Isobel Thompson

When the Sleigh Bells Ring

Isobel Thompson met Santa Claus.

16 December 2025

The Fence

The Ceremonial Counties of England… Ranked!

A deeply subjective guide to the shires, starting at the top and finishing, of course, at the bottom. We brook no arguments.

17 December 2025

The Fence

Rumours of Our Death

Forecasts of print’s demise have been around for as long as press barons have been buying ink by the barrel. We asked a panel of print icons how the medium has fared in the first quarter-century of this millennium.

18 December 2025

Chris Black

All My Friends Are Famous

The mysterious covenant of the celebrity-civilian friendship pact.

13 January 2026

Ian Trueger

Whining and Dining

Since it opened in 1889, Sweetings has been serving fish lunches smack-bang in the middle of London’s Square Mile, closing by 3pm on weekdays, and remaining shut over…

27 January 2026

John Banville

Lead Heads

The art of a good sub, by one of the world's best writers.

2 February 2026

Matt Nida

I’m Going to Be Sacked for Shagging About

An obituary to television’s least-loved genre.

10 February 2026

James Riding

Justice for Joe

How did a 21-year-old man come to die on a driveway in the West of Ireland?

23 February 2026

Edward Platt

The Da Vinci of Halton Moor

A salute to a Yorkshireman with a future-proofed legacy, Jimi Heselden, the miner-turned-multi-millionaire.

2 March 2026

Dan Beaumont

Hideous Kinky

A trip into some dark rooms, as we venture into the capital’s sex clubs.

9 March 2026

Naomi Wood

Cannonball!

A short story, focused on the film industry.

16 March 2026

Sarah Haque

Singhs and Roundabouts

This writer is British and Bangladeshi. Somehow, she is also neither. She looks to the nation, and keeps score.

30 March 2026

Jack Goulder

The Vampire Diaries

You might feel a sharp scratch with this piece

20 May 2026