Jessica Phillips

Afternoon tea. Yes, it's twee, but there is something quite fun about working your way through what's essentially dessert tapas, especially when you’re at one of London’s top hotels or restaurants. We've rounded up London's best afternoon teas in a city renowned for putting on some of the world’s best spreads – with tiny cakes, little finger sarnies and pots of perfect tea the name of the delicious game. Expect to pay in the region of £50 to £80 for the pleasure per person, but you'll be in for a treat and a half. Many of the teas have set times for seatings, so booking in advance is always recommended. RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now.

Don't listen to what Radiohead said: pop will never, ever die. It's 2023, and banging new pop songs are getting released every week. Kylie's 2023 anthem ‘Padam Padam’ has even made it to our top spot on this list, with its euphoric electropop vibes, and Dua Lipa's ‘Barbie’ tune ‘Dance the Night’ is up there with the greats.  But of course, the 21st century is a long one, and you've got to make space for the classics too. There are fabulous pop songs from every era, and they all deserve a spot on our ultimate list. Here you'll find everyone from Outkast to MIA, and from Kelis to Harry Styles. The only criteria? It has to be feel good, and it has to make you want to get up and dance. All of these tunes do just that, and then some. Read on for the best pop songs ever made.    Contributors: India Lawrence, Andrzej Lukowski, James Manning, Ella Doyle, Nick Levine, Amy Smith, Alyssa Ammirato, Jess Phillips, Matthew Singer.  RECOMMENDED:🎉 The best party songs ever made🎸 The best classic rock songs🎤 The best karaoke songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎵 The best ’90s songs

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Even now, a wealth of new hotels are opening – which we reckon is a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. Many of the hotels listed below are incredible enough to have made it straight into the Time Out top 20, but our hand-picked list of the best hotels covers locations right across the capital, and every category from blowout luxury (including having your own butler, might we add) to budget basic and brilliant.We’ve listed everything from five-star hotels in Mayfair to incredibly affordable hotels in some of London’s very best neighbourhoods. Plus you’ll be able to check out one or two of the capital's many Michelin-starred restaurants because yep, loads of them call London hotels their home. But if spending a small fortune on food isn’t your bag? There’s also an ever-increasing number of good-value food options for budgeteers, too. Throw great design and architecture into the mix, plus superb bars, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world and, well, you’re laughing. Basically, you’re totally spoilt for choice. So, read on, decide where to stay in London, and ready yourself for a hotel visit like no other. Enjoy! Looking for even more options? Check out London’s best Airbnbs. Keen on a steamy night in? Check out London's best hotels for sex. Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in eve

There’s a reason why so many romantic comedy films are set in London; quite simply, it’s one of the best places in the world to be loved up. The picturesque Little Venice, the historic Whispering Gallery at St Paul's Cathedral, and Waterloo Bridge (which has breathtaking views of the city) are among the many romantic places to visit at any time of year – and we can’t get enough. But to encourage your love to reach full bloom, it's important to pick a hotel with the right kind of vibe. Breakfast in bed, complimentary cocktails upon arrival, and pampering spa packages are the sort of special touches that can make all the difference when you’re in the mood to woo... or maybe even pop the question. Take a look at our favourite romantic hotels in London.  Updated in May 2024: To keep our curated lists tip top we always keep an eye out for any new or trending properties. And this time around we've set our sights on this hidden sanctuary in Shoreditch, and this luxury hotel in South Kenso that's all about British elegance.  Looking for more options? 🛏 Check out London’s best Airbnbs ❤️‍🔥 or London's naughtiest hotels. Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every hotel featured, we've based our list on top reviews, hosts and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

London is full of glitz, glamour, and very swanky places. And if you want to stay somewhere with character and individuality, give the chain hotels a day off and head to one of London’s gorgeous boutique hotels. There are plenty of brilliant smaller hotels in London to suit everyone’s taste, from cosy hipster hangouts to extravagant, super-central lodgings that give London’s five-star institutions a run for their money. With artfully designed rooms, well-considered service and quirky extra touches, London’s best boutique hotels are all about being a little less fusty and a lot more on-trend.  Looking for more options? Check out London’s best Airbnbs. Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every hotel featured, we've based our list on top reviews, hosts and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

