building.

Mothership, San Diego

Tiki remains a forever fraught concept. Is it still appropriation if a bar like Mothership harnesses the “same tropical escapism but in a different nonearthly way”? said Kory Stetina, the co-owner of this space-inspired bar, to Imbibe. Drink up and discuss.

More and more Parisians have been “reaching for a glass of Chartreuse” in recent years, said Morwenna Ferrier in The Guardian. But the “intensely green” herbal liqueur isn’t always easy to find.

Chartreuse dates back to 1605 when Carthusian monks were “entrusted with the recipe” by Duke François Annibal d’Estrées. Containing 130 ingredients including plants, barks and spices, the original recipe for the so-called “elixir of long life” took the monks “over a century to decipher”. Eventually, they settled on what became the base of today’s Chartreuse – a secret recipe known by just three monks.

It’s always been “pricey” but it got even harder to find when, in 2021, the Carthusian monks “suddenly announced plans to cap production” in order to devote themselves to prayer, sparking a global shortage.

The elusive liqueur is usually found in more “ambitiously stocked” bars. Its popularity has increased since the pandemic, when a “taste for the weirder, top-shelf” alcohols. At Combat, an “edgy-cool” bar on the Rue de Belleville, you’ll find it served cold in a “crystal-cut sipping glass” or mixed with gin, lime and a maraschino cherry in a cocktail, The Last Word.

Les Cave des Papilles, Le Saint Sebastien and Cave Pur Jus are other spots in Paris where you can find the “electric-green liqueur”, said Joel Hart in Bloomberg. Chartreuse drinkers are a “motley crew” – you’ll see them everywhere from luxury hotels to “low-key cave à mangers”.

Beyond the capital, every May the annual Les Fêtes de la Chartreuse takes place in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It’s a “triple celebration”: of the liqueur itself, the “verdant mountain range” after which it is named, and the “area’s natural bounty at the height of spring”, said Matt Ortile in Condé Nast Traveler.

Chartreuse comes in two main expressions: green and yellow. I like the former. “Herbaceous” and “almost overwhelming”, drinking it straight “feels like a meadow grabbing you by the throat, and saying ‘Do you like that?’ (My answer is yes)”. But the yellow version “has its charms too” – it has a lower alcohol content and feels “sweetly cosy, like a good morning kiss from a casual lover”.

Unless they are holding back some last-minute surprises, studios have not timed their best horror releases to coincide directly with Halloween this year. They are instead distributing them over the course of the larger pumpkin, sweater and apple-picking season. Whether you are looking for a zombie apocalypse, ghost story or blood-soaked slasher, you won’t be disappointed.

‘Never After Dark’

Airi (Moeka Hoshi) is a sought-after traveling medium who specializes in releasing tormented spirits so they can move on to the next plane of existence. She is hired by Teiko (Tae Kimura) to clear a ghost from his sleek countryside hotel while her son, Gunji (Kento Kaku), brings a Dana Scully energy as the supernatural skeptic. The spirit is called The Gaping Mouth Man (Mutsuo Yoshioka), and he is more than the icily competent Airi bargained for. Anchored by Hoshi’s “deeply present, engaged performance,” writer-director Dave Boyle’s film “builds atmosphere and tension to a truly insane final act,” said Brian Tallerico at Roger Ebert. (in theaters now)

‘Resident Evil’

Even hardcore fans of the 90s-era Capcom game would admit that most of the “Resident Evil” movies have been pretty mid. Now, with “Weapons” and “Barbarian” director Zach Cregger on board, the franchise has been given new life.

“Resident Evil” follows, often from the first-person vantage point like in the game, disheveled hospital courier Bryan (Austin Abrams) as his late-night organ delivery is waylaid by a viral outbreak that swiftly turns people into tentacled, zombie-like nightmares. Cregger’s “lean, gripping and relentless” film shows “how movies and video games can merge in a way that makes them stronger for sharing their DNA rather than disfiguring them both,” said David Ehrlich at IndieWire. (in theaters now)

‘Verity’

Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson headline director Michael Showalter’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling— and originally self-published — novel. Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a down-on-her-luck ghost writer hired to complete a bestselling thriller series for the novelist Verity Crawford (Hathaway) after she is rendered comatose in an accident. But when Lowen starts digging around, she unearths terrifying secrets about Verity and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). It looks like a “thrilling movie that promises a ton of mystery,” said Anthony Nash at ComingSoon.net. (in theaters now)

‘Other Mommy’

Rob Savage (“Host”) helms this tale of Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) an eight-year-old menaced along with her father (Jay Duplass) by a sinister, shapeshifting doppelganger of her mother (Jessica Chastain) whom she calls “Other Mommy.” Based on a novel by Josh Malerman (“Bird Box”), this nutty-looking movie is almost guaranteed to be the commercial horror hit of the fall by virtue of Chastain’s presence. The film’s theme “explores the limits of family and how fragile the bonds built within it can be if parents don’t guarantee their children a safe and stable homelife,” said Ricardo Serrano Denis at The Beat. (in theaters Oct. 9)

‘The Cycle’

Is the latest film from writer-director Jordan Downey (“The Head Hunter”) a creature feature? Psychological horror? Whatever it is, the trailer will make your skin crawl.

When three bodies are found brutally torn apart in a house, Meg (Deborah Ann Woll) is informed by Ian (Will Hochman), the detective working the case, that one of them is her dad, who has been missing for 36 years. After the discovery of the body, Meg finds herself at the “center of a mystery involving an estranged father, a horrifying crime scene and secrets that apparently refused to stay buried,” said Hannah Hunt at Collider. (Oct. 23 on Shudder)

‘Victorian Psycho’

The best way to describe “Victorian Psycho” might be “Saltburn” meets “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Maika Monroe plays Winifred Notty, an unrepentant sociopath who takes a job as a governess for the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Pounds (Jason Isaacs and Ruth Wilson) at their secluded manor and swiftly begins butchering the staff.

Monroe, known for her quietly understated performances in horror classics like “It Follows” and “Watcher,” really lets loose here. A movie that refuses to “take itself or its form too seriously,” it delivers a “nasty, happy little surprise with grotesque kills and a staunch refusal to pull back on the promises of its title,” said Josh Korngut at Dread Central. (in theaters Nov. 13)

“It is smelly, slimy and contains bacteria”, said Justin McCurry in The Guardian. But after centuries of being eaten for breakfast by Japanese people with “nerves of steel”, natto is popping up in health shops around the world as a superfood to “rival kimchi, kombucha and kefir”.

Made of fermented soya beans, sometimes chopped “hikiwari-style”, which are “held together by strands of mucus”, natto is packed and frozen to retain its nutritional value. The beans – which smell like “particularly ripe stilton cheese” – are extremely versatile: they can be eaten alone or topped with “mustard, shredded onion, wasabi and a splash of dashi”.

Many Japanese people wouldn’t touch natto with “barge-pole-length chopsticks”, and those in the west and south often remain “sceptical”. It’s more popular in the country’s eastern and northern regions where it is used to bulk out soups during the “long, bitterly cold winters”.

Natto is certainly “polarising”, said Erika Hobart on BBC Travel. Some people think it “tastes revolting”, but push through because of the benefits. The Japanese have long believed that consumption of the ancient dish is linked to “improved blood flow and reduced risk of stroke”. It’s packed with protein, fibre and vitamin K which is vital for bone and heart health.

According to a long-term study published in the British Medical Journal in 2020, researchers at Japan’s National Cancer Center found that men and women who ate fermented foods like natto every day “reduced their risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack by 10%”.

Now, the “highly nutritious gooey” beans are beginning to gain popularity outside Japan, said Tomohiro Osaki in the Taipei Times. Recent trade statistics from the country’s finance ministry show exports tripled to 5,248 tonnes between 2017 and 2025. China is the biggest consumer, followed by the US, Thailand and Hong Kong. This may be in part because the pandemic has spurred people on to find ways to strengthen their immune systems and improve their gut health.

If the texture puts you off, try whisking it into “submission”, by using chopsticks in “repeated circular motions”, said McCurry in The Guardian. “Natto novices” can try mixing the beans with chilli oil to make them more palatable, or even using them “as a topping for fish and chips”.

A vast “concrete jungle” with “notoriously awful” traffic, the Brazilian city of São Paulo does not attract many foreign tourists, said Tomé Morrissy-Swan in The Telegraph. They tend to opt instead for the “glamour and natural beauty” of Rio, or the “vivaciousness” of Salvador – and yet to skip it is to miss a “gem”.

Fifty miles across and home to some 21 million people, the urban area it dominates is the biggest in South America. Exploring it can be “tiring”, and the weather is often “grey and drizzly, even cold (by Brazilian standards)”. But the riches it harbours – artistic, architectural, musical, culinary – are “endless”, and many of its most tourist-friendly areas (such as “bohemian” Vila Madalena and “upmarket” Jardins) are walkable, and “relatively safe”.

In the mid-19th century, São Paulo was a “provincial backwater”, home to just 30,000 people. From the 1870s, however, a coffee-fuelled economic boom attracted huge numbers of immigrants, and the city soon overtook Rio as Brazil’s leading industrial and, later, financial centre.

Today, it is an art lover’s “paradise”, with hundreds of museums and galleries, such as the Pinacoteca (great for Brazilian art) and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), an extraordinary modernist building on “giant” red stilts. Fans of modernist architecture will find much else to enjoy, too – not least in Ibirapuera Park, with its striking array of mid-century buildings by Oscar Niemeyer, including the pavilion that now houses the superb Museu Afro Brasil.

São Paulo is also a great city of music. For traditional samba, try late-night spots in Pinheiros (Ó do Borogodó, Julinho Clube); less “raucous” are Bona Casa de Música and the “stunning” Casa de Francisca.

The food is terrific here too. Thanks to its waves of immigration, there are lots of excellent Japanese, Italian and Middle Eastern restaurants, but there are also plenty of wonderful Brazilian places. Two of these – Tuju and Evvai – recently became the first restaurants in Latin America to win three Michelin stars.

Fall is when some of the country’s flashiest food publications name the year’s best new chefs and restaurants. Get in on the remarkable cooking happening at these standout spots.

Broken Spanish Comedor, Los Angeles

In the most welcome of homecomings, Ray Garcia, the chef of the cherished, shuttered Broken Spanish, is back with Broken Spanish Comedor. This “iteration feels more self-assured,” said Bon Appétit when it named the restaurant one of the Best New Restaurants for 2026. Garcia’s cooking in this latest phase is “punchy, bold and assertively spicy.” Angelenos and knowing visitors are thrilled he’s back.

Honeysuckle, Philadelphia

Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, the chef-owners of Honeysuckle, are “professional storytellers,” said Bon Appétit. Their background in visual arts and children’s books, respectively, is put to delicious use as the pair trumpets foods of the African diaspora in a “stylish living room” that feels like you are in the “midst of a great party.” The restaurant’s Money Burger says it all: two beef patties on Japanese milk bread napped with spunky cheddar and caviar remoulade.

John’s Food and Wine, Chicago

The wide-ranging menu, swerving from grilled cabbage salad with kimchi and candied sunflower seeds to branzino with cucumber and dill, is faultless. Yet the star of John’s Food and Wine, perhaps, is the business model, which “prioritizes paying every staff member a competitive wage and incentivizing them to stay and grow their career at the restaurant,” said Food & Wine magazine when it awarded the spot Restaurant of the Year last month.

The Paper Bridge, Portland, Oregon

You know your pho, so you may think you know the scope of Vietnamese food. The way pho is most often served in the U.S. is southern Viet-style, but that’s only one way to do it. The Paper Bridge, an homage to the cuisine of the country’s north, would like to take you on a palate-expanding journey. Nearly all rice noodles served at Viet restaurants in the States are dried, but the Paper Bridge has “perfected its fresh rice noodles,” said Food & Wine. And those specimens are everywhere on the revelatory menu.

Following sold-out runs in New York and Los Angeles, “Table 17” – Douglas Lyons’ “heartfelt” and “hilarious” one-act play about a pair of ex-lovers reuniting for what might be a date – has arrived in the UK, said Isobel Lewis in Time Out.

Zipping back and forth in time to show us moments from the couple’s past relationship, this breezy piece constantly wrong foots the audience, flipping from “laugh-out-loud hilarity to genuine tragedy in minutes, changing costumes and switching timelines at equal pace”.

Directed by Tony-winner Zhailon Levingston, the production is a “stylish and exhilarating theatrical experience” that is driven by “powerful, emotive” performances. It also has a deft, confident humour that makes the play’s “emotional rug pulls all the more devastating”.

