Emerald Fennell’s film brings the raunch to Brontë’s romance, while Nintendo’s beloved plumber stars in a colourful, family-friendly sports gameWuthering HeightsOut now Out on the wily, windy moors, writer-director Emerald Fennell has constructed a new interpretation of the Emily Brontë classic.Margot Robbie is Cathy while Jacob Elordi takes on Heathcliff, and as you might expect from the film-maker behind Saltburn, the passionate pair are set to leave no height unwuthered.It’s Never Over, Jeff BuckleyOut now Very few musicians have the impact that Jeff Buckley had during such a short space of time.This documentary from Amy Berg explores the success of his only album, Grace, and his death at a young age by accidental drowning, through previously unseen archive materials and the perspectives of the people in his life.WhistleOut now Whistling is easy – as Lauren Bacall advised Humphrey Bogart: just put your lips together and blow … or maybe don’t, if the whistle in question is an ancient Aztec death whistle that has the power to summon dark and deadly forces to your local high school.

Teen horror from the director of The Nun.The President’s CakeOut nowIn 1990s Iraq, it is mandatory to bake a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussain’s birthday.Economic sanctions by the West are ruining the economy and ingredients are scarce, particularly for Lamia, a nine-year old living in poverty with her grandmother.Hasan Hadi’s acclaimed drama was this year’s international Oscar submission from Iraq.Catherine BrayTei ShiLondon, 18 February; Manchester, 19 February; Dublin, 20 February Tei Shi’s fourth album, Make Believe I Make Believe, continues her ability to soften electropop’s edges, anchored by her captivating, featherlight vocal.

Like her regular collaborator, Blood Orange, Shi conjures up beautiful atmospherics on record and on stage.Michael CraggWavves14 to 20 February; tour starts Dublin Formed in 2008, these California lo-fi pop-rockers were briefly lumped in with the unfortunately monikered “shitgaze” scene.Nine albums later and their hook-laden powerpop is still as potent as ever, as showcased on last year’s Spun.Michael CraggMatana RobertsCafe Oto, London, 20 to 22 February The fiery alto saxophonist Matana Roberts – a childhood convert to the impassioned sound of short-lived 60s jazz revolutionary Albert Ayler – opens a three-night season at Cafe Oto, in the compatible company of the UK bass/drums pairing of Neil Charles and Mark Sanders.John FordhamLondon Handel festival Smith Square Hall, London, 18 February to 28 March The London Handel festival has been a major force in baroque music since the late 1970s.

The 2026 edition launches with Handel’s oratorio Saul, performed by LHF principal ensemble in residence Arcangelo.Jonathan Cohen conducts a stellar cast.Flora WilsonYinka Shonibare CBE RAThe Arc, Winchester, 14 February to 13 June History leaves its traces as colour and pattern in Shonibare’s expansive, thought-provoking vision.Since the 1990s – when he told the story of a Victorian dandy in a brilliantly ironic pictorial narrative, through sculptures from a ship in a bottle to reclaimed imperial statues – he has been one of our wittiest artists.Sean ScullyLisson Gallery, London, 18 February to 9 May The outstanding abstract painter reveals his deep relationship with landscape, specifically the landscapes of Ireland.

In his 81st year, Scully is keen to show the web of reality behind his paintings of intensely coloured rectangles,Here, his monochrome photographs of the drystone walls of Aran uncover one source,Lynda Benglis/GiacomettiBarbican, Level 2, London, to 31 May In the 1960s, revolutionary American sculptor Benglis metaphorically melted the cool, straight lines of the fashionable (male) minimalists of the day by replacing their neatness with a sloppy mess,Her early works look like huge melted ice-creams dripping over the gallery floor,Here she encounters another surrealist in Giacometti.

Origin StoriesThe Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, to 8 March One of the success stories of modern art teaching was Glasgow School of Art in the 1980s and 90s, which produced a generation of exciting, hugely individual artists.How does that kind of magic happen? Here the Royal Scottish Academy, on its 200th birthday, explores art schools in Scotland since 1826.Jonathan JonesSam Nicoresti Reading, 18 February; tour continues to 20 March Nicoresti’s Edinburgh award-winning show Baby Doomer married cutting-edge material with mainstream appeal, buoying riffs on neurodivergence, trauma and the trans experience with farce, cringe comedy and uproarious jokes.Catch it on a victory lap now.Rachel AroestiRoadRoyal Exchange theatre, Manchester, to 14 March The Royal Exchange celebrates the 40th anniversary of Jim Cartwright’s famous play, set on a working-class road in Lancashire.