While we’ve been experiencing a pretty lacklustre summer so far, the UK’s beaches actually don’t need the sun to truly shine. Sure, they come into their own when the weather is warm enough to brave it and take a dip, but fresh coastal air, thunderously crashing waves and pretty scenery can be enjoyed whether it feels like high season or not.  And the UK is home to some drop-dead gorgeous stretches of coast. From tiny hidden coves with water so clear it’s hard to believe you’re not in the Mediterranean to vast, sandy crowd-pleasers which border our seaside towns, our four nations really do have it all when it comes to beaches. So, after a picnic spot, a ‘gram-worthy backdrop or just somewhere to see nature-watch? Check out our handpicked guide to the UK’s finest beaches. RECOMMENDED:🏖️The most amazing hidden beaches in the UK🌊The best outdoor swimmming pools in the UK🏊The best wild swimming spots in the UK🌤️The best places to visit in the UK 

Last year we bid farewell to Succession, Barry and Top Boy, fell hard for Beef, Colin From Accounts and Blue Lights. The next 12 months should help us move on – the potential impact of 2023’s writers’ strike notwithstanding – as early hits like World War II epic Masters of the Air and Mr and Mrs Smith, Prime Video’s intoxicating mix of witty marital drama and zippy espionage caper, are already proving. Ahead is a hotly-anticipated new run of Squid Game on Netflix, a third season of Industry, a sci-fi prequel in Dune: Prophecy, Colin Farrell in DC spinoff Penguin, and The Franchise, the latest from telly genius Armando Iannucci – among many other potentially binge-worthy offerings. But there’s only so many hours in the day and you can’t spend all of them on the sofa. Here’s our guide to the shows most worthy of your time.RECOMMENDED: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2023🎥 The best movies of 2024 (so far)📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

There are an awful lot of things to moan about in the UK, but pubs are not one of them. Pubs are for your friendly catch ups, your Sunday roasts, and your mid-summer sun traps, and we love it all. We really do.  Everyone’s got a favourite (probably the one closest to the end of your road), and so do we. But some pubs are really good for food. Others are great for craft beer. The very best pubs do it all. With that in mind, here we are: the best pubs in the whole of the UK. Happy drinking, folks.  RECOMMENDED:🍝The best restaurants in the UK🍺The best beer gardens in the UK📍 The best places to visit in the UK

Although there’s a hell of a lot of podcasts out there, there’s no denying that the true crime genre dominates all. The genre was basically introduced with ‘Serial’ back in 2014, and now tends to take on many forms; everything from investigative reporting to jokey chatter (we haven’t included the latter here – not our style).  But the best thing about true crime podcasts is how much deeper you can dig into a story than with an hour-long documentary. And you can listen to it while cleaning the house. Win win. From gripping court cases to tales of deceit and deception, here are the best true crime podcasts to listen to right now.    RECOMMENDED:🎧 The best podcasts of 2024✊ The best political podcasts📰 The best news podcasts

There are a million podcasts out there, and 2024’s releases are showing no signs of slowing down. There’s already been a load of bangers since the beginning of the year, and here at Time Out, we’re determined to listen to them all. After all, how else are you going to know which one to choose? We’ve rounded up our favourites, from political podcasts that look behind the news to comedy podcasts with your favourite funny people, and plenty of those all-important investigative whodunnits to keep you up at night. If you’re looking to dig deeper into one genre, we’d recommend trying our specialist lists on for size (you’ll find them below). But for a full list of good, addictive podcasts of every genre, read on.  We update this list with brand-new podcasts every month, so check back for more fabulous podcast recommendations from the Time Out team. Happy listening! RECOMMENDED:🎧 The best news podcasts😂 The best comedy podcasts 🗞️ The best history podcasts