“As psychological enquiry, Lyons’ writing doesn’t cut particularly deep,” said Matt Wolf on London Theatre: his play sits on the “featherweight” end of the dramatic scale. What makes it work – here as in New York – is a top-flight cast “charging through the text’s cheesier moments”, and “roping the audience in from the start as ready participants in the fun”.

Musical theatre star Marisha Wallace turns in a typically “magnetic” performance as flight attendant Jada, said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian. Jamael Westman (London’s first Alexander Hamilton) makes her ex properly rounded by “sensitively balancing his ridiculousness with his depth of emotional injury”. And Michael Rishawn almost steals the show with his delicious comic turn as the restaurant host, as well as other ancillary characters.

For me the “real magic” lies in the way the Kiln Theatre’s small space has been transformed by Amy Jane Cook’s sleek, nightclub-meets-cabaret design, said Hang Yuen on What’s on Stage. A luminous tiled platform, a curved ribbed booth, and tiny amber table lamps put the audience inside an intimate late-night lounge, with a striking geometric ceiling, and excellent coloured lighting, completing the effect.

This is not a deep play, that is true, but it’s inventive and entertaining and also powerfully theatrical.

Kiln Theatre, London NW6. Until 24 October.

“Sometimes it feels as if all human life is contained in this deeply moving documentary from the veteran American filmmaker Ross McElwee,” said Kevin Maher in The Times. “Grief and loss, marriage and family, work, success, failure and fame are all embraced.”

McElwee started making the film in 2008 as a light-hearted personal piece about an attempt by Hollywood producers to turn his 1986 indie documentary “Sherman’s March” into a drama series for streaming.

That project stalled but, following the death of his 27-year-old son Adrian from a fentanyl overdose in 2016, he went back to the footage he had shot for it – and created this documentary. It also makes use of home-movie clips, previous documentaries that Adrian had appeared in, and Adrian’s own work as an aspiring filmmaker.

“Remake” serves as a eulogy for Adrian, but McElwee also asks whether, in constantly filming his son instead of interacting with him directly, he let him down as a parent.

This is “one of the most outstanding films of this year”, said Jonathan Romney in the Financial Times, and easily the “most unapologetically personal”. And while it seeks to celebrate Adrian’s life, it is desperately sad.

“Every shot of Adrian – a cute, chatty little kid, fishing off a pier, pretending to run a restaurant, and slowly getting older and bigger – becomes painfully charged,” said Leslie Felperin in The Guardian.

“It’s not just that the little kid is gone”; Adrian himself is gone. “Remake” slowly reveals what led to Adrian’s death. The result is a “profoundly moving work”, about parenting and about art, which “lingers in the mind long after the tears have dried”.

Chichester Festival Theatre has put an “ingenious spin” on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by transporting the action to John Major’s Britain, said Fiona Mountford in The Telegraph.

It’s the summer of 1994 and the “frolics in the Athenian forest” have been transformed into an illegal rave on the South Downs. As the Conservative government of the time “struggles to reassert the supremacy of law and order” by introducing legislation to criminalise raves, the countryside is turned into a “place of freedom and self-expression away from the constraints of city life”.

In this riotously fun production, Theseus (Tom Kanji) – now “Theseus Howard, Member of Parliament for Chichester” – is preparing to marry Hippolyta (Celeste Dodwell). The “tangled quartet of young lovers” has also been updated: Hermia (Angela Sant’Albano) chooses to run away with a “gender-switched” Lysanda (Ellie Larkin) so she can escape the clutches of Demetrius (Kieran Taylor-Ford), who in turn is the source of the “unrequited affections” of Helena (Freya Parks). But the South Downs are being used to host an “all-night rave” filled with “mind-altering substances”.

The term “love juice” appears twice in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, which Justin Audibert and Hannah Joss have used as “textual justification” for staging their “lovingly juiced up” play around a “narcotic, orgiastic woodland party”, said Mark Lawson in The Guardian. Comedian Munya Chawawa makes his theatrical debut as a “bewitchingly played” Nick Bottom. His physically energetic performance filled with “slapstick gymnastics” paused the show with “earned applause”.

Neon lights and “post-psychedelic imagery” provide the bright, funky rave-inspired backdrop, said Neil Norman in The Stage, and the sets are cleverly put together. This is a “punchy, techno delight to revel in for two and a half hours”, said Theatre and Tonic, with stand-out performances, choreography and costume design. “You would be an absolute fool to miss it.”

Leaves are falling, and comedy clubs are calling. This autumn, there are plenty of comedians rounding the country, all primed to provide you with boundless laughs.

Lavell Crawford

While Lavell Crawford is known for his guest roles on television, it’s his unique brand of stand-up that has endeared him to fans. Now the funny man is back on the road at several comedy festivals for an ongoing tour.

Those who can’t see him live can still get a laugh from his 2024 stand-up special, in which Crawford “contemplates how ‘My 600 Pound Life’ could go for 15 seasons and he’s still underweight, the kind of racist you have to be to not take a free holiday and explosive consequences in a Taco Bell bathroom,” said Deadline. (through October)

Whitney Cummings

Whitney Cummings’ comedy is certainly not intended for young children, but you can catch her live on her ongoing “Big Baby” tour regardless. The tour lets people take in Cummings’ lively stories with her “signature sharp wit and fearless perspective on navigating the world as a single mom,” said the tour’s official press release.

Her material on the current tour “dives into the chaos of personal growth, the comedy of owning your mistakes and laugh-out-loud reflections on raising a son. Her stand-up continues to blend personal anecdotes with incisive cultural commentary,” said the release. (through January 2027)

Joe Dombrowski

Joe Dombrowski first rose to prominence in 2017 and since then has been entertaining audiences across the United States with his stand-up routines. Now he is out on yet another stand-up tour featuring his signature comedic style.

While Dombrowski first endeared himself to audiences with “comedy rooted in his life as an elementary school teacher,” he and his husband have since become parents. Dombrowski now “delivers big laughs while sneaking in something deeper: a perspective shaped in real time, somewhere between the classroom and the nursery,” said Pride Source. (through December)

Earthquake

His real name is Nathaniel Stroman, but it is fitting that the man with the stage name Earthquake can deliver Richter scale-level laughs. The performer who got his start in local Atlanta comedy clubs is currently crisscrossing the United States on tour.

But while many comedians go on to have wildly lucrative careers, that doesn’t seem to be Earthquake’s priority — making people laugh is. While others “may want an extravagant lifestyle,” he is “perfectly comfortable with something reliable that gets him where he needs to go,” the comedian told the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. (through January 2027)

Fortune Feimster

Since her debut on “Last Comic Standing” in 2010, Fortune Feimster has become one of the most popular stand-up comics in the country, and her “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” tour is on the road now. Feimster’s comedy comes from a variety of sources. “I was a huge Carol Burnett fan. My grandmother watched reruns of her show all the time,” Feimster told The Guardian.

And she is no slouch, as Feimster’s “tours are long and demanding, typically lasting about two years with roughly 150 shows in 100 cities,” said Lavender magazine. The comic casts a wide net for fans. (through November)

Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin has been traversing the country as a stand-up for more than 30 years, and her controversial brand of comedy has made her one of the most famous comics in the U.S. If you want to catch her live, there’s good news, as Griffin is currently touring in numerous cities.

Her routine has continued even after a widely criticized joke about President Donald Trump in 2017 largely ostracized Griffin from the industry. “It’s time that all public people with a platform grow some balls because I had to in 2017,” Griffin told Salon. (through March 2027)

D.L. Hughley and Don Lemon

Combining comedian D.L. Hughley with political commentator Don Lemon may seem like a strange combination, but the pair have teamed up to deliver a raunchy, politically charged comedy tour. That show, “Anything Goes,” is making its way across the country now.

“We’ve found that a trained career newsperson and a comedian-who-is-also-a-thought-leader is a great combination,” Lemon said to Boston.com. The show brings “laughter, maybe some tears, maybe some joy, maybe a little angst about where we are as a country,” and audiences “never know what you’re going to get with us.” (through December)

Paula Poundstone

After getting her start in HBO comedy specials during the 1980s, Paula Poundstone has been making audiences laugh for decades with her unique trademark of conversational comedy. Her ongoing tour gives fans a chance to catch up with the iconic — and sometimes controversial — performer and “Tonight Show” alumna, who was also the first woman to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Her current tour is “largely autobiographical, talking about taking care of multiple animals, travel and growing up in Massachusetts,” said the Pittsburgh City Paper. (through April 2027)

Fall is when a new batch of shows take to the road. This year, you can live forever, see the future, island hop to Cuba or rewrite the 19th American century through guffaws. It’s going to be a good theatrical autumn.

‘Buena Vista Social Club’

A tale of four intertwined lives as much as it is a partial story of Cuban history from the 1950s through the 1990s, “Buena Vista Social Club” sings, strums and sways. The “interconnections between musicians, songs and a society have rarely been evoked as vividly, and as lovingly,” said The New York Times. The talent present is staggering: actors, singers and musicians, of course — many times all at once. But dancers take the stage too because when Cubans play music, there will assuredly be dancing. (through Sept. 12, 2027)

‘Death Becomes Her’

Yes, this musical adaptation is based on the 1992 movie. No, it aims not to mimic that cult classic, other than with a whole lot of how’d-they-do-it stage magic. This “Death Becomes Her” is a self-aware beast, mocking both itself and our culture’s obsession with staying forever young. You are guaranteed big production numbers and side-splitting comedy. (through Sept. 5, 2027)

‘Maybe Happy Ending’

“Maybe Happy Ending,” equal parts technical marvel and emotional heart-render, is a touch difficult to explain. It goes something like this: soon-to-be obsolete humanoid robot model of the future meets a newer humanoid robot model and the two embark on a transformative road trip. The musical is intimate, delicate, futuristic and profound. (through Aug. 29, 2027)

‘Oh, Mary!’

There are surprise hits, and then there is “Oh, Mary!.” The frazzled, smutty and extremely queer brainchild of Cole Escola began its life far from Broadway in 2024 and was an instant, titanic hit with in-the-know culture fiends. It moved to Broadway a few months later — and has been running since. A newly launched tour brings the very historically inaccurate tale of an alcoholic, wannabe cabaret-singer Mary Todd Lincoln to the nation’s theaters. Bring tissues for the guaranteed tears of laughter; do not, however, bring your children. (through May 16, 2027)

Forget “muddy trenches”, said Belen Edwards on Mashable. In Sky’s new legal drama, “War”, battles are fought in “elegant wood-panelled rooms or glassy offices perched high above London’s streets”.

But the “polished” setting doesn’t mean the fighting is clean – far from it. The lawyers at the rival firms locking horns in this high-profile divorce case are “itching to get absolutely filthy”.

The combative couple at the centre of the series are film star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). In the first of many “underhanded” chess moves, Carla enlists her friend to “honeytrap” her husband so she can kick-start divorce proceedings. It’s a “tantalisingly bitter amuse-bouche for all the delicious drama to come”.

Miller and West are “perfectly cast” in this “tasty divorce drama”, said Anita Singh in The Telegraph. Writer George Kay provides a “snappy script” that charts the couple’s descent into “rancour” and a “battle over Morgan’s fortune”. Carla’s team is led by a “plucky husband-and-wife team” played by James McArdle and Phoebe Fox, while Morgan opts for the “Machiavellian” St John Smallwood (“a classy Pip Torrens”).

Add to the mix a supporting cast that includes Celia Imrie, Nick Mohammed and “actor-of-the-moment” Aran Murphy (the “lookalike son” of Cillian), and the show has “a lot going for it”. But after the first “irresistible” episode, you do start longing for “fewer backroom legal meetings” and more scenes with the warring couple.

And while the “scheming” and betrayal can be “thrilling”, said Judy Berman in Time magazine, despite the persuasive acting, some of the characters feel “underdeveloped”. Kay invokes “big, timely issues” from “extreme wealth” to the dark side of social media “without finding much to say about them”.

Mostly, though, “War” is a “triumph”, said Gareth McLean in Radio Times. “Glossy, smart, very high-end and thoroughly entertaining”, it’s the kind of show that makes you “want to be a lawyer when you grow up – even if the way they operate is pretty appalling”.

My idea of Sweden was based entirely on Scandi-noir dramas, all bleak landscapes, depressed people and woolly jumpers. Driving from the airport in early December the grey skies and vast landscape of fallow fields and red farm buildings confirmed that impression, especially as the sun started to set at around 4pm. But alongside those dark skies and empty spaces there was already a feeling of calm as we whizzed along in our rental car, which was of course a Volvo.

