Annie McNamee

On March 25, 1925, at London’s Selfridges department store in central London, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demo of his latest creation: a way to broadcast visual information from a camera to a screen. A full century later, Baird’s discovery has led to perhaps the most vital, creative and popular mode of artistic expression in the entire world. But it’s only in the past 25 years that television has really fulfilled its artistic potential.  The result has been the so-called ‘Golden Age of Television’, a boom kickstarted roughly around the turn of the century with the rise of shows like The Sopranos and later Breaking Bad, and continuing with awards-winners from Succession to Shōgun to Slow Horses. So while our list of the 100 greatest TV shows may pay tribute to the unmissable programs of yesteryear, you’ll find that the majority hail from our own century – meaning there’s no excuse not to watch every single one. Paring the list down to only 100 was a painful process, so we decided to omit sketch shows, talk shows, news and non-fiction in order to focus on scripted drama and classic comedy. Time to go goggle-eyed. Recommended: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025 (so far)🍎 The best shows to watch on Apple TV+ right now📺 The best Netflix original series to binge🎮 The best ‘90s TV shows

This bustling coastal city is absolutely steeped in history, maritime heritage, and of course, there's loads to see. It’s roots date back as far as the Stone Age, and its first ever museum (the Tudor House) remains a top attraction, with gorgeous gardens and guided tours on offer.  There’s plenty of modern-day action too, with a treasured football team, The Saints, and their fans bringing life to the city on match day. Southampton is also only a 20-minute drive away from the New Forest, or a ferry-ride away from the Isle of Wight, there's plenty going on that makes this city worth a visit. Check out our list of top picks for all the best things to do in Southampton.  RECOMMENDED:  🚆The best day trips from London⛰️ The best things to in the New Forest🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK💕 The best things to do in the UK Annie McNamee is a writer at Time Out UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

This is about the time when the January blues start to hit pretty hard. It’s dark at 4pm, you’ve got no money left after Christmas and winter feels like it’s dragging on forever. But we’re here to tell you that things are looking up, because 2025 is going to be a corker of a year for the UK.  It turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a big one, with a number of landmark occasions being celebrated across Britain. There’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Southampton, as well as the art-packed Folkestone Triennial, a celebration of 200 years of the British railway in York and Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture festivities. Then, there are up-and-coming foodie towns in Cornwall, music scenes that are popping off in Cardiff and Belfast, and the reopening of grand cultural insitutions like the Tate Liverpool.  If there’s ever been a good time to book a trip, it’s now (it might even help keep some SAD at bay). There is so much fantastic stuff happening across the country this year, so read our list curated by local experts of the best places to visit in the UK in 2025, and get stuck in.  RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The 25 best new things to do in the UK in 2025📍The 12 most underrated city breaks in the UK 🏨 The UK’s 13 best new hotels opening in 2025👨‍👩‍👧 6 amazing places to stay with Kids in the UK

If people make Glasgow, music is what fuels it. The city's music scene was thriving long before the rest of it had caught up, with places like the Barrowlands and the Old Fruit Market offering locals good, cheap live music when general attitudes of Glasgow were, let's just say, less than favourable.  But those days are behind us, and Scotland's biggest city is now known across the UK for its vibrant cultural heritage, nightlife, and, of course, its music scene. Whether you're looking for an arena of people to scream along your favourite songs with, or a small makeshift stage at the back of a bar to find your new favourite band, Glasgow's got you sorted. Fair warning though: crowds here are famously rowdy. They're a lot of fun, but don't be surprised if you end up beer-soaked. Oh, and brush up on our local chants. You don't want to be the only person not shouting along with 'here we, here we, here we f'ing go!'. 