Bestselling author, journalist and now TV showrunner, Candice Carty-Williams answers to a few descriptions. But the label she loves most is that of proud South Londoner. Having grown up in Lewisham and bobbed between Croydon, Streatham and Clapham in her 20s and early 30s, she knows the best spots south of the river for film (Peckhamplex), theatre (Brixton House), a manicure (Luna and Wilde), and oxtail (Cool Breeze, Hither Green’s Caribbean takeaway). And of course, she’s written two 100,000-word love letters to the area: her 2019 debut novel ‘Queenie’, now an eagerly anticipated telly series, and its follow up, 2022’s ‘People Person’. Chatting from her car on a gloomy Thursday afternoon, she mentions that she’s considered giving Lambeth the Marvel treatment. ‘I always think about combining my worlds. Maybe I’ll create the “CCW multiverse”.’ Right now, we’re entering phase 1. ‘Queenie’, which won Book of the Year in 2020, is now an eight-part Channel 4 series, stars Dionne Brown as Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old social media assistant, as she navigates heartbreak, mental health, racism, and the suffocating love of her family – as well as the horrors of damp flatshares and the sensory mindfield that is Brixton Road. Photograph: Channel 4Dionne Brown as Queenie What makes Queenie a relatable Londoner? She loves South London. In the book and the TV series, she’s always walking around and feels safe – it’s never scary, or weird, or uninhabitable. She’s really proud of the Sout

The humble brunch is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the modern age. Breakfast is too early to really get stuck into, while eating eggs and downing buckets of coffee at lunchtime seems odd. Brunch, then, is the one true morning-ish meal, especially if it incorporates pancakes, bacon and those aforementioned eggs – or a totally vegan take on proceedings like at LD's at The Black Heart in Camden or WAVE in Hackney. London is particularly well stocked with places to indulge in the famous breakfast/lunch hybrid. Let us guide you to the best restaurants in town for a fabulous brunch in our city, from a traditional full english to innovative twists on the majestic meal, such as a bacon bao brunch. And it’s not just a weekend treat; some of these spots serve brunch every single day.  RECOMMENDED: Like unlimited fizz with your fry-up? Here are the best bottomless brunches in London.  Want to brunch for less? Check out the awesome selection at Time Out Offers. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Wherever you go in The Churchill - in the bar, by the fireplace, even next to your bedside table - you get a strange sense that there’s someone watching you. Because there is. Winston Churchill’s likeness is a signature across the hotel. Paintings of him and copies of his artwork are dotted across the lobby, restaurant, bar and bedrooms, with themed mugs and cocktail books for sale in the on-site shop. There’s even a life-size statue of the ol’ chap at The Churchill Bar so you’ll never drink an Old Fashioned alone. Here comes the spoiler: the hotel doesn’t have any historical connection to WC. Its architect was a Churchill fanboy, making it more of a Disneyland for WW2 geeks and American tourists (including Barack Obama who stayed at the hotel during his pre-election campaign in 2008). Though, Churchill's family have donated a few original photographs and love letters he sent to his wife, Clementine. But what The Churchill lacks in political legacy it makes up for in service and comfort. Staff are accommodating without being overbearing. While the rooms are simple and elegant, decorated with grey walls, white bedding, a sturdy wooden writing desk and a royal purple armchair. The jerk to the 21st century comes in the bathroom which has been fitted with a Millenium Falcon-esque smart-toilet - which makes a loo stop a lot more exciting than it should be. The food also stands on its own, with executive chef Carlo Martino serving up a British ingredient-driven menu at The Montagu