At almost twice the size of the UK but with a population density 90% lower, Sweden is a land of open landscapes and wild coastline. We were touring a small part of West Sweden made up of three provinces: Bohuslän, Dalsland, Västergötland. Lakes, mountains, forests and the endless islands are all within a few hours of Gothenburg so even without a car everything is accessible using the excellent trains, buses and ferries.

A charming seaside village

We started in Lyckorna, a historic seaside resort founded in 1877 by Robert MacFie, the son of William Andrew MacFie (credited with introducing curling to Sweden in 1846) who established a spa and bathing resort on this forested ridge. Now a charming village, with its traditional church with prominent spire overlooking the town and the old clock tower converted into a wonderful mussel and fish restaurant.

We arrived in time for Lucia Day, an annual Christian festival celebrated throughout Sweden and as iconic as the midsummer crayfish parties. There was a procession to the church of white clad handmaidens (tärnor), star boys (stjärngossar) and gingerbread men (pepparkaksgubbar) with candle wreaths on the maidens’ heads – now battery powered rather than actual flames.

We were staying just up the hill at Villa Sjötorp, a classic summer house completed in 1901 by Carl Emil Haeger. The white clapboard exterior topped with typical Norse dragon heads was taken back into the family in 1995 by Haeger’s great great granddaughter Ellika Modenfelt, who painstakingly restored it to its former glory with the help of local craftsmen. The minute we entered we were greeted by glorious colour, festive winter decorations and happy people. Our bedroom overlooked the sea with a large ceramic-tiled chimney and a classic cast-iron bed. Here we found the genius Swedish invention of single duvets on the double bed. At first we were bemused by it but as we snuggled under our individual goose feather duvets we had a blissful night’s sleep without having to fight for the covers.

The living areas featured elegant rooms with gilded wooden carved ceilings, a welcome fireplace and a popular restaurant serving delicious food from local sustainable and organic producers. As we were there in December we got to experience a traditional Julbord, a magnificent spread with a heavy focus on pickled herring. Ellika talked us through how to approach a frankly intimidating volume of food starting with 10 varieties of pickled herring served alongside wholemeal crackers and dark bread, washed down with brännvin, the Swedish schnapps which comes with its own song. Next up was a variety of fish and salads before we moved onto the cured meats and, finally, the hot food including baked ham, meatballs, sausages and a potato and salt-fish casserole. We finished off with more cheese and bread, and a selection of sweets and desserts. The highlight was the herring of which the Swedish are rightly proud, and obsessed with. You can eat it fresh and it’s delicious simply grilled.

It was hard to crawl out of our comfy bed early but we were booked to go kayaking along the coast. Our lovely hosts had prepared a breakfast of breads, fruit, coffee and boiled eggs with tubes of Kalles Kaviar Original, a smoked cod’s roe paste that’s almost as much of a national obsession as the herring.

Ancient oyster beds and rocky islands

Perhaps the best way to experience West Sweden is on the water. Ingela and Marcus run Skärgårdsidyllen Kayak & Outdoor activities in the magnificent archipelago of Grönemad, Grebbestad. It had been many decades since I’d been kayaking so Ingela kindly offered to go in a tandem kayak with me as, despite the comprehensive safety instruction and dry suit, I didn’t fancy falling into the North Sea in winter. Under grey and sleeting skies we paddled out onto the water where we passed ancient oyster beds and rocky islands with traditional fisherman’s huts. Eider ducks and black guillemots kept us company as Marcus and Ingela talked about the history of the area including pointing out their house overlooking the sea. They also run guided kayaking tours in the national marine park of Kosterhavet, hiking, paddle boarding and yoga, fishing and food tours throughout the year. You couldn’t wish for better guides and their glowing good health is testament to the benefits of outdoor life.

If you have time it’s well worth exploring Grebbestad, a popular seaside town with excellent seafood options, but we had a boat to catch. About nine miles off the coast of Bohuslän you can find Väderöarnas Värdshus, an inn with 22 rooms. This rugged island has cliff paths leading to the old pilot lookout, and sheltered coves. Set within the Väderöarna marine nature reserve, in season you can fish for lobster and crayfish but in December the best thing to do was have a wood-fired sauna and hot tub, complete with cold plunges into the dark winter sea.

But the highlight was the warm, friendly people who are proud of their country. They were keen to explain the best ways to enjoy the visit, from the choice of drinks to have in the hot tub, to sauna etiquette and braving that night-time dip. The sea didn’t exactly look inviting but cheered on by the Swedes I made like the locals and took the plunge, although – full disclosure – it was teeth-achingly cold so I stayed in for just enough time to defend national pride before jumping back into the hot tub. At dinner our enthusiasm for herring shocked them as they were sure all English people hated them. When we assured them we thought they were delicious it sparked a discussion from all the guests over the best places to eat Julbord. No one could agree where that was but when I asked what made a great Julbord the geneßral consensus was the more herring the better. As we sat outside wrapped against the cold and stared up at the star-filled sky, only the gentle lapping of the sea and the happy sound of the drinking songs disturbed the silence of the wilderness. Those Scandi dramas might have depicted the landscape, but they failed to prepare us for the warmth of the people.

Natasha was a guest of Visit West Sweden; westsweden.com

To create the illusion of “movie magic”, cinema has always relied on “smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand”, said Evelyn Richards in National Geographic. With the help of cutting-edge technology and behind-the-scenes brilliance, “monsters tower over cities, broomsticks take flight and hand-drawn sketches become fantastical worlds”. The film industry spans all continents, which means there are many fascinating museums where you can learn all about what it takes to “make the impossible look real”. Here are some of the best.

Lumière Museum, Lyon, France

If you want to understand cinema, it “helps to visit where it all began”, said Richards in National Geographic. The Lumière family’s photographic plate factory is aptly located on the Rue du Premier-Film. This was the setting for “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory”, filmed in 1895 by Louis Lumière, and “considered one of the world’s first real motion pictures”. In the “ornate art nouveau” Lumière family home, you can look at early cameras, objects and archive material that chart the moving-picture experiments the Lumière brothers conducted. And the “Hangar du Premier-Film, where that pioneering footage was filmed, fittingly houses a cinema today”.
institut-lumiere.org

Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin, Italy

The “vertical museum” in northern Italy “takes visitors on an elevator ride through cinema history”, said Chonx Tibajia in Tatler Asia. It is housed in the “striking” Mole Antonelliana, once the tallest masonry building in Europe. One of the museum’s main draws is its variety: “expect vintage cameras, interactive installations and rare stills, from Italian neorealism to spaghetti westerns”. And, once you’ve climbed 500ft to the top, you can sit back and enjoy an extraordinary, panoramic view – a “real-life establishing shot of the city”.
museocinema.it

Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, US

This new museum, created by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas, gets “five out of five (death) stars from me”, said Kinvara Balfour in The Telegraph. Its “sleek and spaceship-like” design is “comfortable and spacious” both outside and in: “rather like an Apple headquarters on Mars, with a big garden and some Yoda statues on plinths”. There are more than 40,000 exhibits, including a digital Sistine Chapel, silent films, archive material and, of course, plenty of Star Wars and Indiana Jones costumes, props and vehicles. You can also venture beyond film to see art from Banksy, Norman Rockwell and Diego Rivera. It’s a “once-in-a-century kind of a public offering”.
lucasmuseum.org

Sound of Music Museum, Salzburg, Austria

For fans of the cult 1965 film who wish to “start at the very beginning”, this new Austrian museum “could be a very good place to start”, said Joshua Thurston in The Times. The exhibitions celebrate both the singalong classic and the story of the real-life Von Trapp family, who fled the Nazis in 1938. In the 17th-century Hellbrunn Palace, “where many scenes from the film were shot”, you can see “nearly 450 objects, including props, costumes and recordings of the music”. The highlight is a replica of the pavilion used as a backdrop when Liesl von Trapp and her suitor Rolf Gruber sing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”.
salzburg.info

Ghibli Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Even if you haven’t seen “My Neighbour Totoro” or “Spirited Away”, a tour of this museum dedicated to Studio Ghibli’s work will leave you “mesmerised”, said Gregory Wakeman in Smithsonian Magazine. It’s a “children’s, technology and fine arts museum all rolled into one”, and a love letter to animation. The space is designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the studio’s co-founder, so that both adults and kids “can aimlessly walk around and get lost”. The architecture is “gorgeous”, with bridges, balconies, buildings and a rooftop garden. Superfans can also take a trip to Ghibli Park, four hours south of Tokyo, which “brings to life” many of the settings of Ghibli movies, including Mononoke Village from “Princess Mononoke” (1997) and Howl’s Castle from “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004).
ghibli-museum.jp

A cow’s urgent mooooo pierced the stillness of the Irish countryside – and my daydream. I was standing in a field at Rigney’s Farm in County Limerick, imagining what it would be like to say goodbye to the city and move thousands of miles to start a new, simpler life on the other side of the Atlantic.

I wasn’t alone. This late morning visit to the farm was a stop on Abercrombie & Kent’s small group journey Ireland: Legends of the Emerald Island, and I was accompanied by eight other travellers and our expert guide, Barbara Hunter. We were almost at the end of our adventure, having started in Dublin, and my affection for the country only deepened as we made our way through lush green landscapes, explored tiny villages – and their pubs – and met traditional Irish musicians and storytellers who perfected the art of good craic (fun times and friendly conversation).

Exploring Ireland, one village at a time

This was my first visit to Ireland, and the nine-day itinerary was a flawless introduction to all things Éire. There were the sights and pursuits listed in the tour books –taking in the rugged coastline during a drive on the Ring of Kerry, standing on the windswept Cliffs of Moher, riding a horse-drawn jaunting car through Killarney National Park, viewing the ancient Book of Kells – along with activities in small villages that connected you with locals.

Those were the experiences I’ll never forget. Our first stop outside Dublin was at Malzard’s Pub in Stoneyford, County Kilkenny. Fifth-generation owner Fred Malzard greeted us with a smile and offer of any drink we’d like, and within minutes I was in a booth sipping a Rockshore cider, listening to a traditional Gaelic storyteller, or seanchaí, spin a yarn. He was accompanied by a nattily dressed musician who before long had us singing folk songs at the top of our lungs.

After a bowl of delicious lamb stew, we headed outside for a quick hurling lesson. Hurling is one of Ireland’s national sports, and involves moving a ball down the field, either by hitting it or carrying it for up to four steps. Fred showed us how to smack the ball with the hurley stick, and, spoiler alert: I don’t have a future in the game. I did walk away with a souvenir ball and newfound appreciation for the sport.

Our trek around the southern part of Ireland, then up to Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, took us through tiny towns, and I loved seeing the countryside and its ancient stone ruins and castles unfold before me. It was in those villages that we were able to enjoy homemade sausage pies and learn how to hand-churn butter at Rigney’s Farm, take a ferry to Whiddy Island for lunch and storytelling with a longtime resident, and learn about sustainable oyster farming at Kelly Oysters in County Galway. We gathered on a pier above the Atlantic, where Michael Kelly shucked us oyster after oyster, each one deliciously plump with the right amount of saltiness. Adding a splash of gin and squeeze of lemon only enhanced the flavour.

Having the opportunity to chat with locals about everything and anything – their work, their culture, their unfiltered thoughts on the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – made these stops feel more like social calls than planned excursions. Abercrombie & Kent crafted the itinerary to include several of these special, one-of-a-kind opportunities, which let us experience a side of Ireland most visitors don’t get to see.

A taste of Irish hospitality

Hospitality is ingrained in Irish culture, and we received a warm welcome and top-notch service at the four hotels we stayed at. In Dublin, we checked into the contemporary Anantara The Marker, in the Docklands, which had one of the best breakfast buffets I’ve seen; the local meat and cheeses were fantastic. In County Cork, we stayed at Castlemartyr Resort, a historic property with elegant rooms that looked out at the countryside and Castlemartyr Golf Course.

We ate a lovely dinner here one night in the modern Canopy Restaurant, and the next evening set off for an unforgettable meal at the famed Ballymaloe House. The vegetables, grown just steps away, were exquisite, and we all got excited when the dessert trolley rolled in. Everything was prepared in-house, based on the ingredients in season, and we indulged in fresh sorbet served in an ice bowl, chocolate torte, an incredible fruity meringue and Mrs Allen’s Carrageen moss pudding.

Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare looked like it was straight out of a movie. A rushing river cuts through the property, and while I usually enjoy settling into hotel rooms, I couldn’t stay inside. I spent as much time outside as possible, walking along the pathways, snapping photos of blooming geraniums and enjoying a drink on the bar’s stone patio.

