The Time Out London blog team

The Traitors is, famously, quite a popular TV show, the niche party game of Mafia blown into a gripping televised opera of trust, betrayal and raw humanity. Unsurprisingly, it’s already spawned an immersive theatre version right here in London, that allows members of the public to participate in their own short but pretty sweet miniature game of the Claudia Winkleman-hosted show.  Now there’s a Traitors… play? It’s been announced today that Traitors TV producer Studio Lambert and top West End production company Neal Street Productions will join forces for ‘a stage adaptation’ of The Traitors that’ll start its run in 2027. The show will be written by John Finnemore and directed by National Theatre deputy Robert Hastie and that’s… all we know for now.  Although the details are being kept under wraps, the show’s publicist did confirm that it is definitely a play in the conventional sense. Finnemore as writer also offers some clues: he’s not known as a playwright but rather an acclaimed Radio 4 humorist, most famously responsible for the shows Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme. So it doesn’t take a genius to assume this will probably be a somewhat jocular take on The Traitors. This does stir distant memories of Harry Hill's ill-starred X-Factor musical I Can't Sing!, which actually quite amusingly charted the journey of a wide-eyed contestant as she progressed through the singing contest. Unfortunately it wasn’t staged until people were starting to get...

In a first for the city, a wild swimming spot could open inside one of south London’s iconic Grade II-listed gasholders. Within a few years London’s outdoor swimming enthusiasts (we know there are a lot of them) could be practicing their Wim Hof method in the Old Kent Road gasworks, which would be renamed Livesey Park.  Southwark Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee revealed its plans to transform the site, calling the proposals ‘unlike anything else seen in Europe’.  The project would divide the historic gasworks in two, building a cold water swimming pool in one half and a natural reed-based filtration system in the other half, keeping water for the pool fresh, while a café, shop, and changing rooms would provide refreshments and pay for the pool’s upkeep. Image: Southwark Council At one point the largest gasworks in the world, the Old Kent Road structures were built by engineer Sir George Livesey in the late 1800s but have been disused since 1953. They were bought by Southwark Council in 2017 for £15 million.   The wild swimming pool would allow the Grade II-listed metal circular structure to remain while also utilising what was once a deep-water tank on the site for the pool. If built, it would be the world’s only outdoor swimming spot at a gasworks. Southwark Labour Councillor Helen Dennis said: ‘The idea for a wild swimming pond in the planned Livesey Park is at an early stage but would transform the area with such an exciting and unique offer, and is a good...

The West London Orbital sounds quite a lot like a roller coaster – and its journey to becoming a reality is proving a bit of a ride.  Since 2024 plans to revive an abandoned train line in west London and turn it into part of the Overground network have been getting serious traction. And this week there’s been another positive update, as City Hall has revealed that cash will be set aside to explore making it actually happen.  Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed that his 2026/27 budget will include £400,000 to ‘progress the business case’ for the planned line. It’s one of three major transport projects he wants to finally get moving alongside the Bakerloo line extension and the DLR’s long-awaited expansion to Thamesmead.  If built, the West London Orbital would link up parts of north and west London. By repurposing an old freight rail line that hasn’t carried passengers since 1902, the new line would connect Hounslow to Hendon and West Hampstead via Old Oak Common. If approved, it would become the seventh branch of the Overground network.  As you may have guessed, however, all this won’t come cheap. The WLO is expected to cost between £430 million and £610 million to build – hence the need for City Hall to make a business case for the line. In return, the new route is expected to unlock thousands of new homes and jobs in areas like Hounslow, Harlesden and Hendon and could pump around £300 million into the local economy in its first decade. The £400,000 from City...