History has it that Pollokshaws Road was once home to a merry band of Flemish weavers – known as the ‘Queer Folk’ – who were brought over to work in the city during the 19th century by local landowners. These days it’s still a thriving creative hub, threading down Glasgow’s Southside and linking up the districts of Govanhill, Strathbungo and Shawlands. Rows of sandstone tenements loom over traffic separated by wide pavements, behind which stand ornate townhouses designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. There’s a juicy chunk of Pollokshaws Road where bars, cafés and boutiques jostle for space; pick it up from Allison Street and wander down past Queen’s Park. Since it’s a largely residential area, there’s a distinct feel of community – something that’s enhanced by the indie businesses that have popped up over the past few years. In particular it’s a brunch haven, with queues leaking out of living-room-sized cafés come rain or shine. You can also expect to find organic fruit and veg at Stalks & Stems, a fresh produce emporium with a florist next door, and (almost) a different coffee shop for every day of the week. It’s not all hipster territory, though. Punters tired of mustachioed baristas and bar staff will be cheered by the decent selection of old man pubs complete with smoked-glass windows. Recommended: Full guide to the best things to do in Glasgow

How easily could you be persuaded to shave off an eyebrow, or take a shot for every stair you climbed? Perhaps you’d feel more compelled if you were half a bottle of ‘Chicken Wine’ deep, 18, and surrounded by new friends that you were trying to impress? If you attended university in the UK you might have an uncomfortable feeling of deja-vu, perhaps being whisked back to the time you were ‘hazed’ as a first year student. If you didn’t, you’ve likely heard the rumours about former prime ministers getting it on with pigs, or rugby teams shoving carrots in places vegetables should never go. Hazing, or ‘initiation’ as it more commonly goes by this side of the Atlantic, is a practice which usually consists of ritualistically embarrassing rookie members of a given group in order for them to prove themselves. It’s also nothing new. There’s evidence of rowdy schoolboys dating as far back as 420 BCE when Plato recounted ‘practical jokes played by unruly young men’ which left both spectators and haze-ees injured. Somehow, this bizarre custom has survived the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of Jesus Christ, several international plagues and found a home for itself in the modern age on university campuses. But for the past decade or so, hazing’s millenia-long reign has been threatened by a generation who supposedly care more about their physical and mental health than they do about banter and ritual humiliation. Today, hazing has met its match: Generation Z. So what do these

In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is what makes a neighbourhood truly cool. From formerly overlooked sub

You might never want to leave Edinburgh, and we get it. The Scottish capital is loved the world over for its culture, restaurants and Fringe Festival (to name a few). But if you limit your time in Scotland to just Edinburgh, trust us, you’re missing out.  Scotland is full of gems, but the best part is a whole lot of them can be reached by train or car in just one day – with enough time left to get back in time for dinner. From hilly hikes to wide-open beaches and from pretty towns to full-blown city breaks, these day trips from Edinburgh are not to be missed. Here are our favourites.  RECOMMENDED:🌤️ The best things to do in Edinburgh 🎨 The best art galleries in Edinburgh🏰 The best attractions in Edinburgh🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Edinburgh This guide was updated by Edinburgh-based Arusa Quereshi, and Time Out editors. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

What words come to mind when we mention the Olympics? Prestige? Excellence? Medals? Or is it: ‘Grom’?  The Olympic games have been around for nearly three millennia. As the entire planet tunes in to watch as the top sports people compete for those coveted gold medals, there’s some stuff you’ll probably want to get your head around to make the most of your viewing experience: jargon for you normies to weave into your vocab that will have you sounding like proper Olympic pros in no time.  RECOMMENDED:How to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics in the UK for freeHere’s the full schedule and timings for the Summer Games We’ve done some digging and unearthed some 100 percent real words and phrases that will almost certainly be used by professional Olympians and commentators across the next few weeks. What’s more, there’s something inherently funny about words which sound out of place to the average Joe. There’s nothing worth giggling about hearing the word ‘jaeger’ at a bar (especially as it’s usually followed by a friend trying to convince you to neck a shot of sweet battery acid and gone-off liquorice), but watching it earnestly come out of the mouth of a world-class gymnast? Now that’s entertainment. So what are you waiting for? Brush up on your sporty lingo and drop these into convo next time you’re watching the Games to impress your mates. Skateboarding  ‘Goofy stance’: Refers to when a skateboarder has their left foot on the back of the board. Also used in surfing and snowboarding