Our final hotel was Dromoland Castle, and our arrival was as dramatic as the landscape itself. We were greeted at the gate by three galloping horses and over a dozen hounds, who gracefully led us to the castle, where we were met by the delightful staff. It felt like a scene from “Downton Abbey”. I could have spent a week here exploring every nook and cranny of the castle and its 450 acres. The little touches also stood out; turndown service included a gift each night with different Dr. Barbara Sturm skin products, a welcome sight after a long day.

A journey to remember

On our first night, our guide Barbara told us the trip would go by in a flash, and she was right. It felt as if one minute we were stepping onto the bus for the first time, headed to Trinity College and St Patrick’s Cathedral, and the next it was time to say goodbye after our final dinner at Dromoland Castle.

Sharp as a tack with wit to match, Barbara was a wonderful guide, answering every question with aplomb. She brought along items like Irish linen to show us examples of traditional wares, and a map to point out where we were and where we were headed next. Our intrepid driver, Dermot, ferried us safely from stop to stop, and we all had room to spread out on the large, comfortable coach.

As a solo traveller, I was slightly apprehensive before arrival, but my fears disappeared the minute we all met and introduced ourselves. My fellow travellers’ enthusiasm for travelling and trying new things inspired me to do the same, and I enjoyed their company. I was on the trip by myself, but was never alone.

Abercrombie & Kent arranged a journey that was smooth from start to finish, and I appreciated all of the small details that made a huge difference, such as having laundry done at the halfway point (not having to pack a ton of clothes meant more room for souvenirs). I didn’t have to worry about a thing; all of my focus was on taking in the sights and enjoying the ride.

I left Ireland knowing I would be back. The Emerald Isle is a special place, and now that I’ve had a taste of the gorgeous scenery and rich history, I need to dive deeper – there’s more dramatic coastline to explore, villages to traverse, traditions to witness and craic to be had.

Catherine Garcia was a guest of Abercrombie & Kent

With summer at its end, many people are thrilled with the arrival of cooler weather, warm-beverage season and changing leaves. But you can also ring in the onset of fall with a collection of new albums from big-name artists.

Mykki Blanco, ‘CAFE PARADISO’

Mykki Blanco is a singular individual in the music space, a rapper who rose from humble beginnings to collaborate with some of the industry’s biggest names. Now, he has released his fourth studio album, “CAFE PARADISO,” marking his first LP in four years.

Unlike his prior albums, “CAFE PARADISO” follows Blanco as he “emerges completely reborn, trading the persona-driven theatrics of previous releases for something more interior, sensual and exacting,” said Transgressive Records. The LP also pulls large amounts of symbolism from Blanco’s life on the road, having lived in New York City, Portugal, Chicago, Switzerland and more. (out now)

Leon Bridges, ‘Happiness Anytime’

Leon Bridges has become one of the most influential names in the soul and R&B genres. Coming off his successful country-inspired 2024 album “Leon,” Bridges is releasing his fifth LP, “Happiness Anytime.”

The album combines the “sonic warmth of his beloved 2015 debut ‘Coming Home’ with the adventurous groove of his Khruangbin collaborations,” said DIY Magazine. There is a “feeling that we have to fix the problems of the world; you feel inadequate or it can be debilitating. My role is to be light,” Bridges said in a release of the new music. (out now)

Orville Peck, ‘Mule’

Orville Peck’s popular country music, as well as his proclivity for not showing his face, make him another singular musician. Now the South Africa-born artist is back with his fourth studio album, “Mule,” his third LP in just six years.

The record is a “chronological account of the year I lost my way,” Peck said on Instagram. It represents a “candid account of his journey through addiction and sobriety and how he rebuilt his life,” said Music Row, describing the “divide between the larger-than-life persona of Orville Peck and the man behind the mask.” (out now)

Space Afrika, ‘Quiet Storm’

Electronic duo Space Afrika released their debut album in 2014, and since then have been steadily rising in the techno music space. Their fourth LP, “Quiet Storm,” expands on its “predecessor’s sound and scale in every direction as a sprawling, collaborative vision shaped with profound patience and intention,” said label Dais Records. The album’s songs “allude to spirituality and the human condition, the tension between boldness and softness, ambition and the inner demons that persist.” Numerous big names in the techno genre also contribute. (out now)

Pabllo Vittar, ‘Lost in Lust’

Pabllo Vittar leveraged a successful career as a drag queen to launch a musical platform, becoming an icon among Brazil’s LGBTQ+ community. Now the singer is back with her seventh LP, “Lost in Lust,” which will mark Vittar’s fifth studio album in just six years.

One notable song from the album, “Rockstar,” features Villano Antillano, who “made history as the first openly transgender and nonbinary artist to enter Spotify’s Global Top 50,” said The Line of Best Fit. The LP itself “pulls from pop, dance and electronic music while keeping Brazilian influences.” The single “Rockstar” is out now. (Oct. 1)

Greta Van Fleet, ‘Palace for the People’

Greta Van Fleet has been entertaining audiences for over a decade since its founding in Michigan, and the rock band’s forthcoming fifth studio album, “Palace for the People,” looks to continue a string of successes. The album sees the band “continue to explore themes of humanity, connection, resilience and transcendence — building a body of work that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant,” said Blabbermouth.

The LP itself was heavily inspired by the band’s 2022 world tour. A single from the album, “Saw You Stand,” is out now. (Oct. 9)

Geologist, ‘The Sirens’ 

Now you can dig in with Geologist, as the musician’s next outing, his fourth LP, “The Sirens,” is soon hitting the market. The Baltimore-born artist, who is also a member of the experimental pop band Animal Collective, “harnessed the power of the moon to record music,” said Pitchfork.

Geologist, working with visual artist Kyle Simon, accomplished this by fitting a telescope with optical lenses. When the telescope is pointed at the night sky, light from lunar objects is then “converted into an electrical signal via an analog amplifier.” The album’s first single is available now. (Oct. 16)

Anderson .Paak and Cordae, ‘Heavy is the Crown’

Anderson .Paak and Cordae are two of music’s most innovative artists, and fans of rap can rejoice at “Heavy is the Crown,” the pair’s first combined LP. The two rappers “go way back,” having “first linked on ‘RNP’ from Cordae’s 2019 debut ‘The Lost Boy,’ and have remained frequent collaborators,” said Pitchfork.

The two seem to have a close relationship, given the LP’s album art is a nod to the 2008 comedy film “Step Brothers.” No music from the album has been released as of yet. (Oct. 23)

La Roux, ‘Old Flames’

Elly Jackson maintained her La Roux persona after her collaborative producer left in 2012, and she has been on a roll ever since. She is now set to release her first album in six years, and her fourth overall, “Old Flames.”

The album’s songs address the English singer’s “breakdown of a 17-year relationship, addiction and dealing with identity,” said The Line of Best Fit. It “says things how they are: how I am and who I am. It’s been a process of admitting what I got wrong,” she told the outlet. A single from the LP, “Cabin Fever,” is out now. (Nov. 6)

Ane Brun, ‘I Thought We Were the Same’

Norwegian musician Ane Brun released two albums in 2020, then took a break from LP work. Now she’s back with a vengeance with “I Thought We Were the Same,” her 11th studio album.

The LP is “being promised as Brun’s most personal work yet,” said The Needle Drop. With her latest release, Brun “wanted to experiment with how far I could take my music into a clearer and more pop sound with distinct choruses and hooks without the music losing its nerve,” she said in a release. The lead single from the album, “Hold Me,” is out now. (Nov. 6)

Since its premiere on HBO Max in the US last year, the Canadian ice hockey drama “Heated Rivalry” has become a “cultural phenomenon”, spawning trivia nights, costume contests and “no fewer than four parody musicals”, said Sarah Bahr in The New York Times. It catapulted its actors to stardom and created another, more unlikely star too – the glamorous lakeside house where the male lovers “cosy up”.

In Canada, such holiday homes, no matter how grand, are called “cottages”, and spending the summer in “cottage country” – the wilderness of forests and lakes beyond Canada’s cities – is a long-standing tradition. To sample it, I headed to Muskoka, a glorious region with more than 1,600 “sparkling” lakes, where the cottage featured in the TV show lies.

A two-hour drive north of Toronto, Lake Muskoka and its neighbours have been attracting the rich and famous for 150 years. Today, the likes of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have cottages in the area – but despite high property prices, a holiday here can be relatively affordable, as the best experiences – “water- skiing shows, stunning hikes, weep-worthy sunsets” – are often free.

I stayed at a hotel in the small town of Gravenhurst, on Lake Muskoka itself, which has some decent restaurants and “charming” tea rooms, and is a good base for swimming, canoeing, sailing and hiking. I also stole a “distant glimpse” of the “Heated Rivalry” cottage, a “three-bedroom beauty with glass walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and a central granite fireplace” that was recently listed on Airbnb, starting at £1,625 per night.

I browsed farmers’ markets “brimming” with fresh local produce, and visited Bala – “Ontario’s cranberry capital” – where Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery offers wine tastings and tours of its cranberry bog. I admired the “hulking” historic steamships that run sightseeing cruises from Gravenhurst. And I walked the Huckleberry Rock Lookout Trail – perhaps the region’s “prettiest” hike – up to a large “perch” of pink granite with sweeping views across the lake.

With its pale beaches and low-lying, forested interior, the Brazilian island of Boipeba is a slice of “heaven”, says Chris Haslam in The Sunday Times.

It lies in the tropical state of Bahia, 30 minutes by small plane (or a longer journey by boat and taxi) from the city of Salvador, and it gets busy from December to March. Even so, the absence of high-rise hotels and cars makes for a laid-back vibe, and at Easter, I found it “quiet”.

The weather was pleasant, too – not too hot at 28 degrees. A boat tour of the island’s mangroves and reefs was “like a promo reel for the Brazilian Tourist Board”; the food (including lots of spicy seafood stews with coconut milk) was wonderful; and I can recommend my hotel, the beachside Pousada Víla Sereía, which has lush gardens and just four cabins.

Poland’s lively capital of cinema

It lacks the charming medieval old town of Wrocław or Kraków, but the Polish city of Łódz (pronounced “wudj”) has two strengths of its own, says Kevin Rushby in The Guardian.

The first is its film industry. Poland’s best-known directors – Wajda, Polanski and Kieslowski – studied at its film school; more recent talents such as Paweł Pawlikowski have shot films here; and the city’s Museum of Cinematography is a “tour de force”.

The second is its industrial heritage. Łódz is chock-a-block with “handsome” Victorian-era textile factories – huge red-brick buildings that have been “beautifully” restored to house restaurants, bars, shops and more.

It’s a “stunning” example of urban regeneration underpinning a “vibrant” cultural life. Music and dance are “never far away” here, and there are some other first-rate attractions, including the “fascinating” Museum of the Factory, with working looms dating back to the 1880s.

The wondrousness of Great Orme

Extending for two miles northwest of Llandudno, the Great Orme peninsula makes up in “rugged” splendour what it lacks in size, says Kerry Walker in The Telegraph.

You can reach its 221-metre highest point on Britain’s only cable-hauled tramway, built in 1902, but it’s also worth walking the circular, four-mile Great Orme Nature Trail, which commands views back to Snowdonia. Rare wildflowers bloom in spring and summer, bringing “clouds” of butterflies, and the headland’s cliffs are home to “spectacular” colonies of seabirds.

Stay at the Lighthouse, a hotel in a Victorian lighthouse, or Lansdowne House (also charming), and look out for the peninsula’s long-horned goats. Descended from a pair given to Queen Victoria by the Shah of Persia in 1837, they found fame during Covid, when they “ran riot” in Llandudno’s deserted streets.

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Bring on the burning stoves and the hot-air blast of a roaring oven. Autumn’s new cookbooks are an inspiriting combination of history, practicality, design and, of course, endless attractive recipes.

‘Boucherie’ by Chase Cormier

One-time butcher, now a scholar, Chase Cormier is an ideal documentarian of the indispensable south Louisiana culinary tradition known as boucherie. The term, deep in the rural stretches of the Pelican State, can signify the art of butchering; it can also denote the raucous gatherings in which a pig — or pigs — is slaughtered and its parts processed and preserved for future sustenance.