A rich, rowdy ensemble cast includes Lucy Beaumont, Shobna Gulati, Johnny Vegas and Lesley Joseph.Miriam GillinsonMiles.Southwark Playhouse, London, to 7 March This intimate two-hander blends live jazz and fluid performances, delving into the creation of Miles Davis’s album Kind of Blue.It’s a smoke-laced fever dream, starring trumpeter Jay Phelps and actor Benjamin Akintuyosi.MGBallet Icons GalaLondon Coliseum, Sunday It’s the 20th anniversary of the Ballet Icons Gala, a starry night of virtuoso showpieces performed by dancers from around the world.

The lineup includes principals from Paris Opera Ballet, La Scala and American Ballet Theatre.Lyndsey Winship56 DaysPrime Video, 18 February After The Girlfriend, could this erotic thriller be another word-of-mouth success for Amazon? Based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Howard, one timeline chronicles the early days of an intense romance; the other tracks the subsequent police investigation into an unidentifiable corpse.Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia star.Being Gordon RamsayNetflix, 18 February We’ve already had documentaries on Robbie Williams and both Beckhams, now another Brit celebrity is getting the Netflix hagiography treatment.This six-part series will follow the progress of one of the chef’s biggest projects to date – five “culinary experiences” in a London skyscraper.

The Darkest WebBBC Four/iPlayer, 17 February, 10pm The BBC’s Storyville strand returns with a documentary (and podcast series) about the attempts to eradicate the horrific child abuse hidden in the murkiest corners of the internet – an effort that requires international collaboration and almost superhuman resilience from the officers involved.Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top ModelNetflix, 16 February The 2000s were a wild west when it came to reality TV and this documentary takes just one of the era’s many outrageous shows to task.Cast and crew members of Tyra Banks’s colossally successful talent show recall the cultural appropriation and physical abuse that underpinned it.RAMario Tennis FeverNintendo Switch 2; out now Two very different vibes for this week’s games suggestions: this colourful, approachable, family-friendly sports game that augments the noble pursuit of tennis with transforming courts, mushroom power-ups and giant Mario bosses …ReanimalXbox, PS5, PC, Switch 2; out now … and a deeply unsettling cooperative horror game for the last of the dark nights, from the creators of the excellent Little Nightmares series.Two orphaned siblings seek out their friends in a nightmare world where awful things are chasing them.

Keza MacDonaldCharli xcx – Wuthering HeightsOut now Now heavily ensconced in the film world as an actor, Charli xcx returns to music with the soundtrack to the newly released Brontë adaptation.The first single, the John Cale-assisted industrial dirge House, is as far removed from Brat as you can imagine.Jill Scott – To Whom This May ConcernOut now It’s been more than 10 years since Philly R&B-soul legend Jill Scott’s last album, 2015’s US chart-topper Woman.Scott is keen to go at her own pace, and songs such as the airy Beautiful People and Pressha’s steadily unfurling groove are all the better for it.Danny L Harle – CeruleanOut now Dua Lipa, PinkPantheress and Caroline Polachek are among the guest vocalists on producer Danny L Harle’s follow-up to 2021’s happy hardcore experiment Harlecore.

The focus on the more melodic Cerulean is a head-spinning fusion between hedonistic rave culture and Elizabethan composers such as Thomas Tallis.Belvedere Kane – Such Trying TimesOut now In the mid-90s, Irish songwriter and producer Barry Stone (Steps, the Saturdays) briefly became a pop star, but after debut single Never Felt As Good flopped, his album as Belvedere Kane was shelved.Thirty years later it’s now been resurrected in all its high-octane synthpop glory.MCSafe to DrinkPodcast New Hampshire Public Radio’s excellent series on the American state’s recent water supply contamination by a forever chemical is a timely and bleak examination of the ways that regulations and corporations can often fail citizens.BBC Get SingingOnline Singer Jacob Collier fronts a comprehensive and engaging BBC Bitesize series aiming to get 11- to 14-year-olds singing together.

Score breakdowns, performance videos and song explanations are all available to make finding your voice easy.Give Me My Child Back BBC World Service, 19 February, 9.32am Sofia Bettiza’s moving documentary follows the plight of Greenlandic parents in Denmark who were subjected to controversial “parenting competency tests” that saw their children removed into care.We hear their stories as they try to regain custody.Ammar Kalia