Seeds of hope in the siege of Leningrad
A Russian biologist’s dream of creating the world’s first seed bank is thwarted by Stalin’s paranoia and the Nazi invasion. But the pioneering project remains a potent symbol of hope
The World at War is the greatest documentary series ever made
To present a TV history documentary these days, one must first have access to the full Angels and Bermans dressing-up…
The real Dick Whittington and the folklore legend
In that dark world the air pulsed with the melancholy clangour of bells. If, as legend has it, the chimes…
Sex and politics in the precincts of St Paul’s Cathedral
In the tight dark maze of alleys that wind between the Thames and St Paul’s the pleasures of the living…
City of gold: Peter Ackroyd on the undimmed spirit of London
Peter Ackroyd on the undimmed spirit of London
Behind the veil of secrecy: GCHQ emerges from the shadows
The brilliance of GCHQ can now be recognised – and about time too, says Sinclair McKay
The crime of passion that kept the nation enthralled
No matter how exquisitely English —gobbets of blood amid the fireplace ornaments — murder annihilates meaning. Even when the motive…
The desolate beauty of the Thames Estuary
We ought to cherish the haunted landscape of the Thames Estuary while we can. The grey hulks of old power…
Freedom of movement isn’t an EU invention. Victorian London thrived on it
Here’s a bracing lesson from Victorian history that might possibly help to slice some impossible Brexit knots. In the 19th…
Cockney comfort food: eel, pie and mash to the sound of Bow bells
Cockney feet mark the beat of history, sang Noël Coward, as if he had ever been east of Holborn. Yet…
What on earth was The Prisoner all about?
Now, if someone were to spray stun gas through the keyhole of my front door, and I were to collapse…
Finally tired of London
Iain Sinclair is leaving London — like the croakiest of the ravens taking flight from the Tower. It is a…
Spies in the spotlight
Spying is a branch of philosophy, although you would never guess it from that expression on Daniel Craig’s face. Its…
Turing, Snow White and the poisoned apple
As a young student, the atheist Alan Turing — disorientated with grief over the death of his first love Christopher…
EastEnders wanted to show Thatcher’s Britain. These days it would make Maggie proud
How EastEnders became a positive reflection of Tory values
Alan Turing's last victory
The story of how we cracked Enigma was top secret, then misrepresented. Now it’s a worldwide cult
Why Doctor Who is secretly Tony Benn
Through the ages, the Time Lord has been a political weathervane