Cormier is “not sentimental,” said Kitchen Arts & Letters in an email review. Instead, he tells the story of how meat processing has changed over the centuries and how the idea of Cajun food has been “shaped, sold and reinvented.” Personal and regarded from a keen bird’s-eye view, “Boucherie” is a pocket-sized book that has a grand vision. (out now, $23, LSU Press, Amazon)

‘Cookbooking: A Fan’s Guide’ by Debbie Berne

Beauty is not strictly in a successful recipe but also in how the best cookbooks are presented. “Cookbooking,” by designer Debbie Berne who designed innumerable cookbooks and died last December, is a “savory tribute to cookbooks as aesthetic objects,” said Publisher’s Weekly.

The book’s range is astonishing. It touches on iconic tomes like “The Joy of Cooking,” dissects homespun community cookbooks often assembled by-hand and draws the thread from TV show-themed cookbooks to the current wash of food — and very much not-food — celebrity cookbooks. “Cookbooking” presents the finished product with a “lighthearted tone and loose structure,” a “colorful celebration” of a cookbook factor that the genre’s lovers sometimes take for granted. (out now, $30, Hardie Grant, Amazon)

‘Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!: Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager’ by Alexis Nikole Nelson with Jeanelle Hayner Olson

If you know the Black Forager on social media, you love her — or you should. Alexis Nikole Nelson, the freewheeling, insanely knowledgeable person beyond the handle, debuts her first cookbook, “Happy Snacking Don’t Die,” and as the title intimates, the book is a bounty of charming encouragement and cheeky asides. The “joy Nelson injects into the book makes foraging approachable,” said Emily Conover at ScienceNews.

You will learn that the fruits of the linden tree are akin to an earthier chocolate and that “practicality, safety and play” can coexist, said Bettina Makalintal at Eater. All this while you fumble your way into better trying understand and, yes, consume the plant world gloriously sprouting everywhere around you. (out now, $35, Simon & Schuster, Amazon)

‘Kincentricity: Connecting to Nature with American Indian Food Traditions’ by Enrique Salmón

Enrique Salmón, a Rarámuri (Tarahumara) scholar and professor in the San Francisco Bay Area, trumpets his book’s central tenet, “kincentricity,” as an “Indigenous worldview emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and our responsibility to be good stewards of the planet we share,” said Jamie Feldmar at Saveur.

The book’s introduction, subtitled “Sharing Breath with Our Relatives,” takes the reader on a wander through the kincentricity’s complementary notion, iwigara, the “total interconnectedness and integration of all life in the Sierra Madre [Mountains], physical and spiritual.” You acquire, through Salmón’s clear sense of place, an ethnography of the people tied to this land and then glean, in the ensuing chapters on native foodstuffs like huckleberries, mesquite and stinging nettles, that no matter where you live, plucking the thread that links all life is a right and proper way to exist on this planet. (out now, $35, Rizzoli, Amazon)

‘No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World’ by Meherwan Irani with Jamie Feldmar

Meherwan Irani, owner of a few Chai Pani restaurants in the southern United States along with the spice company Spicewalla, is one of a number of Indian American chefs who have noted the strong parallels between the cooking of the Indian subcontinent and that of the South. In Irani’s debut cookbook, “No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World,” he drives the point home, with a “healthy mix of expected recipes and those likely new to most Americans, allowing readers to explore a wider variety of Indian cuisine,” said Aaron Pahl at Library Journal.

Collards, black-eyed peas and chiles are a few of the through lines between the cuisines. Irani sometimes rams them together in innovative ways. His Sloppy Jai is his adaptation of keema, a spiced ground meat dish, served like a Sloppy Joe as a thrilling, messy sandwich. Proof that “Indian cuisine is not only approachable, but that it’s not that different from what you’re already cooking and eating,” said Alana Al-Hatlani at Southern Living. (out now, $40, Ten Speed Press, Amazon)

‘Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry’ by Kay Chun

Imagine, if you will, those translucent shrimp dumplings, har gow, you snag as a dim sum cart wheels past you. These, though, are dressed with butter and parmesan, like the liveliest comfort pasta you have ever eaten. Welcome to Kay Chun’s recipe-creating world, where you can use her book “Gather Around My Table” as your guide.

There is an effortlessness and an inevitability to how Chun creates dishes. She employs “low-lift but flavor-packed flourishes,” said Makalintal at Eater, to recipes like chicories in a caper-raisin vinaigrette and sticky date snacking cake with the addition of prunes for a double wallop of dried-fruit vigor. All the things you ever wanted to eat, in Chun’s capable hands, were there all along. (Oct. 6, $40, Knopf, Amazon)

‘Daily Dessert: Treats on Repeat’ by Caroline Schiff

Dessert-making need not always be like climbing Kilimanjaro. Sometimes it can be a stroll across a hillock, and celebrated New York City pastry chef Caroline Schiff has written a “book about making baking less annoying and more chill, a boon for anyone who would love baked goods more often but hates the thought of all the fuss,” said Makalintal at Eater.

One steady aspect of frippery-free baking is desserts that keep. Expect clementine snacking cake, granola treated with the flavors of halvah, malted milk chocolate truffles and rosemary-hazelnut shortbreads. A sweet treat should be both for now and later because, as Schiff wrote in the book’s introduction, “around the globe, dessert is, well, just that — daily. Many countries and cultures have joyfully and intentionally built the practice into their everyday lives,” Now it’s your turn. (Oct. 13, $35, Abrams, Amazon)

‘East to East: Recipes and Stories from Mumbai to New York’ by Rachel Gurjar

Forever toggling between the tastes of Mumbai and New York, the recipes of Gurjar, a former editor at Bon Appétit, are like skyscrapers: big-flavored with dependable foundations.

Burrata, served with pistachios and tamarind-glazed roasted grapes, yelps why it will forever be craveable. A chicken Caesar salad receives a deep plane facelift by treating the bird kebab-style. Yes, those are the invigorating spices of chai in that espresso martini and that taco bowl is loaded not with seasoning packet-laced ground beef but spunky lamb keema. The familiar has never been quite so promisingly electroshocked. (Oct. 13, $35, Chronicle Books, Amazon)

The arrival in the UK of the Bayeux Tapestry has caught the headlines in recent weeks, and for good reason. But London, and the rest of the country, has a wealth of high-quality exhibitions taking place over the coming months, which also demand attention.

The capital, Bath, Liverpool and Newcastle are all hosting some highly anticipated shows, ranging from studies of Korean culture, portraits of the 90s and the birth of oil painting among others. Here are some of our favourites.

Korea

British Museum, London WC1

If you can’t get tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibit, the British Museum has much more in store. Its next big show is dedicated to Korea, and encompasses the past two millennia of that nation’s culture and history. Featuring paintings, sculptures and decorative pieces, as well as religious icons, it will recount the peninsula’s complex history in eye-catching detail. Many of the pieces have been borrowed from collections in Korea itself, and have never before been seen in the UK.
1 October-31 January 2027; britishmuseum.org

Ancient Landscape, Modern Times: Eric Ravilious and the Artists of the Chalk Downs

Holburne Museum, Bath

In the years between the world wars, a number of British painters adopted a style that embraced the new while also expressing a yearning for Britain’s mysterious past. Chief among them was Eric Ravilious (1903-1942), whose pictures present an uncanny synthesis of ancient and modern. At Bath’s Holburne Museum, his paintings of the South Downs will be shown with works by contemporaries such as William Nicholson, Paul Nash and Tirzah Garwood. For these artists, the view from the hills wasn’t just a picturesque vision; it was a means to explore questions of English identity and belonging.
3 October-10 January 2027; holburne.org

The 90s: Art and Fashion

Tate Britain, London

Curated by Edward Enninful, the former editor of Vogue, this celebration of a decade known for its bold creativity will feature art by the likes of Steve McQueen, Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, photographs by Juergen Teller and David Sims, and fashion collections by Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
8 October-14 February 2027; tate.org.uk

Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry

Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Laing Gallery’s autumn exhibition joins the dots between the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelite “Brotherhood” and their literary fellow-travellers. Featuring major loans from collections across the UK, including works by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Edward Burne-Jones, it shows how the movement’s leading lights were inspired by poets such as Dante, Chaucer and Keats, as well as by their own contemporaries – and how the artists influenced later poets.
17 October-13 February 2027; northeastmuseums.org.uk/laing

Van Eyck: The Portraits

National Gallery, London WC2

Jan van Eyck has been described as the inventor of oil painting; and while this has since been disputed, there’s no doubting his status as a founding artist of the Western canon. Only around 20 paintings by van Eyck (1390-1441) are known to have survived, including nine portraits: of rich Flanders merchants, nobles – not least the deathless “Arnolfini Portrait” (1434) – and family members. For the first time, all nine will be united. Along with its forthcoming Renoir show, this National Gallery exhibition is sure to be a highlight of the coming months.
21 November-11 April 2027; nationalgallery.org.uk

Mary Magdalene: Woman and Myth

Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

The Walker’s next big show invites us to consider one of history’s most contentious yet frequently portrayed figures: Mary Magdalene. This exhibition tells her extraordinary story through early Renaissance panels by Carlo Crivelli, Annibale Carracci and Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, and reinterprets it through baroque paintings and even works of conceptual art. The show will also tour to Sheffield and Bishop Auckland.
6 February 2027-23 May 2027; liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Kia’s five-seater electric minibus is “practical, spacious and fun”, said The Telegraph, and about half the price of the cheapest version of the popular Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

At 4,695mm by 2,255mm, the PV5 is larger than it seems, with sliding rear side doors and a huge 1,330 litres of boot space (3,615 litres with the rear seats folded). Its interior is not nearly as “stylised” as the VW’s, but it is “no less useful”.

The “superb value” PV5 comes with a choice of two batteries, said Top Gear Magazine: 51.5kWh, good for 120bhp, or the 71kWh, good for 160bhp, with “impressively efficient” ranges of 183 and 256 miles respectively.

A “refined ride”, it drives “beautifully”, with “composed cornering”, good body control and super-light steering. It takes 10.6secs to get to 62mph, or a “plodding” 12.8secs in the standard-range car, but has “ample zip off the line”.

The PV5 is the first of a family of Kia vans, with a seven-seater due to follow soon, said Car Magazine. The vast interior is “a bit drab” but has potential, with a 12.9-inch touchscreen, plus a 7-inch driver’s display, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The hard plastics are robust, the seats comfy and there’s loads of space. On offer are two trims, but Plus, which adds luxuries, only comes with the bigger battery.

Five years on from their excellent co-production of “Jitney”, the Headlong theatre company and Leeds Playhouse have returned to August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle” with a “striking” revival of “Fences”, said Catherine Love in The Guardian.

Wilson’s 1950s-set play, which won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1987, is a “drama of family, masculinity and thwarted ambition”, which paints “national issues of race and inequality on a domestic canvas”.

The play’s focus is the Maxson family and its patriarch Troy, a one-time baseball player who was robbed of professional success owing to the colour of his skin, and who now works as a garbage man. “Ray Fearon is horribly compelling as this tragic figure, a man made monstrous by circumstance.”

It’s a tough play, in which “brutality and injustice” are “shot through with fleeting moments of possibility” – but director Daniel Bailey’s staging deftly blends “gritty realism” with “playful theatricality”.

Wilson is not known for his subtlety, said Matt Barton in The Stage. “Where most playwrights might allow themselves one big, blustery speech, that’s effectively [his] default mode.” Yet in this terrifically performed production, the speechifying lands as “muscular, rather than cumbrous” – and the set-piece confrontations are “phenomenally powerful”.

With slow-building intensity, the play eventually attains the “heart-aching weight of an Arthur Miller tragedy”, said Holly Williams in The Times. And Fearon’s “superb” performance is matched by those of Madeline Appiah as Troy’s wife Rose, and Michael Ahomka-Lindsay and Josh Tedeku as their two sons.

Appiah’s understated turn does much to leaven the play’s prolixity and heaviness, said Jim Keaveney on WhatsOnStage. Simon-Anthony Rhoden is also excellent as Troy’s brother Gabriel, who suffered a brain injury during wartime service that has “left him in childlike innocence. His appearances lift the play with warm humour and pathos in a role that could too easily be played for laughs.”

Oxford Playhouse until 3 October, then touring; headlong.co.uk

When it comes to “Britain’s greatest cultural export”, forget James Bond or Doctor Who, said John Nugent in Empire. The accolade surely belongs to Shaun the Sheep, the “claymation lamb with a heart of gold”, whose “silent-movie-esque antics” have made him a “hero in over 170 countries”.

This is Shaun’s third big-screen outing, spin-offs from the TV series he was awarded after making his debut in a supporting role in the 1995 Wallace and Gromit short “A Close Shave”.