You remember the days. Assuring your friend that she definitely looks like her older cousin’s co-worker, especially with a ponytail in. Hovering awkwardly around the corner from the off-license as your one 18-year-old pal does God’s work for the rest of you. The pit in your tummy as you recite a fake birthday to the bouncer of a sticky-floored nightclub – remembering your star sign, memorising your imaginary postcode – and the elated relief when he lets you in with a raised eyebrow and a reluctant nod. Finding increasingly inventive ways to get around age-restrictions was half the fun of being 17, but today’s teens seem to be going off going out altogether. ‘You definitely see fake IDs less than you used to,’ says one bouncer at a popular student nightclub in Bristol. When he started working at the venue a decade ago, he’d encounter a load of fakes on any given night – but not so much anymore. ‘The worst one I ever saw had the back on upside down,’ he says. ‘The ones we do see are getting a lot better and it can be harder to catch them. But they’re definitely rarer now.’ Something has certainly shifted. A few weeks ago, as I walked through the Triangle, Bristol’s premier hotspot for stumbling freshers and lovers of three for two Jägerbombs, I noticed that the local Sainsbury’s was busier than all of the clubs combined. Two years ago, dancefloors would’ve been filling up at 11pm on a Monday. This wasn’t a fluke: since that night, two of the clubs in question have closed their

For all of the stick we give the UK – the grey skies, the pigeons, the Greggs sausage roll packets littering the pavements – it’s actually a pretty gorgeous country. In London alone, you can be goggling over the Barbican’s brutalist beauty one moment, the next, you might be basking in the tranquility of Hampstead Ponds. Add the turquoise coasts of Cornwall, the rugged mountains of Snowdonia and the fairytale wonder of Scotland’s highlands and islands to the mix, and you’ve got a country which is as good looking as they come.  When we set about curating this list of the most beautiful places in the UK, we called on our network of expert travel writers. These guys have have personally experienced the pinch-me moment of seeing every place on this list IRL – so we can guarantee you there is no catfishing going on here. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects – you can’t argue with the magic of the Isle of Skye, after all – but you’ll also find some more surprising beauty spots to add to your travel bucket list. RECOMMENDED:🚂 The UK’s most beautiful train stations🇬🇧 The best things to do in the UK🏝 The most beautiful places in the world🏠 The best Airbnbs in the UK Chiara Wilkinson is Time Out’s UK features editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content

Ever wanted to know what life as student is really like in 2023? We asked 20-year-old student-turned-amateur-anthropologist Annie to tell us her observations about the people, parties and juiciest secrets of the UK’s unis. Here’s her verdict. Universities. National institutions. Places of learning and research, incubators of intellect. Unfortunately, also the land of the ‘student’. Student is a varied species which feeds mainly on pasta and rice. British students can often be found at the nearest Wetherspoons, getting drunk on vanilla flavoured vodka because the regular one is 30p more expensive. They tend to be slightly nocturnal and the males are known for going to extraordinary lengths to attract mates that they will subsequently ‘leave on read’.   Subtypes of ‘student’ vary based on location and each British uni comes with its own set of defining characteristics. So, buckle up: this is an entirely imaginary but 100 percent accurate investigation into the private lives of students in the wild, in their most natural habitat – on what they like to call, ‘a night out’.  Newcastle Image: Genie Espinosa We start in Newcastle and encounter Georgia moments after arriving at Market Shaker, an underground bar. She promptly begins chatting about the time she almost jumped into the Tyne ‘just for laughs’, which seems common for the ‘Geordie’ student species. Other notable characteristics appear to include: studying Geography, being obsessed with the North/South divide, Nike Air Max

