From Christy to Neil Young: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
ChristyOut now Based on the life of the American boxer Christy Martin (nickname: the Coal Miner’s Daughter), this sports drama sees Sydney Sweeney Set aside her conventionally feminine America’s sweetheart aesthetic and don the mouth guard and gloves of a professional fighter.Blue MoonOut now Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise) reteams with one of his favourite actors, Ethan Hawke, for a film about Lorenz Hart, the songwriter who – in addition to My Funny Valentine and The Lady Is a Tramp – also penned the lyrics to the eponymous lunar classic.Also starring Andrew Scott and Margaret Qualley.PillionOut now Harry Melling plays the naive sub to Alexander Skarsgård’s biker dom in this kinky romance based on the 1970s-set novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, here updated to a modern-day setting, and with some success: it bagged the screenplay prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.Laura Mulvey’s Big Screen ClassicsThroughout DecemberRecent recipient of a BFI Fellowship, the film theorist Laura Mulvey coined the term “the male gaze” in a seminal 1975 essay, and thus transformed film criticism.
Now she’s programmed a season of films for the BFI, including Man With a Movie Camera, Pierrot le Fou and What Scoundrels Men Are.Catherine BraySabatonLondon, 4 December; Manchester, 5 December; Nottingham, 6 Dec The ludicrous, medieval-obsessed power metal Swedes lay siege to the UK for this arena tour in support of last month’s Legends album (key track titles: Hordes of Khan, A Tiger Among Dragons and I, Emperor).Part eardrum assault and part history lesson, it’s unlikely to be boring.Michael CraggDirty Three29 November to 8 December; tour starts Glasgow This week Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White, AKA Australian instrumental rock trio Dirty Three, tour the UK for the first time in 12 years.Mixing moments of transcendental beauty with big grotty rock, that intense fusion should soar in a live scenario.
MCLiane CarrollPizza Express Jazz Club, London, 3 to 5 December One of the most eloquent and inventive singer-pianists ever to have emerged from the UK jazz scene, Liane Carroll continues to charm and move listeners wherever she goes.For these lunchtime gigs, as likely to reinvent Stevie Wonder or Tom Waits as Hoagy Carmichael evergreens, she will be joined by a variety of guests.John FordhamLast Days Linbury theatre, London, 5 December to 3 January Since its first performances at the Linbury theatre three years ago, Oliver Leith’s first opera has already made it to the US, and now receives a rare accolade for a new opera: a revival from the company that introduced it.Based on the film of the same name by Gus van Sant, a fictionalised account of events surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, Last Days offers an extraordinary, chilly and beautiful experience.Andrew ClementsWildlife Photographer of the YearNatural History Museum, London, to 12 JulyThe more we destroy nature, the more we love to photograph it.
But that’s far too cynical a view of this ever-popular exhibition of revealing, haunting pictures of the natural world by amateurs and professionals, including Alexey Kharitonov, and Wim van den Heever’s winning portrait of a ghostly hyena by an abandoned town.Howardena PindellWhite Cube Bermondsey, London, to 18 January Beautiful and furious, the extraordinary art of Howardena Pindell ranges from abstract paintings with the freedom of Pollock and atmospherics of Monet to graphic denunciations of racism in the US.She paints and videos the history of her times, while her own long career bears witness to marginalisation, bravery and resilience.Stanley SpencerGainsborough’s House, Sudbury, to 22 March The archaic visions of this 20th-century British artist stand as testaments to modern suffering and timeless hope.Gloriously eccentric, Spencer mixes observation of his own life and surroundings with bouncy, rollicking comic versions of medieval Christianity and Renaissance perspective.
This exhibition brings his passionate eye to bear on Suffolk,Alfred Buckham: Daredevil PhotographerScottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, to 19 April This early 20th-century photographer longed to be a landscape artist but, after realising he would never paint like Turner, took to the air as a Royal Navy flyer in the first world war,He pioneered aerial photography with silvery composite shots of glowering skies over Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge,Jonathan JonesAll My SonsWyndham’s theatre, London, to 7 MarchHe directed a devastating version of Arthur Miller’s A View From a Bridge; now Ivo van Hove tackles All My Sons,Bryan Cranston plays self-deluding dad and is joined by a sparkling cast including Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Paapa Essiedu and Hayley Squires.