In “The Beast of Mossy Bottom”, Shaun and his flock are desperate to make Jack-o’-Lanterns for Halloween. So when a freak accident knocks out their crop of prize pumpkins, Shaun decides to play mad scientist, and concocts a growth potion. Alas, it goes terribly wrong when his beloved Farmer (John Sparkes) accidentally drinks it and turns into a Bigfoot-like monster who terrorises the local village. Think “Frankenstein” crossed with “The Wolf Man”, “only with Plasticine farmyard animals”.

Aardman has delivered “another excellent family film”, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian – “crammed as ever with top visual gags” and blessed with a sparklingly fun screenplay. There are clever references here to everything from “Psycho” and “The Archers” to “The Simpsons”. Look out for a hairdressing salon called Barber Black Sheep and the Stephen King pun hanging outside the pub in Mossy Bottom.

It takes Aardman’s animators a whole day to make just two seconds of footage, said Hadley Freeman in The Sunday Times, but “you would never guess how painful the process is from the high-energy joyfulness of the result”. “I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed more in a cinema, or wished more that I could stay for a second screening to enjoy it all again.”

Sharon Horgan’s sharp new comedy-drama “Youth” (HBO Max) “perfectly captures what it is to reach your 50s and find that it’s no walk in the park”, said Anita Singh in The Telegraph.

Horgan plays Alex, a member of “the sandwich generation”, caught between the demands of being a parent and looking after her own ageing parents. She has a job as a literary agent, “where the lows include Damian Lewis (playing himself, perfectly deadpan) coming into the office and solemnly announcing that he has written a social satire called ‘Dog Meat’”. She is also divorced and tentatively stepping back into the dating scene, now that her son Ruarí (Aran Murphy) is leaving for university.

If you’re in the market for comedies about women in their 50s, this one “rings hilariously, despairingly true”.

“Thank God for Sharon Horgan,” said Rhik Samadder in The Guardian, “chronicler of all our journeys.” The sex scenes here are “hilarious and penetratingly insightful”, while the show’s depictions of the “uninspiring, Sisyphean grind of caregiving” are good enough to carry the series alone. Murphy (son of Cillian), meanwhile, delivers a “beautifully unforced” performance as Ruarí.

Horgan has become “TV royalty”, said Nick Hilton in The Independent, with a “quartet of fine shows” – “Divorce”, “Motherland”, “Catastrophe” and “Bad Sisters” – to her name. She remains “charming company” on screen, but “Youth” is missing the “pathos” of “Catastrophe” and “the nastiness” of “Motherland”. Hogan’s writing is “as warm and human as ever”, but it lacks her trademark “spark”.

The acronym Mice (money, ideology, coercion, ego) is sometimes used to describe what motivates people to betray their countries, said Oliver Bullough in The Guardian. But in Ben Macintyre’s enthralling new “work of true-espionage”, a fresh motivation emerges: erectile dysfunction.

Vladimir Kuzichkin was a KGB agent stationed in Tehran in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. With the West “on the back foot” there, the Soviets saw an “opportunity to spread their influence south, to a strategic and oil-rich country”.

Kuzichkin’s role was “to further this aim by distributing money, arms and encouragement” to Iran’s communist party. Yet it was a job he loathed. Stressed and under constant surveillance, he was also frustrated by the corruption and incompetence of his colleagues, who’d celebrate each tiny success with “vast quantities of vodka”. All this took a toll on his marriage (to Galina), including on his performance in the bedroom.

Convinced that his problems were caused by an “overly tight foreskin”, Kuzichkin resolved to be circumcised, said Joseph Finder in The New York Times. But to prevent his “impairment” becoming known to his colleagues, he wanted the operation performed in the West.

And so, in October 1981, he entered the British Embassy in Tehran, and offered to “spy for Britain” – thus becoming, as Macintyre notes, the “first spy in history to demand, as the price of defection, the removal of his foreskin”.

Trivial though his motivations seemed, Kuzichkin’s actions had profound consequences, said James Owen in The Times. The Soviets were planning to foment a communist “coup against the ayatollahs, backed up by an armed invasion”; had this come to fruition, the US might have responded with tactical nuclear weapons.

The intelligence Kuzichkin provided alerted the UK and the US to the Soviets’ plan; MI6 informed the ayatollahs, who savagely clamped down on Iran’s communist party, ending any possibility of a coup.

The victory, however, was double-edged, said Clare Mulley in The Spectator. For in administering the “coup de grâce to Soviet aspirations”, MI6 “bolstered a murderous, fundamentalist regime” – with consequences that are still playing out today.

Redwood – named after MI6’s inadvertently humorous codename for the tall Russian – is an “enjoyable caper”, full of “twists, turns, desires, betrayals and unexpected outcomes”. And it serves as a useful reminder that “history is not solely written by great powers”; in some cases, the “very personal choices, desires and decisions” of a flawed individual can be equally important.

As autumn begins, the countryside “puts on its brightest show”, said Helen Daly and Emma-Louise Pritchard in Country Living. Now is the time to experience the season “at its most colourful” as woodland paths wind through “gold, russet and crimson”. Here are some of our favourite spots for a wholesome day out in nature across the UK.

Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

The woodland of Cannock Chase is “worth visiting all through the year, but there is something particularly special” about autumn, said Daniel Graham on BBC Countryfile. The “former medieval royal hunting forest” is mainland England’s smallest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is also home to endangered species such as the nightjar and woodcock. October is the best time to catch glimpses of the male fallow deer rutting, or see muntjac and red deer searching for the rare Chase berry, a “blueberry-cowberry hybrid”. This 6.5-mile walk, of moderate difficulty, “explores all of these habitats and their wildlife”.

Abinger Roughs and Shere Woodlands, Surrey

The 300-year-old “ancient, gnarly oak trees” on Abinger Roughs are the perfect antidote to an “existential crisis”, said Alexandra Sims and Rhian Daly on Time Out. Just a 15-minute drive away are the Shere woodlands, which are equally tranquil. As autumn turns to winter, you begin to understand why the village of Shere made a cameo in the film “The Holiday”. But for the next few months, you’ll find yourself “amid beech, cypress, yew and dogwood trees”, in the kind of woodland which “feels like it should be much further away from a capital city than it is”.

Castle Ward, County Down

The 18th-century mansion on the shores of Strangford Lough draws visitors for its “mix of palladian and gothic architecture”, said Jen and Sim Benson in The Times. But its 800-acre estate holds many moments of excitement for autumn walkers. Stroll through the “leafy deciduous woodland and historic follies, tracing the water’s edge to the ruins of an old castle”, with only short but steep hills in the three-mile loop. “Look out for vast flocks of light-bellied brent geese arriving from the Arctic in autumn and grey seal pups, born in November.”

Teign Gorge, Devon

This stroll is “perhaps the most famous walk on Dartmoor”, said Helen Daly and Emma-Louise Pritchard in Country Living. You start off in the shadow of the “imposing bulk” of Castle Drogo – the last castle to be built in England – and move on though “areas rich in history, with incredible views and abundant wildlife”. Along the way you will reach Fingle Bridge, which dates back to the 13th century and is a “popular focal point for budding photographers”, as well as Poohsticks in the river Teign. On the way back along the river, the “dense oak woodland” is filled with “vibrant shades of yellow and orange” at this time of year.

Allen Banks, Northumberland

Allen Banks is “awesome in autumn”, said Sarah Baxter in The Telegraph. It cuts through “deepest Northumberland”, following the river in a “sheer-sided gorge”, “flanked by the most extensive area of ancient woodland in the county”. Keep an eye out for “scampering red squirrels” and little “ornamental features added by the Victorians”. Autumn brings “fiery beech and oak spilling down the valley”, and, as an added bonus, 180 different species of fungi to observe.

One of life’s greatest thrills is watching wildlife in its natural habitat. The experience is even better when the animals live in a space where they are protected and decisions about the land are guided by conservation principles. Bring your binoculars, and see for yourself at these eight wildlife preserves and refuges.

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, California

Southern California’s Channel Islands are “called ‘North America’s Galapagos’ for a reason,” said Afar. Marine life thrives around the islands — 27 species of whales and dolphins live or pass through the area, along with elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions, California brown pelicans and rare seabirds like the Scripps’ murrelet. It’s “common to see pods of dolphins” during ferry rides from Ventura, and you can also spot wildlife while “snorkeling, swimming and exploring tide pools.”

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

Established in 1983, Crystal River is the only national wildlife refuge in the U.S. created to protect the Florida manatee. Its centerpiece is the unspoiled Three Sisters Springs, where visitors can step onto elevated boardwalks for a “bird’s eye view” of the manatees swimming in “incredibly crystal-clear water,” said National Geographic. Manatee season is Nov. 15-March 31, when the marine mammals migrate to warm-water springs.

Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

This is brown bear territory. Several thousand of the animals live in Katmai, where they eat sockeye salmon from the Brooks River to their heart’s content. During summer and into the fall, the bears famously feast in order to “build a heavy layer of fat to keep themselves warm through the glacial months,” said Outside. The biggest bruins are celebrated during Fat Bear Week, when the public votes on which one will “emerge supreme as the plumpest and most likely to survive the winter.”

Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

If you want to see the tiny key deer, there’s one place to go. The endangered animal can only be found in the Lower Florida Keys, where they swim between islands. Once you arrive at the Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, it’s “surprisingly easy” to find the deer, said Southern Living.

They don’t shy from people and are often spotted strolling through wetlands and forests. Because of strong conservation efforts, several hundred Key deer live in the area, up from a low of 25 in the 1950s.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Many consider Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to be the “American South’s best-kept secret,” said National Geographic. It’s also one of the newest UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a “paradise” for visitors looking to see American alligators, American black bears, white-tailed deer, gopher tortoises and Eastern indigo snakes. Wildlife watching is a year-round event, and one of the best vantage points is the Owl’s Roost Tower above the swamp.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts

Birdwatchers flock to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. It’s one of New England’s “premier birding destinations,” with more than 350 species recorded in the vicinity, said Travel and Leisure. Habitats include salt marsh, cranberry bogs and maritime shrubs and forests. Visitors can hike or bike along “scenic” trails to the best viewing spots.

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana

The stunning Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is west of Yellowstone National Park, with the Centennial Mountains standing tall over forests, lakes, grasslands, marshes and sand dunes. Bears, wolves, elk, river otters and more than 200 bird species live in the preserve, including hundreds of trumpeter swans. For the best chance of seeing cygnets (baby swans), visit during May and June.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas

A visit to this Kansas preserve almost feels like stepping back in time to the 1800s, when tallgrass prairies and bison were both plentiful. About 500,000 bison still roam in the U.S., and a “hardy” herd of about 100 lives at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, said Atlas Obscura. To see them — from an appropriate distance, of course — visit the Windmill and West Traps pastures. There, the animals gather to “graze, relax and soak up the endless sun.”

Aardman Animations is back with its third feature starring Shaun the Sheep, “the claymation lamb with a heart of gold”, said Empire. The latest, a Halloween-themed film – “The Beast of Mossy Bottom” – sees Shaun and his loyal flock accidentally turn their “beloved if ungainly farmer” into a “Bigfoot-like monster who terrorises the local village”.

It’s 50 years since Peter Lord and David Sproxton set up Aardman, but the stop-motion animation remains “as sharp as ever” and the “commitment to silliness is genuinely admirable”. Here are some of the studio’s other prime films.

Chicken Run (2000)

Like every Aardman film, the premise is straightforward – “The Great Escape” with chickens – but “such is the animators’ ability to humanise the birds’ plight that it turns into an improbably emotional epic”, said The Guardian. Julia Sawalha gives what is arguably her best performance as the “feisty” hen Ginger who “practically forces her dozy fellow chickens to save themselves” from the “dreaded pie machine”. An instant hit, the film proved Aardman could “hold its own” in Hollywood.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

The first full-length Wallace and Gromit film won Best Animated Feature at the 2006 Academy Awards. The action follows the best friends as they attempt to “subdue an enormous rabbit who terrorises Tottington Hall’s vegetable gardens in the nights leading up to their annual Giant Vegetable Competition”, said Vulture. With a star-studded cast of British actors including Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes, it’s packed with humour “teetering on the line between silly and absurd”.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

This festive film about Santa Claus’ clumsy son trying to deliver a misplaced present to a little girl is “impeccably put together and goes down a treat”, said The Guardian. Filled with “terrific action sequences” including a “legion of elf-ninjas slamming millions of presents across the planet on Christmas Eve”, the story is a “little more conventional” than other Aardman films but remains a pleasurable watch.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)

Inspired by Aardman’s TV series about a “clever, enterprising” sheep, the film takes the show’s “bare-bones premise and runs wild with it”, said Vulture. Shaun and his flock must travel to the city to save their amnesiac farmer “before Animal Control nabs them all”. Featuring “kid-friendly sight gags” and “adult-friendly puns”, it’s a fun watch for the whole family. But its meditation “on urban alienation” also makes it potentially “the most emotionally mature film in Aardman’s catalogue”.