You’ve been here before. Almost.  With a clientele which would be perfect for a Love Island spin-off featuring exclusively people with ‘entrepreneur’ in their bios and a healthy amount of exposed pipework, The Counter is what those in the know would probably call ‘trendy’. Its dim lights, small plate selection, and strategically chipped brick feature wall put it on the verge of parodically hip, but a glance at its menu and a quick chat with any member of its team reveal it to be much more down to Earth than some of its equally Instagrammable peers. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair The sense of deja-vu you feel may not be coming solely from its open-plan bar though. Chef Kemal Demirasal’s first UK venture, opened up two years ago in Notting Hill to much success. Originally from Turkey, he’s taken much of the charm of the original joint (as well as its most popular recipes and excellent cocktails) and transported it to Kingly Street – and combined it with a series of fresh ideas and a lot of seafood. Fresh is definitely the operative word. The cocktails are infused with real fruit. The tomatoes have been imported from Turkey. There’s sort-of-caviar sprinkled on avocado-topped fish. If you close your eyes and just bite, you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair. A series of enthusiastic staff members recommended a variety of dishes to us. Some, like the tomato salad or prawns, were familiar classi

Enjoy an evening of modern classical music composed by Black artists whose work did not get the spotlight that it deserved in its time at this Southbank Centre concert. The night will involve three different pieces from three different composers, performed by up and coming American violinist Randall Goosby, who made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra at just nine, and award-winning Chinese pianist Zhu Wang. 

It’s been a few years since Therme Manchester, a huge £450million water resort, was first announced, and we haven’t heard much since. But that isn’t because things haven’t been happening for the project, they’ve just been happening behind the scenes. The boring stuff – legalities, planning permission, admin stuff – is all done now, and work is finally ready to begin on actually building the thing. Once complete, Therme will become the largest ‘wellness resort’ in Britain, with ‘state-of-the-art swimming and thermal bathing areas’, spa zones, a fitness centre, waterslides, saunas, and cafés. There will also be dedicated places for families to play, and for adults to enjoy cocktails in between dips in the water. The goal is to create ‘a place for everyone – a unique destination where wellbeing, sustainability, art and culture come together’, and no expense is being spared. Ground was broken at the Therme site on Friday morning (September 12), and bosses announced a provisional plan to open in 2028, with a more specific date to be given closer to the time. Throughout the construction phase, nearly 2500 jobs will be generated, with 650 permanent positions to be created once it actually opens. Photograph: Matthew Nichol Photography for Therme UKThe site before construction, demonstrating the huge scale of the project The CEO for Therme UK said that Friday marked ‘the official beginning of a once-in-a-generation project for Manchester and the North West’, adding: ‘Our vision is t

Take a deep breath. Maybe make yourself a cup of tea and have a sit down, cause we’ve got some bad news that you already know but likely don’t want to hear: the days are officially getting shorter and shorter. You might love winter, with its fairy lights and cosy evenings and wooly jumpers, but there’s pretty much no one who likes it when it gets dark at 4pm. That’s why it’s better to be prepared, so that the elongated nights don’t take you by surprise. So when exactly will we lose daylight hours past 7pm? Well that depends on where you are. The exact time of sunset varies a bit throughout the UK. For example this Saturday (September 13) sunset will be at 7.20pm in London, but over in Belfast they’ll get an extra 25 minutes of daylight with the sun setting at 7.45pm. The south-east will see the nights creeping in sooner, with nearly two weeks between the first pre-7pm sunset in the nation’s easternmost and westernmost places. In short: the sun will begin to set before 7pm at a later date for those on the west coast. The last day the sun will go down after 7pm in every UK region Lowestoft, furthest east point in the UK: September 18 The south-east and south midlands: September 20 The north-east, north-west, west-midlands, north-east Scotland, north Wales: September 24 The south-west, south Wales, rest of Scotland: September 26 Devon, Cornwall, and most of Northern Ireland: September 20 Enniskillen, furthest west point in the UK: October 3 By October 5, we’ll all be fully in

