THE TRUTH ABOUT: Magda | History Defined

‘A lot of comedians don’t have a sense of humour’: Jack Dee on his loser Lead Balloon creation Rick Spleen

‘Rick’s basically a what-if version of me. Had I not found success, that’s how I would have been – deluding myself into thinking success will come, or believing it’s not my fault that it hasn’t’

The Guardian - UK · Mar 9

La Rondine review – new version of Puccini’s opera makes aftertaste bitter rather than sweet

Carlo Rizzi and the BBC Symphony Orchestra sparkled as Ermonela Jaho as Magda and Iván Ayón-Rivas as Ruggero delivered the composer’s long-lost preferred version

The Guardian - UK · Dec 7, 2025

Goebbels and the Führer review – private life of propagandist shows grotesque heart of Nazism

Joachim Lang’s bleak film shows a preening Goebbels and a careworn Hitler as they battle to convince the German public, and themselves, they will win the war

The Guardian - UK · Jun 4, 2025

Think Again by Jaqueline Wilson – Ellie and her friends are grownup and grappling with the diverse issues of being a late millenial

Many people when they “grow up” wonder when the penny will drop and they’ll finally feel like a fully fledged adult. There have been consistent studies and articles on this subject. In fact, one British study of 18 to 30 year olds this year found that attitudes to being an…

The Conversation · Nov 14, 2024

Jacqueline Wilson: ‘There’s such a lot of pressure on teenage girls – but I feel sorry for boys too’

A generation of millennial readers greeted news of an adult Jacqueline Wilson novel with the kind of excitement usually reserved for a surprise Taylor Swift album. The author talks to Jessie Thompson about whether teen girls have changed since her ‘Girls in Love’ books were published 25 years ago, the…

The Independent UK · Sep 25, 2024

Jacqueline Wilson shares the dark Tracy Beaker plot publishers asked her to cut

Exclusive: Author said she was warned that children might be inspired to experiment with inhalants

The Independent UK · Sep 24, 2024

‘These books captured our hearts’: Jacqueline Wilson’s Girls series is back – and millennials are rejoicing

The beloved children’s author reunites readers with Ellie, Magda and Nadine, now 40 and grappling with parenthood, sex and divorce

The Guardian - UK · Sep 12, 2024

Jacqueline Wilson reveals cover for new adult sequel to Girls series

Author surprised five unsuspecting fans with an early glimpse at the cover

The Independent UK · Jun 27, 2024

Where to start with: Ottessa Moshfegh

The American novelist has created an oeuvre of medieval gross-fests, 60s psychological thrillers and hallucinatory evocations over five novels and one short story collection

The Guardian - UK · Dec 15, 2023

The week in classical: La rondine; La traviata review – rapture and raw power

Puccini’s flighty swallow soars in James Hurley’s gorgeous new production for Opera North. And Nicole Chevalier is devastating as the doomed Violetta in ENO’s impassioned revival of no-frills Verdi

The Guardian - UK · Oct 28, 2023