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

The beloved man-and-dog pair returned for this “perfectly made” feature that sees their relationship start to strain when Wallace “begins relying too much on his robot garden gnome”, said IndieWire. Beyond its “glossy and gorgeous” claymation, what really makes the film stand out is the return of the “terrifyingly evil” Feathers McGraw – the criminal penguin from the greatest Wallace and Gromit short, “The Wrong Trousers”. It’s a must-watch.

Japanese animated series based on popular manga have long been an internationally loved medium in both television and film. These anime series are the best of the best, spanning decades and ever-evolving art styles.

‘Attack on Titan’ (2013-2023)

While it is one of the newer entries, “Attack on Titan” is regarded by many as the “most popular modern anime series,” said Slash Film. It follows Eren Yeager, who joins an elite military squad in a future where humanity is “hunted and consumed by giant monstrosities” called “titans” and is forced to “live in fear in walled survival communities.”

Produced by WIT Studio and MAPPA, this “dizzying adaptation” of Hajime Isayama’s post-apocalyptic dark fantasy series captivated fans for a decade. It “successfully built a broad audience” consisting not only of “diehard anime and manga fans” eager to see its “horrific imagery and action translated from page to screen” but also “newcomers to the medium.” More than its accessibility, “Attack on Titan” has been praised for its “narrative and thematic depth.” (Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix)

‘Cowboy Bebop’ (1997-1998)

Cult classic “Cowboy Bebop” is unique: an original series created specifically for the anime medium by Shinichiro Watanabe with Sunrise Studios, drawing on a “wide array of pop culture influences” that were as “eclectic as the series itself,” said Slash Film. The show had only a 26-episode run and a movie in 2001, but it remains one of the most celebrated series in the genre.

The series combines “echoes of filmmakers like Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa,” said Slash Film, with “stylistic movements” borrowed from the "French New Wave and Hong Kong martial arts cinema” to make a “dazzlingly jazzy space spectacle that works better than it has any right to.” (Crunchyroll, Netflix)

‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ (2009-2010)

Some anime struggle to balance laying out “intricate world-building” with a “cast of memorable characters, iconic moments and thrilling fights,” IGN said. That’s what “makes ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ so special.”

The framing device for fans’ “entry into this sprawling world is one of sympathy,” said IGN. It is easy to understand why the Elric brothers practice forbidden alchemy to try to resurrect their mother at the cost of their physical bodies. That quest guides them through a “world of monsters, government conspiracy and divinity.” And “despite all this elegance, ‘FMA: Brotherhood’” also knows when to “lay it all bare” in “unforgettable moments” that will “leave you standing in front of your TV cheering for the Elric brothers.” (Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix)

‘One Piece’ (1999-present)

Written by Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” is the “best-selling manga series of all time,” said Collider. Die-hard fans of the anime adaptation have weathered more than 1,100 episodes since 1999.

The series follows the exploits of Luffy and his pirate crew in their search for the eponymous One Piece. For over 25 years, Toei Animation has “produced epic, sprawling adventure sagas worthy of the manga’s legendary reputation,” said Slash Film. There’s a reason “One Piece” is “regarded as one of the ‘Big Three’ shonen anime series of the 2000s.” Alongside “Naruto” and “Bleach,” the show helped define the shonen subgenre, which is primarily marketed to young boys aged 12 to 18, creating a generation of super fans. Newcomers may find the much shorter Netflix live-action series more accessible. (Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix)

Sailor Moon (1992-1997)

The crown gem of the Magical Girl subgenre, Naoko Takeuchi’s “Sailor Moon” is one of the most “globally recognized anime series of all time,” IGN. Schoolgirl Usagi and her unexpected role as the titular Sailor Moon is a “classic for a reason.” She is a gateway anime for many girls and women.

The show’s “gorgeous animation, stunning character designs” and an “all-time great transformation sequence” make this the “granddaddy of all magical girl anime.” It helps that each of the Sailor Scouts is “as well built-out and unique as Sailor Moon,” allowing audiences to “find their own favorites” as they revisit the “hilarious, heartfelt and action-packed” series over the years. (Hulu)

“Britain is now a nation of ‘shoulder seasoners’,” said The Times. For the “uninitiated” that means more of us are choosing to travel in May or September to avoid the crowds and soaring temperatures associated with peak summer holiday months.

Most of Europe’s “classic beach destinations” are more affordable in September when the kids go back to school. “But beware the weather.” While places like Faro in Portugal’s Algarve are still warm come autumn, the Atlantic Ocean can be “bracing”. If it’s sun you’re after, the further south you go “the better”.

For “reliable” October half-term temperatures of around 26C during the day, consider booking a trip to the Canary Islands. H10 Costa Adeje Palace in southwest Tenerife is right next to La Enramada beach, from which it’s easy to set out on “nice walks that spiral around the coast”.

If you love history, consider a last-minute trip to Greece. There’s “more room to breathe”, shorter queues for top archaeological sites, and you’ll be able to “relish the hike up to the Parthenon without melting in the heat”, said Condé Nast Traveller. A road trip that “traces the coast of the rugged and mountainous Peloponnese peninsula” is a great way to explore – as long as you’re prepared that it might be too chilly to take a dip.

Puglia is another excellent option for shoulder-season travellers, said The Independent. Outdoor enthusiasts won’t go wrong with a five-day, self-guided walk with Ramble Worldwide. Soak up the “beauties” of the coast as you weave your way from Otranto to Lecce “stopping for refreshing swims” while your luggage is taken ahead to your accommodation.

Or, head to Slovenia for “Habsburg-related history” and “cool wine regions” at a fraction the cost of neighbouring Austria, said The Times. By October, “the treeline cuts a russet-and-copper swathe across the Slovenian countryside as it climbs towards the mountains”. Begin your trip in Ljubljana and end up in Bohinj at its beautiful spa hotel overlooking the Julian Alps. Bliss.

Sonoma County has a reputation for outstanding wineries. Cool Pacific breezes and a variety of soils make this stretch of Northern California a perfect place to grow grapes. But there’s more to the region than its vineyards. These six refreshing options present Sonoma County in a different light, showcasing both nature and culture.

Take a walk on the wild side at Safari West

It’s easy to forget where you are during a visit to the wildlife preserve Safari West. Spread across 400 acres in the hills of Santa Rosa, Safari West is home to more than 900 animals, including giraffes, zebras, rhinos, flamingos, cape buffalo and impalas. As you make your way through the vast property on a guided open-air vehicle tour (sit on the roof for an extra thrill), it feels like you’re driving around the plains of Tanzania, waiting for the Great Migration to start.

Safari West was founded in 1993 by Nancy and Peter Lang as a wildlife conservation and education center. No two tours are alike; guides follow the animals’ lead and stay back, giving visitors the chance to appreciate the wildlife without encroaching. Along the way, guides share insights, and tours will stay in habitats longer when the animals are active and playing together or eating.

The fun doesn’t have to end once a tour is over. Guests can spend the night in one of Safari West’s custom-finished safari tents from Botswana. Each comes with a private bathroom, ceiling fan, space heater and viewing deck, and a continental breakfast. After dark, expect to hear the park’s nocturnal animals.

Stare up in awe at the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

For more than 1,000 years, the towering coastal redwoods at this natural reserve near Guerneville have stood tall, providing shade and tranquility. The wheelchair-accessible Pioneer Nature Trail passes by the Colonel Armstrong Tree, believed to be more than 1,400 years old and the oldest in the grove; the Icicle Tree, covered with substantial burl formations; and the Parson Jones Tree, the tallest in the park at more than 310 feet. The protected reserve covers 805 acres and is a reminder of what the landscape looked like before logging began in the 19th century.

Stop at downtown Guerneville for a heavenly buttermilk biscuit at Piknik Town Market. Order one with jam and butter, or go savory and get a biscuit topped with vegetarian gravy or stuffed with bacon, lettuce and tomato. While waiting for your breakfast, look around and shop for locally made shirts, hats, candles and tchotchkes. There are several stores along the main drag, including the whimsical Guerneville 5&10 filled with gifts, candy, greeting cards, art supplies and more.

Embrace a childhood favorite at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

The gang’s all here. Charlie Brown, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus and, of course, Snoopy are celebrated at the cheerful Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa.

“Peanuts” creator Schulz moved to Sonoma County in the late 1950s, and the museum is filled with his personal artifacts. They include mementos from his childhood and military service and murals he painted for his children’s bedrooms, plus original comic panels, a recreation of Schulz’s studio and an impressive tile piece made of more than 3,500 “Peanuts” strips. In the Education Room, visitors can be creative too, drawing characters and making animations for zoetropes.

Across the street is Snoopy’s Home Ice, an indoor skating rink Schulz built in 1969, where youe can “lace up your skates for public sessions and lessons” or “cheer on” the Santa Rosa Growlers hockey team, said Travel and Leisure. At The Warm Puppy Café, hot cocoa is a popular treat year-round, and Snoopy’s Gallery & Gift Shop offers “Peanuts” T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, magnets, stuffed animals and “all the other merch you could imagine.”

Float down the Russian River

During the summer, “dawdlers of all kinds” head to the Russian River with their “kayaks, canoes, inner tubes — just about anything that will float,” said the Los Angeles Times. Starting in Guerneville, revelers glide past redwoods, vineyards, beaches and other “scenery that might as well be a Northern California highlight reel.” This area is filled with small, “quirky” communities like Monte Rio and Forestville, where you can rent equipment.

Go for a swim at Francis Ford Coppola Winery

This isn’t your typical winery. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola purchased this Geyserville property in 2006 and used it as another canvas for his storytelling.

While designing the estate, Coppola was inspired by Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens and classic amusement parks, and wanted the property to be a place where people could gather for activities beyond drinking wine — a “rarity among vineyards,” said Secret San Francisco. There is a “massive” pool surrounded by comfortable loungers, along with cabins that have a private shower and changing area, a bocce court and a movie gallery.

Visitors can take a self-guided audio tour through the curated gallery, which features memorabilia from Coppola’s films and life, including Don Corleone’s desk from “The Godfather,” surfboards from “Apocalypse Now,” a Tucker Torpedo car from 1948 and several Oscar statuettes. After your tour, lunch at Rustic is only a few steps away. Offering a “quintessential Sonoma Wine Country dining experience,” Rustic focuses on seasonal ingredients grown on property and traditional Italian dishes, said USA Today. Pastas are made in-house, the pizzas are wood-fired and a bag of delicious savory zeppole is presented at the start of every meal. Save room for dessert: The house-made sorbetto is fantastic.

Enjoy R&R at the retro cool Flamingo Resort & Spa

Flamingo Resort and Spa opened in Santa Rosa in 1957 and “wears its midcentury influence on its sleeve,” said The Michelin Guide. The 10-acre, pet-friendly property is anchored by a huge pool, where guests can splash away from morning until well into the night. Renovated rooms are “midcentury in inspiration and totally modern in their comforts,” with mini-refrigerators, coffee and tea stations and floor-to-ceiling windows with blackout curtains.

Guests have access to tennis and pickleball courts and a fitness center offering spin, yoga, a sauna and a steam room, and barre and aerobic classes. For a relaxing massage or facial, head to the spa, and for dinner, look no further than the Lazeaway Club. Sit outside on the patio overlooking the pool and enjoy the delicious Cal-Pacific cooking, like the bulgogi burger with umami fries, bibimbap bowl and seared salmon with shimeji mushrooms in a coconut-lemongrass broth. End the night at the Vintage Space for live music, dance parties and Thursday night stand-up shows with Don’t Tell Comedy.

Catherine Garcia was a guest of Sonoma County Tourism

The lunchbox that’s been “lurking” at the back of the cupboard for the last few years “may finally be heading back to work”, said Andrew Ellson in The Times. Fewer of us are popping into Pret a Manger for a sandwich as more office workers are “rediscovering the packed lunch”.

As prices at high street shops continue to soar, polling from Ocado has found that more than two thirds (69%) of professionals think buying lunch out is too expensive. Almost half (46%) of them have started to bring in lunch from home more often than they did a year ago.