It might be best-known for bringing Singaporean cuisine and hospitality to the City, but being able to watch the rat race from Pan Pacific London's infinity pool is the highlight of a stay here. There's something about feeling smug in a swimsuit while stock market traders trudge down Bishopsgate below: a 'Freaky Friday'-style power shift that lasts as long as you can afford to play pretend.  The pool area (which is subjected to seasonal makeovers,) has been transformed by luxury children's clothing brand Bonpoint, with pink deckchairs, straw parasols and cherry insignias. Dyson hair dryers and Diptyque toiletries are on hand to help with the post-workout glow-up. Food and drink options are equally extra, with the hotel being home to two restaurants and three bars. Straits Kitchen, a Singaporean-inspired kitchen, offers authentic lobster laksa for £45 a pop; the Shiitake Sayuran Rosette - a mix of mushrooms, pak choi, beancurd, enoki and soy - being one of the best veggie meals I’ve eaten during my 17-year run as a vegetarian.  The wine list and cocktail menus also have an Asian influence, with red, white and sparkling Chinese wines competing for attention alongside Sussex, Argentina and California vines. Ground-floor bar Ginger Lily is the spot for a nightcap, serving up a Highball, made with green tea, lemon juice, whisky and honey. Just be warned, the hotel’s carb-to-alcohol ratio might leave you a little fragile come morning.  Neighbourhood Less than a five-minute walk fro

Moorgate is a bit of a cultural wasteland on weekends, and, depending on how you feel about finance bros and signet rings, maybe on weekdays too. But the City has started to shake off its stuffy image. Pop-up country-music bar Buck N’ Bull often takes over The Anthologist with line dancing and a mechanical bull, and axe throwing venues like Whistle Punks and Boom Battle Bar are becoming as synonymous with the area as trust funds and plague pits. 5* boutique hotel, South Place Hotel, is part of this facelift. Its name makes it sound like an arty Miami Beach transplant, and in some ways it is. The hotel hosts art residencies throughout the year, showcasing work from the likes of Real Hackney Dave. On the day of our visit, the lobby housed one IRL ‘love bomb’ - an eight-foot-tall bomb replica with ‘love’ painted in neon pink paint down its side.  The bedrooms also cater to a creative crowd, with bespoke pieces in each of the 80 rooms. Ours was home to record-shaped artwork of 80s new-wave band Altered Images, as well as a rather regal portrait of a faun. There’s also a lot for tech nerds to get excited about, from the Bang and Olufsen TV to the Dyson hairdryer that’s lit up in a cupboard like a rare gem in a heist movie. The 5* touches come out in details like the vegan James Heely toiletries, an entire drawer dedicated to wine glasses and hotel room snacks from indie and eco-friendly brands like Two Farmers, Serious Pig, and Joe and Seph's. Then there's Michelin-starred seafood

Run by mammoth hotel chain Radisson, who also run the Park Inn and art 'otel brands, Park Plaza Westminster is a slick operation that also caters to the masses. With 1,023 rooms and suites, it's closer to a cruise ship than to its neighbour and rival, Premier Inn.  Rooms are stripped back, with white walls and a dark wooden table making up the skeleton of the space. The minimalism is deliberate. This hotel knows that focusing too much on furnishings - soft or otherwise - would be like turning your back on the Mona Lisa.   Why? The majority of rooms have a screensaver view of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and The London Eye. So close are you to the Elizabeth Tower, you might as well be reading the ten o' clock news.  Due to its 32 conference rooms and proximity to Waterloo and Westminster stations (both five minute walks away) Park Plaza is known to cater to time-poor business travellers like the half-dozen pilots we saw during our stay. Speed and efficiency are a key consideration. So, you can check out by QR code, and breakfast is self-service, but overseen with military precision.  If you're looking for a more relaxed pace though, that can be arranged too. Just ask the man we saw walking nonchalantly through the hotel lobby in his spa robe at 11pm. The hotel has a gym, pool, steam room, sauna and spa, which are surprisingly quiet for a hotel of its size. Or you can make the most of the bath and Elemis toiletries in your room.   Brasserie Joel is also a dining experience

