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Strange folk, lost pop, disco oddities and, um, Dido – here are the forgotten tracks that became this year’s most replayed revelations• The 50 best albums of 2025• More on the best culture of 2025I grew up listening to the Mamas and the Papas’ hits but had never heard their albums before this year. …
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What chaos will Super Hans cause in the tent? Plus, calling all Ab Fab fans: Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are back together! Here’s what to watch today8pm, Channel 4 “I kind of assumed someone would do it for us.” Nope, Olivia Colman. Even Oscar winners have to muck in on Bake Off. This fun s…
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The award-winning star of Say Nothing and Trespasses refuses to play the fame game when they can fight government inaction. They open up on making amazing TV … and why morals matter more than nice handbagsFew people are less daunted about the prospect of turning 30 than Lola Petticrew. “I used to be…
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Matriarchs, absent fathers and troubled childhoods: 2025 was the year French literature focused on familyIn my neighbourhood bookshop, La Galerne, the shelves are well organised. On the ground floor, there’s a corner for foreign literature and another for French literature, with the latest releases …
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This year has brought us some great movies – and also at least a dozen dire-one star disasters. Here are the Guardian’s critics on the pick of the year’s cinematic calamities• Guardian readers’ best films of the year• Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the year• More on the best culture of 2025What we s…
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Date a vending machine, watch intergalactic television and make the most out of your short existence as a fly. Here are the best games you weren’t playing this year• The 20 best video games of 2025• More on the best culture of 2025PS5, Xbox, Switch, PCHave you ever wanted to romance your record play…
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It wasn’t until 7pm that anyone noticed the unfolding crisis. As our hunger grew, my Mum came up with an unlikely and audacious planThe first sign that something was amiss was the smell – or rather, the lack of it. The roasted turkey aroma that usually wafted throughout the house on Christmas Day wa…
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Memoirs from Liza Minnelli and Lena Dunham, essays by David Sedaris and Alan Bennett’s diaries are among the highlights of the year aheadOver the past year we’ve been spoiled for memoirs from high-wattage stars – Cher, Patti Smith and Anthony Hopkins among them. But 2026 begins with a very different…