But a packed lunch doesn’t have to mean soggy sandwiches or a “punishment tub of undressed baby spinach and slimy sweet potato chunks”, said Jimi Famurewa in The Guardian. Instead, you can get creative with “punchy, textural riots” like Rukmini Iyer’s tasty chapati omelette rolls or Rosie Birkett’s celeriac, apple and lentil salad “brightened by lemony mayonnaise and an enlivening lick of dijon mustard”. Or, if there’s a kettle nearby, consider making Tamal Ray’s “veg-filled, rainbow-hued riff on everyone’s favourite additive-stuffed hangover salve: the noodle pot”.

For something easy but “great for gut health”, try whipping up a batch of ancient grains (you can use a Merchant Gourmet pouch from the supermarket) with feta and avocado, said Xanthe Clay in The Telegraph. Pack in as many vegetables as you like and add pumpkin seeds for a tasty lunch that will “boost your diet diversity” and deliver slow-release energy.

If you prefer a hearty lunch that will warm you up as the weather cools down, consider making a homemade minestrone with parmesan meatballs. Ideal for cooking at the weekend and freezing in batches, it “always tastes better the next day”.

Another brilliant recipe to “add to your repertoire” is an “oh-so-comforting” vegan chickpea and cauliflower dahl, said Good Housekeeping. Filled with “fragrant” spices and plenty of vegetables, it’s perfect served with “cooling” yoghurt, steamed rice or naan bread.

With fall on the horizon, now is the perfect time to keep yourself warm by dancing the night away. Say hello to autumn with some big-name artists headlining tours across the country and the world.

Bryson Tiller

Rapper Bryson Tiller found mainstream success in 2015, and since then has become a star-powered name in the rap and R&B space. Fans can catch him live during the “Neo Trapsoul” tour.

The name of the tour is an homage to Bryson’s 2015 breakthrough studio album “Trapsoul” and runs across three continents. This will be a “celebration of more than a decade of music, giving fans a chance to experience the sound that put him on the map in a full live-show format,” said SeatGeek. One of Tiller’s “most ambitious headline runs to date.” (through January 2027)

Ella Langley

Country music singer Ella Langley had a massive Billboard hit with her April 2026 LP “Dandelion,” and the Alabama native is supporting the album’s success with her ongoing “The Dandelion” tour. The series takes Langley across the United States and marks her first-ever arena shows.

They will feature “90-minute sets packed with crowd singalongs, emotional storytelling and a closing moment” with Langley’s longtime collaborator Riley Green, said SeatGeek. People who see Langley live are “not just going to a concert — you’re witnessing a once-in-a-generation breakout while it’s still unfolding.” (through March 2027)

Karol G

Fewer names are bigger in reggaeton than Karol G, and the Colombian superstar is no stranger to world tours. Her latest, “Viajando Por El Mundo”, takes Karol G across three continents and began around the same time she released her latest studio album, “No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto.”

The tour is a “celebration of not only Karol’s influence but cultura that binds millions,” said Rolling Stone. While “some transitions” in the show are a “bit clunky,” this is a performance that is “confident, strong, sexy, secure” and “full of heart.” (through July 2027)

Latto

Latto rose to prominence after a stint on a reality television show in 2016 and quickly rose through the ranks of the rap genre. Since then, she’s put out four albums, including one earlier this year, and is currently crisscrossing the United States and Canada supporting Doja Cat on the “Tour Ma Vie” tour.

While Doja Cat may be the concert’s star, Latto has a major supporting role, with her own unique style of rap. This is the latest of several collaborations between the two artists. (through December)

Lil Wayne

Few rappers have had a bigger career than Lil Wayne, and his six-set album series “Tha Carter” remains a rap tentpole. 22 years after the initial LP in the set was released, Lil Wayne is celebrating the albums with his “20 Years of Carter Classics” tour.

These concerts feature another major rap name: 2 Chainz is accompanying Lil Wayne for the majority of the stops. The tour is essentially an extension of Lil Wayne’s 2025 shows promoting the most recent “Tha Carter” album released last year. (through October)

Metallica

Legendary metal band Metallica wrapped their last tour only a few months ago but is back on stage again. Following the success of the band’s three-year “M72” world concerts, Metallica has landed in Las Vegas for a months-long residency at the Sphere.

The show, titled “Life Burns Faster,” features Metallica’s “entire catalog, enhanced by the venue’s immersive technologies that will allow you to experience the ’Tallica sound in new experiential dimensions,” said the band’s website. The Sphere shows “deliver a totally unique experience each and every night.” (through March 2027)

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo has had a stratospheric rise since her start on the Disney Channel, transforming into one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Now Rodrigo’s fanbase can catch her latest globetrotting effort, “The Unraveled” tour.

The shows, which supports Rodrigo’s third LP, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” span cities in North America and Europe. They also come on the heels of Rodrigo’s news-making performance at the Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival, where she was “sharing the stage with music legends Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette,” said USA Today. (through May 2027)

Ozuna

Ozuna has become one of Puerto Rico’s most famous singers and is known for blending a variety of Latin genres. He is back on the road with his “Una Aventura” tour, marking Ozuna’s first concert series in four years.

The international tour spans Europe and Latin America and “presents a show designed to revisit the most important moments of his musical journey,” said ColombiaOne. The show includes “some of the biggest hits that established him as one of the leading figures in Latin urban music.” (through November)

Tame Impala

For a unique concert experience and musical sound, check out Tame Impala’s latest outing, the “Deadbeat” tour. The shows, supporting the Australian electronic band’s 2025 studio album of the same name, highlight two songs that have made waves across the charts this year: “Dracula” and “Loser.”

The performance itself has received critical acclaim and is a “fully enveloping sensory experience” that goes “far beyond the expected ‘live concert,’” said Rock Cellar magazine. It includes Tame Impala performing on a “pulsating platform that resembles a “spacecraft about to take flight.” (through July 2027)

Teddy Swims

Teddy Swims is the answer, if you want another genre-blending artist to see live. Since his breakthrough in 2023, the Georgia-born artist has embarked on a slew of concerts, including his latest, the “Ugly” tour.

The show spans venues across the world and comes a year after Teddy Swims released his second LP, “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2).” Additional concert dates were recently announced for 2027, “following the singer performing a huge run of live shows this summer, including festival slots at Bonnaroo, Coachella, Isle Of Wight Festival, Mad Cool and more,” said NME. (through April 2027)

“Launching an all-new coupé in 2026 is a brave move” given the dominance of SUVs, said Evo. But Honda isn’t expecting to sell a lot of these – 1,000 over the next two years, and it has few competitors.

The Prelude uses Honda’s “e:HEV powertrain” – a two-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine combined with twin electric motors, for an underwhelming 181bhp peak output and a 0-62mph time of 8.2 secs.

“A promising two-door coupé take on the hybrid sports car formula”, the Prelude strikes a “good balance between ride and handling”, said Auto Express. Sure, it lacks “gut-punching power”, but it’s well calibrated, with an “agile and responsive” chassis and plenty of grip.

The steering has decent weight; there’s a “sporty edge” to the acceleration. And the hybrid powertrain delivers “impressive efficiency” of 54.3mpg.

The Prelude will appeal to those who “love the sleek looks” of a sports car, but who don’t want to drive one, or sacrifice comfort, said The Telegraph. There’s just one model available, with high-spec advance trim and a “plush interior” with real leather upholstery.

The “snappy” touchscreen is simple to use and you get “proper buttons” too. But even children will feel cramped in the back, and the 284- litre boot is “pretty stingy”.

Europe’s art scene continues to be one of the richest and most diverse in the world. From Renaissance masterpieces, to innovative impressionism, the continent’s exhibitions have so much to offer this autumn. Explore some of the titans of industry in Dalí and Rembrandt, and discover lesser-known gems such as Mary Cassatt, for shows right up until April.

Willem de Kooning at Work

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Willem de Kooning (1904-97) was just 22 when he left Rotterdam for America. A stowaway on a freighter, he had no money and scarcely a word of English. Yet within 30 years, he was a titan of abstract expressionism. Marking the centenary of his departure, this exhibition explores one of the 20th century’s most revered painters.
9 October-17 January 2027

Bernini – Painter and Sculptor

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was arguably the ultimate Renaissance man. He painted, sculpted and even planned cities; and, as an architect, he arguably invented the baroque style. Vienna’s art history museum is mounting an unprecedented display of the artist’s masterpieces.
2 December-4 April 2027

Hals-Rembrandt

Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, Netherlands

Two giants of Dutch art are united here for a surefire blockbuster. Hals was lively and irreverent; Rembrandt dealt with subjects altogether more weighty. A shared sensibility as painters, however, shines through their respective bodies of work.
6 November-28 February 2027

Mary Cassatt: Being Independent

Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

The impressionist master Mary Cassatt finally gets the retrospective she deserves. Cassatt (1844-1926), who was born in America but worked in Paris, was every bit as inventive as her better-known male peers: her pictures of children are stupendous, less soppy than Renoir, more modern than Manet.
6 October-31 January 2027

The Freudian Universe of Dalí

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain

Surrealism was a movement inherently linked to Freudian psychoanalysis; this show features 62 works by Salvador Dalí, and explores his deeply odd beliefs from a therapist’s point of view. It will come as no surprise to learn there is a lot to unpick.
20 October-24 January 2027

Thanks to the smash hit success of “1536”, her “coruscating” play about three young women in Tudor England, the English writer Ava Pickett is flavour of the month, said Sarah Crompton on WhatsOnStage. Now, she has produced a new play – “Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy” – which is so powerful she might well prove to “be flavour of the year and of many years to come”. The drama, in which Helen (played with “high-wire intensity” by Michelle Dockery) is brought back to modern-day Essex after a civil war in England is “full of spit, fire and brilliance”. It’s like “Sarah Kane crossed with ‘The Only Way is Essex’ – devastatingly funny but utterly furious about the state of the world and the way that women within it are treated”.

Years ago, Helen left her husband Marcus (Menelaus) for a “foreigner”, prompting hordes of angry men to wreak havoc for a decade in her name, said Emma John in The Guardian. In a Towie-style home, her former close friend Cee, who is married to Marcus’s brother Mario (Agamemnon), hosts a tense event to mark her return – blood-spattered and still in shock. Given the recent scenes of masked men protesting in Dover and Portsmouth, Pickett’s dystopia feels “uncomfortably close, albeit infused with a Martin McDonagh-esque black wit”.

There are “tremendous” performances across the board, said Andrzej Lukowski on Time Out, and the pacey, emphatic direction from Lisa Spirling is “spot on”.

I was almost alone among critics in not taking to “1536”, said Clive Davis in The Times – and I didn’t much care for this play either. It’s “vivid”, and features “vivacious performances”. But its “erratic mix of myth and modern-day melodrama” leads from one “overwrought standoff to another” – while the characters “never come fully into focus”. It’s not a “perfect” play, said Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times, but it’s “bloody good”. It is true that the “bigger political picture remains peculiarly hazy for a country mired in civil war”. Even so, the “audacity of the narrative keeps you pinned to the action”. This is “bracing, provocative and scintillatingly written” drama, laced with “needle-sharp humour”.

stratfordeast.com Theatre Royal Stratford East, London E15. Until 10 October

“There’s no shortage of worthy films about D-Day,” said David Sexton in The New Statesman. To name just a few, there are “The Longest Day”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Overlord”, “The Big Red One” – and, of course, we also have TV’s “Band of Brothers”. Yet “Pressure”, from the producers of “Darkest Hour” and based on a play by the actor and writer David Haig, “finds a niche not yet occupied”. Uniquely, the drama focuses on the days immediately before the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, and the “momentous” weather forecasts made by Scottish meteorologist James Stagg. Eisenhower had decided Operation Overlord should go ahead on 5 June. Stagg, however, became convinced the day would be stormy – bringing swell and poor visibility that would spell disaster. But on 4 June, Stagg forecast a calm interlude for 6 June. In Pressure, Stagg, played by Andrew Scott (“the film’s main attraction”) must persuade Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser), the “irascible” General Bernard Montgomery (Damian Lewis), and Stagg’s US counterpart, Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina) to trust the data he has gathered, and delay the seaborne invasion by 24 hours.

“Dramatically speaking, this is all a bit more interesting in theory than in practice,” said Adam White in The Independent. The film is “largely confined to a series of identikit studies and war rooms”, and the eventual recreation of the landings sparks “unflattering comparisons to ‘Saving Private Ryan’, budget constraints on full display”. Thank goodness, then, for Scott, said Danny Leigh in the Financial Times, in whose “every pained expression, we see the gravity of the situation – and an allergic inability to simply smile and nod”. His performance “really is superb”.