It’s already dark when we arrive on Santorini, Greece’s fifth-smallest and arguably most romantic island, but even spying the half-drawn outline of the caldera dotted with pockets of orange and gold from sports bars and living room TV screens was enough to see why almost 2 million tourists – significantly made up of Americans, couples and American couples – flock here each year. By daylight, with the layers of a sapphire sea, red cliffs and iconic blue domes coming into view, it’s clearer still why so many people believe the island is the Lost City of Atlantis. Carved high into the volcanic rock, our hotel, Kivotos Santorini, tricks you into thinking the 10 boutique suites, fitted with Sonos speakers and multicoloured mood lighting, are as natural as the island’s black sand beaches, which formed during a large volcanic eruption in the sixteenth century BC. But here, blending in is as much an objective as standing out. Unlike traditional white stone homes and hotels in the area, the resort is painted jet black; a Batcave plonked on top of a wedding cake, if you will. The communal areas keep up the superhero aesthetic; the hotel’s main pool is stained red by underwater lights; the bar stocked with an assortment of nuclear-grade spirits. Our junior suite is just as much a stylish lair. The minimalist grey and white aesthetic is timeless, with the walk-in rain shower and Bvlgari toiletries adding touches of modern luxury. The real McCoy though is the private outdoor heated plunge

‘Unfortunate’ is a musical parody upon which your childhood innocence will be shipwrecked. Ursula the sea witch was the villain in Disney's 1989 classic ‘The Little Mermaid’ (and its recent remake). But this musical retelling of her story is crude, camp and extremely horny.  Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2022, the not-safe-for-Mickey musical – written by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx and composed by Tim Gilvin – tells the ‘untold’ story of Ursula. Landing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, ‘Orange is the New Black’ star Shawna Hamic has been recruited as the drag-inspired witch, while River Medway from ‘Drag Race’ picks up the baton as a basic bitch-ified Ariel, with an ensemble cast helping to hammer home that this is as much a celebration of queerness as a rehashing of the classic fish tale. Hamic delivers a series of cutting and comic one-liners early on to set the tone. She mentions her ‘lesbian haircut’ and how her little corner of the underworld is the ‘intersection between the Barbie movie and the Hitler Youth’. It’s a bit like drag brunch bingo, without the mimosas, which makes a lot of sense given the original Ursula was inspired by Divine, the iconic ’70s drag queen. There’s also a queer-ification of the plot, with Ursula and a latexed-out Triton (Thomas Lowe) performing a will-they-won't-they duet, while a fun same-sex shakeup throws a dinglehopper in the works. The show’s self-awareness makes it special, with numbers such as ‘We Didn’t Make it to Di

In the same way Jack the Ripper has become more of a dark fable than a true crime story about a man brutally murdering five East End women, so the case of Lizzie Borden has passed into Massachusetts folklore. The legend goes that Lizzie –  a hysterical 32-year-old spinster – killed her father and ‘evil’ stepmother with an axe in the summer of 1892 in order to inherit the family’s sizable fortune built by her dad’s casket manufacturing business - yes, caskets. Foreboding at its finest. The story captured the local imagination for its brutality and the fact the only suspect was Lizzie, who was tried and later acquitted – because how could a lady be capable of such a heinous crime? Over 120 years later, the murders are as much legend as fact. There have been Hollywood retellings, including 2018’s ‘Lizzie’ starring Kristen Stewart, and the suspected murderess acting as the meat and potatoes for many true crime and revisionist podcasts, including ‘Crime Junkie’ and ‘You’re Wrong About’. You can even book a stay at the Borden House, said to be one of the most haunted places in America, if you fancy being scared shitless for the night.  Now a musical take comes in the shape of ‘Lizzie’, a 100-minute punk-rock musical playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until early December. The cast is made up of four women who play Lizzie (Lauren Drew), Emma, Lizzie’s sister (Shekinah McFarlane), the Bordens’ neighbour, Alice (Maiya Quansah-Breed) and the family maid, Bridget (Mairi Barclay). W

If you hadn’t noticed, country music mania is taking over London. C2C Festival returned for its 10th year in March, Maren Morris has just sold out the O2 Kentish Town and Luke Combs has added an extra London date as part of his world tour this October due to overwhelming demand. But it’s not just the music of Americana that’s made its way across the pond. A Nashville-inspired bottomless brunch is on its way to the capital, and it’s brought a giant mechanical bull along for the ride. Taking place at The Anthologist by Drake and Morgan, cowboys and girls can expect 90 minutes of bottomless whiskey lemonade (or Italian spritz or sparkling wine if you’re not playing by the rules – you outlaw) and a choice of southern plates like mac ‘n’ cheese and hot chicken. There’ll also be live country music and a DJ set from Chris Armstrong who’ll be playing the latest hits from Music City. Giddy up.

