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