As autumn approaches, you might be looking for some cute little spots you can visit for a weekend getaway; places where bright orange trees surround thatched roofs and it feels like the bustling streets of London are on another planet. If that sounds ideal, Bibury in the Cotswolds is where you need to be. This chocolate-box town was recently named the most gorgeous village in the world by Forbes, which called it a ‘watercolour dream’ with its ‘honey-slicked cottages’. It placed higher in Forbes’ list than several spellbinding places, including one Norwegian village where you can actually see the northern lights.  What’s more is that Bibury isn’t too far from London – in fact, the village could easily be done in a day (or weekend) trip from the capital. Here’s how to get there. RECOMMENDED: Here are 6 pretty villages to visit in the Cotswolds instead of Bibury, chosen by Time Out editors. How to get from London to Bibury, the world’s most beautiful town Car The drive from London to Bibury can be under two hours if traffic is on your side. The fastest route is through the M40, taking exit 8 to join the A40, then basically following that for 45 minutes until you get to Bibury’s local turnoff. Alternatively, follow the M4 to Swindon until exit 15, then stay on the A419 for about half an hour until you see signs for the town. Either way, it’s a nice, straightforward journey. Train There is no train station in Bibury, being the tiny village that it is. Instead, you’ll take the tra

Weeknd fans, you’re being spoiled. Earlier this year Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, released Hurry Up Tomorrow, his sixth album. He’s been one of the biggest names in the industry since he shot to fame with ‘I can’t feel my face’ back in 2015, and now he’s set to break the record for the biggest R&B tour ever as the After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour extends into 2026. The tour already came to the UK and Europe back in 2023, but the singer-songwriter has just announced 12 dates for summer 2026, with tickets due to go on sale next week. Here’s everything you need to know about The Weeknd’s 2026 After Hours til Dawn tour in Europe and the UK, including how to sign up for presale. What are the dates for The Weeknd’s European tour in 2026? There are currently 12 dates planned for the European leg of the After Hours Til Dawn tour next summer. They span nearly two months, nine countries, and are as follows: Paris, France, Stade de France – July 7 Amsterdam, Netherlands, Johan Cruijff Arena – July 17 Nice, France, Allianz Riviera – July 21 Milan, Italy, San Siro Stadium – July 24 Frankfurt, Germany, Deutsche Bank Park – July 30 Warsaw, Poland, PGE Narodowy – August 4 Stockholm, Sweden, Strawberry Arena – August 8 London, England, Wembley Stadium – August 14 London, England, Wembley Stadium – August 15 Dublin, Ireland, Croke Park – August 22 Madrid, Spain, Riyadh Air Metropolitano – August 28 Madrid, Spain, Riyadh Air Metropolitano – August 29 You can read

This is the worst time of year to be a festival fan. 2025’s season is over, and most (but not all) lineups for 2026 won’t be out for a while. Usually we’d be in a period of silence, so it’s exciting that a brand new major festival has just been announced in northern England. Roundhay Festival is a brand new music festival coming to Leeds next year. It will be held in the city’s Roundhay Park, 700 acres of greenery and gardens which has previously played host to Madonna, Michael Jackson and Ed Sheeran. AEG Presents, which has organised London’s BST Hyde Park and All Points East, is behind the event. The park has a capacity of 69,999, making it AEG’s biggest venture yet. The promoter has promised huge names, and it certainly has an impressive contacts book – this year Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Zach Byran were among the headliners at AEG-run festivals. Roundhay’s first artist announcement is set for the coming weeks, although no dates for the event have been fest just yet. And it’s not just music – there will be free shows and activities held in the space throughout the week to encourage local people to get out and enjoy the park in summertime. Local musicians will have the chance to perform, and music students at the nearby Roundhay School will get the chance to work at the event to gain real experience in the industry.  Local council leader James Lewis said that the crowds this will draw to Leeds will ‘deliver an important boost to the local economy’, increasing business to