The Hippodrome is best known for its casino and for waxed, plucked and polished men getting their kit off at Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Live. But underground, inside its cabaret bar Lola’s, performer diversity, be it in age, shape, size, sexual orientation or gender identity, is the status quo. As part of Burlesque Idol, which runs on the last Friday of the month, aspiring burlesque performers compete for your votes to win a spot in the Burlesque Idol grand final. Tassel titans, including founder of House of Burlesque, Tempest Rose, also make up a judging panel to provide expert insight into how to remove a glove Bridgerton-style and untie a bra strap without looking like a shimmying urine infection. You’ll likely leave questioning every sweet lyric Jermaine Stewart ever serenaded you with.

The bad news is Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms at the Tate are sold out until the end of March. But if you can’t step into the artist’s imaginary world, you can at least eat your way through it, because Rosewood London is offering a red and pink hued, Kusama-inspired afternoon tea in its Mirror Room. Created exclusively for Valentine's Day by Executive Pastry Chef Mark Perkins, the menu fuses Japanese flavours with French culinary flair. Savoury offerings include chicken teriyaki sandwiches and keta caviar, while the cakes are contemporary and personal. ‘Dots obsession soul of pumpkin’, a dark chocolate sable paired with passionfruit ganache, is inspired by Kusama’s childhood when she recalled a pumpkin speaking to her during harvest on her family’s farm, with ’Flowers that bloom at midnight’, an ode to her 2010 sculptures by the same name. 

When you think of Pembrokeshire, chances are it’s the historic town of Tenby that comes to mind. If you’re Welsh, you probably spent lazy Sunday afternoons on North Beach dripping ice cream on your grandparents’ shoes or learning about how Henry Tudor launched his bid for the British throne from that same raspberry-ripple-stained spot. If you’re a visitor, you’ve probably come to see Wales’ – ahem, superior – answer to Cornwall. If it’s true Welsh tranquillity you’re after, though – the sort Gwyneth and Co would medi-gasm over – head north-west to Lawrenny. Located on the peninsula of the River Cleddau within Pembrokeshire National Park, the village is home to greystone farmhouses, a local pub, a bakery, a hostel, a village shop and around 500 people. It’s a corner of the world that benefits from the unique alchemy of being frozen in time, yet conveniently connected to the A477. That’s probably why luxury glamping site The Little Retreat is thriving. Starting out as the brainchild of health and wellbeing entrepreneur Amber Lort-Phillips, the project was brought to life during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic with a few helping hands from the local community. Fast-forward a year and you’ll now find four geo-domes situated on the slope of the upper walled garden on the town’s old castle site. Each dome is fully insulated, fitted with a super-king bed, Smart TV, coffee machine and telescope, and comes with a private kitchen and bathroom. Outside, there’s also a rattan fur

Part of The Doyle Collection, this family-owned five-star hotel is one of an eight-strong portfolio across London, Bristol, Cork, Dublin and Washington, which is leading the way in sustainable tourism as the only luxury hotel collection in the UK to run on renewables. In practice, this means The Marylebone aims to source food and drink produce from within a 50-mile radius for its on-site restaurants 108 Brasserie and Pantry, and it plans to move away from single-use plastic in its bedrooms by 2022 without compromising on comfort or quality. Speaking of its bedrooms, there are 257 of them, including 44 suites, and they’re pretty dreamy. Options range from Classic rooms, fitted with two single beds, a queen or a king, at £244 a night, to the pièce de résistance, The Marylebone Suite, which will set you back £2,625. Covering 120-square metres, it comes with an open-plan lounge with concealed 60-inch mirrored TV, dining room, mini kitchen with Nespresso machine and bar. There’s also a king-size bed, marble bathroom stocked with products by eco-conscious luxury skincare brand Malin+Goetz, a whirlpool bath, separate rain shower and TV. But the real showstopper is the Scandi-inspired all-weather terrace, kitted out with an in-built fireplace and TV. With a retractable roof, it serves up uninterrupted views of the local London skyline, from the rooftops of independent red-bricked boutiques to Selfridges’ alfresco restaurant. On site, guests can access the Third Space gym, exercise c