Miriam GillinsonThe BFGRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon Avon, to 7 FebruaryThis world stage premiere of Roald Dahl’s entrancing story is penned by the brilliant Tom Wells, directed by Daniel Evans, with puppetry from War Horse’s Toby Olié.John Leader plays the gentle, dream-catching giant, who embarks on a brave adventure with young Sophie.MGMountains and Seas: Song of TodayOmnibus theatre, London, 2 to 6 December An unclassifiable performance that combines dance, poetry, live painting, AI animation, music and film.The starting point for the show is the ancient Chinese text The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a compendium of mythical places and creatures, reimagined by writer Daniel York Loh to address global crises of climate and politics.Lyndsey WinshipKerry GodlimanNew Theatre Royal, Portsmouth, today; Birmingham, Wednesday Your last chance to see the After Life star’s current show Bandwidth, which sees her let rip on myriad modern irritants, including tattoos, school WhatsApp groups and parenting podcasts, with salt-of-the- earth indignation.
Rachel AroestiSign up to Inside SaturdayThe only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine,Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend,after newsletter promotionThe AbandonsNetflix, 4 December Hot on the heels of American Primeval comes Netflix’s second 1850s-set western of 2025,Games of Thrones’ Lena Headey plays an intensely religious Irish woman who settles in Oregon with her adopted children; Gillian Anderson is the wealthy European hellbent on taking control of the land she lives on,MammothiPlayer & BBC Two, 1 December, 10pmA Welsh PE teacher is buried by an avalanche on a school skiing trip in 1979 only to be defrosted a quarter of a century later – retro social mores fully preserved – in comedian Mike Bubbins’ brilliantly high-concept sitcom.
Talamasca: The Secret OrderNetflix, 1 December The latest entry in Interview With a Vampire author Anne Rice’s streamer-drama universe centres on an enigmatic, ancient and possibly corrupt organisation who protect humans from the supernatural sphere.Elizabeth McGovern and Jason Schwartzman are the big names in the cast.The HuntApple TV+, 3 DecemberThe hunters become the hunted in this tense French thriller, which follows a group of friends who are targeted by a mysterious band of fellow gun-enthusiasts in the forest.A shootout ensues, followed by guilt, paranoia and a moral quagmire from which none of them can escape.RAMetroid Prime 4: BeyondSwitch, Switch 2; out 4 December Perhaps the most long-awaited Nintendo game in recent years (it was first announced in 2017 under a different developer), this latest first-person adventure sees bounty hunter Samus Aran explore a new alien planet.
Simogo Legacy CollectionSwitch, Switch 2, PC; out 2 December With the fast-changing nature of smartphones rendering early games unplayable, stylish Swedish developer Simogo is future-proofing its catalogue by bringing seven titles – Beat Sneak Bandit, Year Walk and Device 6 among them – to modern platforms, complete with playable prototypes.Matthew ReynoldsJessie J – Don’t Tease Me With a Good Time Out now The proud owner of one of pop’s biggest voices, Jessie J turns it up to 11 on her first album since 2018.Charting the process from grief to joy, the midtempo No Secrets deals with the former, while the Ryan Tedder-assisted Living My Best Life is imbued with the spirit of 80s Whitney.MCTate McRae – So Close to What??? Out now As is de rigueur for pop stars in 2025, Canadian superstar McRae follows up February’s So Close to What with this hastily recorded deluxe edition.It’s off to a good start, with the slinky, trap-pop bop Tit for Tat adding to her run of transatlantic Top 10 singles.
The Futureheads – Christmas Out now In 2010, these Sunderland indie rockers released the rollicking yuletide nostalgia fest Christmas Was Better in the 80s.Fifteen years later that song takes pride of place on this festive album, alongside another original and a handful of classics, including Wonderful Christmastime.Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night (50th Anniversary) Out now Recorded in 1973 but not released until two years later, Young’s acclaimed sixth studio album wraps harrowing lyrics about love and death in often playful, spit-and-sawdust rock’n’roll.For this rerelease, a different take of Lookout Joe replaces the original, plus there are rarities galore.101 Part Time JobsPodcast Giles Bidder’s interview series delves into the inspiring stories and struggles of independent artists.
Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro recount their creative rebirths while poet Joshua Idehen talks about his previous burlesque bar job.Re:TVOnline This eco-focused streaming service is full of engaging and informative short films exploring everything from the mission to restore biodiversity at Kew Gardens to developments in food waste management, recycling, recirculation and renewable packaging.The New Yorker at 100Netflix, 5 December Oscar-winning director Marshall Curry takes a camera crew into the offices of fabled journalistic institution the New Yorker.His film asks whether the magazine’s high standards of reporting are sustainable in a fast-paced digital age.Ammar Kalia
Harrods warehouse staff underpaid by thousands of pounds after agency error
Harrods warehouse staff have been underpaid thousands of pounds after the temporary recruitment agency employing the workers failed to award them the correct levels of holiday pay.The error, which possibly equates to a six-figure debt owed to hundreds of lower-paid personnel, marks the latest setback to the image of the exclusive Knightsbridge retailer, which is owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and has spent the past 12 months firefighting a series of crises.The recent difficulties have included Harrods establishing a compensation scheme in March for survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the former owner Mohamed Al Fayed, while in May the department store warned customers their personal data may have been taken after a high-profile IT breach.Harrods warehouse workers were underpaid by The Best Connection, a temporary staffing agency that employs the staff and then supplies them under contract to Harrods.The discovery is understood to have been made after two years of warnings to Harrods that the pricing of The Best Connection’s services raised questions if it was lowballing tender offers to corporate customers, only to make back any missing margin from lower-paid workers
Airbus issues major A320 recall after mid-air incident grounds planes, disrupting global travel
Airlines around the world cancelled and delayed flights heading into the weekend after Airbus announced on Friday that it had ordered immediate repairs to 6,000 of its A320 family of jets in a recall affecting more than half of the global fleet.The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the main certifying authority for A320 aircraft, issued the instruction on Friday night as a precautionary action, saying that “safety is paramount”.The US Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency airworthiness directive for certain Airbus planes, requiring the aircraft to replace or modify specific software.The fix mainly involves reverting to earlier software and is relatively simple, but must be carried out before the planes can fly again, according to the bulletin to airlines seen by Reuters.Of the 6,000 jets affected, a sub-set will need a time-consuming hardware change rather than a quick software fix, though the number that require more extensive fixes was smaller than the initial estimates of 1,000, Airbus said
US small businesses sound alarm over Trump’s tariffs amid crucial holiday season
Donald Trump’s tariffs have increased prices on an array of popular holiday goods and driven a “massive” number of small firms out of business, industry leaders have warned.On Small Business Saturday, firms have their fingers crossed that strong holiday sales will ease the impact of a tough year. But many aren’t holding their breath.“My husband and I have invested a lot of our retirement money into this business,” Joann Cartiglia, owner of Queen’s Treasures, a toy company in Ticonderoga, New York, during a press briefing organized by We Pay the Tariffs, a coalition of small businesses, this week. “And now I have absolutely no hope of retirement
Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run – but without passengers
The good news for rail travel between Manchester and London is that a morning train will continue to link the two cities in under two hours. The bad news: passengers will no longer be able to get onboard.The rail regulator has axed one of Britain’s fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shake-up that will take effect in mid-December.What will heap on frustration for passengers, as well as the operator, is that the exact same train service will continue to run between the stations from 7am each weekday: crewed, fast and empty.The train and staff still need to travel from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of Euston on the new December timetable, under rail’s complex planning
Jetstar cancels 90 domestic flights across Australia after global Airbus A320 recall
Jetstar has grounded some of its Airbus fleet in Australia and cancelled domestic and international flights after the aerospace manufacturer ordered software changes to thousands of its A320 planes following a mid-air incident.Ninety Jetstar flights were affected on Saturday with disruption expected to continue until Sunday, the airline’s head of flying operations, Tyrone Simes, told reporters at Melbourne airport.Airbus said on Friday it was ordering an immediate software change on a “significant number” of its bestselling A320 family of aircraft, a narrow-body plane which is also used by Virgin Australia and Qantas.Simes said on Saturday Airbus had issued Jetstar with a maintenance directive to reverse a software upgrade that had been installed on some planes and resulted in a malfunction.He said 34 of Jetstar’s 85 Airbus fleet were affected, but engineers could complete the software update on the ground in Australia, which would take about two to three hours for each plane
UK at risk of ‘sudden confidence crisis’ if markets lose faith in budget – as it happened
UK government borrowing costs have inched down today, as the bond markets continue to welcome the budget.The yield (or interest rate) on 10-year gilts has dipped by 1.5 basis points to 4.44%, while 30-year gilt yields are down 3.5bps
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