When booking your holidays, how do you choose which airport to fly from? Most of us just find the nearest one that goes where we’re headed, but if you want a stress-free airport experience, it might be worth venturing a bit further afield. The airport you choose can completely alter your journey. Some have high cancellation rates and long queues, while others are more streamlined and reliable. Consumer brand Which? recently surveyed thousands of Brits on their experiences with hold ups and cancellations in order to create its official 2025 ranking of UK airports. Each airport was ranked in 11 categories ranging from wait times for security, baggage reclaim, and passport control, to how nice the toilets were. Then, an overall score out of 100 was calculated, and a full chart created. Exeter came first overall with a score of 80 percent, but being tiny – it only serves 500,000 people per year – it is not a major air traffic hub in the UK. That means that the highest scoring mid-large sized airport, seeing more than 500,000 passengers a month in peak season, was Liverpool John Lennon. Merseyside’s main airport received a customer score of 78 percent from Which?, receiving five out of five stars in nearly half of all categories. The only places it faltered were in the range of shops and cost of food, where it scored three out of five, but that’s a worthy price to pay for no queues and a breeze through security. Photograph: Semmick Photo / Shutterstock.com Which? describes the a

It’s a tough time to be working in the aviation industry. Faced with staff shortages and huge levels of disruption, many workers at airlines and airports are facing long, stressful hours and poor working conditions. And, thanks to the cost of living crisis, loads of them are doing it all for lower wages, too. Needless to say, it’s no wonder that so many staff at airports and airlines have been going on strike. From Italy and Belgium to Greece and France, airports across Europe have seen thousands of flights delayed and cancelled by industrial action. Strikes can, of course, have a serious impact on your holiday, so it’s best to be as informed about them as possible. Read on for our guide to who’s going on strike in Europe right now, where and when those strikes will happen – and whether you need to worry about them.   Transport strikes in Italy To protect holiday travel, strikes in Italy are banned from late July to early September, but now that window is over, unions have announced plans for industrial action which could affect travel at Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports this weekend, according to euronews.  On Saturday September 13, airport handling staff will stage a 24-hour strike, which could lead to significant delays and cancellations and later this month, on September 26, baggage handlers, ground staff and Volotea airline crews are due to stop work for 24 hours at airports across Italy. Airport strikes in Portugal Portuguese ground staff in the Metallurgical and R

This may have been the summer of Britpop with the mega Oasis reunion and Pulp back on tour, but Blur's frontman Damon Albarn moved on from all that a long time go – and he has massive plans for next year. Gorillaz, the animated brainchild of Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett, have just announced a huge UK tour for 2026 to celebrate the release of new album The Mountain, which will be released on March 20 2026. Like usual, there is an impressive list of collaborators on it, ranging from Johnny Marr to Ajay Prasanna to IDLES, and many more. After playing gigs across the UK, the band will top off a brilliant run with one huge headlining show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This will be the first ever UK stadium gig for the project, so it’s not going to be one to miss. Here’s everything you need to know about the Gorillaz London show next year, from when tickets go on sale to how much they could cost.  When are Gorillaz playing London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? The London show is more than two months after the rest of the tour, which ends in April. Damon and co will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June for one night only. What tour date has been confirmed so far? The London show will be on Saturday June 20, 2026. When do tickets go on sale? General sale for tickets is set to begin on Friday September 19 at exactly 11am. You’ll be able to bag them on Ticketmaster here. Presale details For London, there are three different presale options that you can try your luck at. Thes

If you’ve been into town recently, you know what’s up. You’ve seen the boarded up windows, you’ve noticed your usual haunts disappearing, you’ve benefited from an ‘everything must go – half off!’ sale once or twice. You can see that it’s a shop-ageddon out there on UK high streets, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In 2023, we lost Wilko, and then in 2024 we got it back. Then we said goodbye to a bunch of Marks and Spencers, some Boots, a few Body Shops, and plenty more. In fact, some studies have estimated that Britain lost up to 37 shops a day in 2024. Although we all hoped that 2025 would bring good news for our high streets, it’s looking like this year is more of the same. It’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s useful to know exactly what’s coming and going so that you don’t plan an entire shopping day around a store which has closed its doors for the last time. Here’s an exhaustive list of all the big places shutting up shop this year across the country. All the UK high street closures in 2025 Poundland  Poundland was sold earlier this year, and a company-wide restructure will see dozens of sites shut by the end of 2025. Here’s a list of all the shops that either have or will shut this year.  Here are all the Poundland stores that either have already closed this year. Clapham Junction Station, London – May 2 Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Liverpool – May 6 St George’s Centre, Gravesend – May 8 Southwark Park Road – May 14 Copdock Mill Interchange, Ipswich – May 20

