A grand inquisitor
Hidden behind Kensington Palace, in one of London’s smartest streets, there is a grand old house which played a leading…
Ivory towers
Great novels rarely make great movies, but for half a century one director has been showing all the others how…
West Middlewick Farm
In springtime in our family, we always have the same old argument: where should we go on our summer holiday…
Thatcher’s Britain with her knickers down
Two 16-year-old schoolgirls from a sink estate in Bradford find fun and happiness by shacking up with a middle-aged married…
Ruislip Lido
Most mornings, if I’m not too hung-over, I go for a run around Ruislip Lido — a mile there, through…
Europe’s best hope
Go into any high street bookshop and find the European history section. There’s usually a shelf or two on France…
The suburban battleground
In Westminster, all the general election chatter is about Brexit. Will Tory Remainers turn Lib Dem? Will Labour leavers desert…
Haus of ill repute
Here in Munich, in the gallery that Hitler built, this year’s big hit show is a spectacular display of modern…
Haus of ill repute
Here in Munich, in the gallery that Hitler built, this year’s big hit show is a spectacular display of modern…
Morocco: A match made in heaven
I’m sitting by the pool in a lush Moroccan garden playing chess with Nigel Short, and I feel like an…
Zurich’s wild side
On the green edge of Zurich, where this neat and tidy city melts into neat and tidy countryside, an icon…
Zurich’s wild side
On the green edge of Zurich, where this neat and tidy city melts into neat and tidy countryside, an icon…
Secrets of the universe
A few years ago, in Berne, I visited the apartment where Einstein wrote his theory of special relativity, which changed…
Who comes after Merkel?
A year from now, 60 million Germans go to the polls in the most important general election in mainland Europe…
Of microbes and men
Which disease are you most scared of catching: Ebola or influenza? Before I read this medical memoir, I would have…
What dogs are really up to
Before I read this book, I thought I knew what a dog was. It barks, it wags its tail, it…
Confessions of a Saga lout
Baby boomers like me aren’t giving up irresponsible hedonism as we age. We’re just getting worse at it
The frightening, fascinating, inspiring story of radiation
About a century ago, scientists started meddling with an unfamiliar force of nature and the rest of us were terrified.…
Even Corbyn would find Thomas More’s Utopia too leftwing
Thomas More’s 1516 classic is a textbook for our troubled times, says William Cook
Lessons from Utopia
As anniversaries go, the timing could hardly be more apt. As Europe braces itself for the next Islamist attack, the…
Lessons from Utopia
As anniversaries go, the timing could hardly be more apt. As Europe braces itself for the next Islamist attack, the…
My surreal Christmas in hospital with a dangerously ill child
My surreal Christmas in hospital with a dangerously ill child
The Heckler: those who doubt the brilliance of Phil Collins are snobs
Three boos for those rotten spoilsports who started an online petition against Phil Collins coming out of retirement (there’s already…
The Heckler: those who doubt the brilliance of Phil Collins are snobs
Three boos for those rotten spoilsports who started an online petition against Phil Collins coming out of retirement (there’s already…
The Heckler: those who doubt the brilliance of Phil Collins are snobs
Three boos for those rotten spoilsports who started an online petition against Phil Collins coming out of retirement (there’s already…