We’ve all daydreamed about packing up our lives and jetting off to somewhere completely new, but most of us never get around to actually doing it. A determined few, however, really do pack up everything and head off in search of a better – or at least different – life. People leave home for a variety of reasons, whether it be their career, family, or because they’re sick of the rain. For anyone undecided, the annual Expat Insider survey gives key insights as to which countries are actually worth uprooting your life for, and where definitely isn’t. The study asks people in 46 different countries how satisfied they are with their new homes, and the UK – despite its sizeable immigrant population – rarely fares well. Last year, Britain was named the 10th worst place for expats to move to, but this year, we’ve moved down to 6th worst – 41 out of 46. The only European nations which ranked lower than us were Germany and Finland. The latter may come as a surprise, as Finnish natives are often named amongst the happiest in the world. Immigrants, however, reportedly struggle with fitting into the local community. The UK performed poorly in several categories, coming 45th out of 46 when it came to personal finances and costs, 41st in housing, and 44th in medical costs. All residents in the UK are entitled to use the NHS, but some may require specialised care from private providers. Basically, those moving over to the UK are facing the same struggles as the rest of the nation: a lack of

We’re spoiled for gorgeous seasides in the UK. From the bottom of Cornwall to the tip of the Highlands, the country’s entire coastline is dotted with beaches, some sandy, some pebbly. Some are full of tourists, while some are populated with loads of local wildlife such as one particular Dorset beach, which is currently on a mission to become more animal friendly. A ‘re-wilding’ project by the National Trust is underway at Studland beach in Dorset, which is set to close this winter until a yet-undecided date in 2026. Studland is divided into three distinct stretches – Knoll Beach, Middle Beach, South Beach, and Shell Bay – but only one of them will be closed while construction is ongoing. Work has already begun to remove some old sea defences at Middle Beach. This includes getting rid of rocks wrapped in metal fencing, known as gabions, as well as taking away concrete slabs in preparation for new wildlife and fauna to be moved onto the shore. Tracey Churcher, the general manager for the National Trust in the area, said that ‘the gabions are no longer effective against the rising tides, and they are also collapsing and pose a risk to the public’. A different spokesperson for the National Trust also added that once removed, the cliff edge would appear jagged and steep, but that ‘over the next 20 years or so the cliff will realign to become a gentler slope’. This removal will also mean that the beach can ‘replenish itself’ of sand. It is the last step in a five-year National Trus

It’s mid September, which means that millions of students are descending upon university towns and cities across the country, ready to start a brand new year of hangovers, lectures, and long nights in the library. But their excitement might not be shared quite so much by universities, which are facing increasing financial pressures. A whopping 40 percent of UK unis are now thought to be actively losing money year-on-year. Some are being forced to close entire departments or take on more international students, which pay higher fees, to make up the difference. But two universities in the southeast of England are taking a slightly more unconventional approach to survival. The universities of Kent and Greenwich have announced that they’ll be merging into one ‘super-university’ called the London and South East University Group. They already share one campus in Medway, Kent, but from autumn 2026 onwards all uni properties, including Kent’s Canterbury campus, will operate under the new name. The current vice-chancellor of Greenwich, Prof Jane Harrington, will take over as head of the new combined institution in September 2026. She said that the model was ‘taking the best of both universities and saying what do we want to offer to our communities’, and her Kent counterpart described it as ‘trailblazing’. Both have also stated that the decision to combine was not down to finances. Once combined, the London and South East University Group will be responsible for nearly 50,000 students