The first four episodes of Bridgerton season three land on Netflix tomorrow and Shonda Rhimes’ period romp is showing no sign of slowing down on the heaving bosoms and sexy Regency shenanigans. This time it's Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin’s (Luke Newton) moment to promenade in the spotlight, as the chemistry between the pair builds to danger levels. If you’re hazy on where season 2 left things, and what to expect from Lady Whistledown’s quill this time out, allow us to deliver this swift briefing epistle to you via silver salver. Photograph: Liam Daniel/NetflixWill Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington be turning up the heat in season 3? 1. The pheromone levels will be soaring The first episode introduces the series’ key singleton, Colin Bridgerton, and provides a handy excuse for him to get his tailored top off. Following in the footsteps of the now-departed Duke of Hasting (Regé-Jean Page) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), he’s stepping in as Bridgerton’s resident smoke show. Watch as he objectifies himself by changing into formal garb in a carriage en route to a ‘ton event. That flash of pecs offer another reminder that Regency England was a secret hot bed of gyms. And things remain steamy between Anthony and Kate Bridgerton (Simone Ashley), fresh from their honeymoon in season 2. Instead of longing stares and wistful sighs, they’ll be trying to make an heir this time out. They’ve got eight episodes, with a handy four week gap in the middle, to pull

If you’re suffering from a pink-coloured gap in your life after last year’s Barbie-mania, you don’t have long to wait for a top-up. Mean Girls, a musical remake of the cult 2004 teen comedy with Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, is hitting cinemas across the globe and trying to make ‘fetch’ happen all over again. Newbies Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Avantika Vandanapu and Bebe Wood are taking the reins as Cady, Regina, Karen and Gretchen, with Emily in Paris star Ashley Parks and ex-Mad Man Jon Hamm joining the cast. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows are back as maths teacher Ms Norbury and Principal Duvall respectively.  Here are five major takeaways from the latest retelling of the Plastics and their prey. Photograph: Paramount Pictures 1. Yes, it’s definitely a musical – and the songs get a B+ This Mean Girls follows the original storyline – a transfer student decides climbing the social ladder is more important than maintaining her GPA – but it’s adapted from the Broadway musical, so expect the characters to break into song in closets and cafeterias this time. Following? It takes a while to get used to Cady singing about calculus and some numbers are too dull to function (‘It Roars’, ‘What’s Wrong with Me’) but when it works, it works. Our pick? ‘Apex Predator’, a catchy cautionary tale about Regina’s status as queen of the high-school jungle.  Photograph: Paramount PicturesBusy Philipps as Mrs George 2. It’s still trying to make ‘fetch’ happen Happily for Plastics purists, all

The fourth and final season of ‘Sex Education’ hits Netflix later this month, just in time for freshers’ week/cuffing season/the whole bed-rotting trend. The new trailer has dropped and things are looking as juicy as ever for the students of Moordale High. When we left the gang in season 3, Moordale had gained a reputation as the ‘Sex School’ following an STI outbreak and a student production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that would make the Moulin Rouge! look like your local 50+ Zumba class. Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and semi-reformed bad boy Adam (Connor Swindells) have sex, but break up when Eric cheats on him with Oba (Jerry Iwu), who he meets on a family trip to Nigeria.  Elsewhere, Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) comes to terms with her recent sexual assault, Jean (Gillian Anderson) gives birth to baby Joy, and Otis (Asa Butterfield) and Ruby (Mimi Keene) make a go of things. It all gets messy, though, when Ruby says ‘I love you’ and Otis, well, doesn’t. The resident school sexpert is still pining for Maeve, who is dating – but later dumps – voicemail-deleting, undercover villain Isaac (George Robinson). She’s also off to the US as part of a month-long ‘gifted and talented’ program. Here’s four things we spotted in the new season 4 teaser. Photograph: Thomas Wood/NetflixEmma Mackey as Maeve Wiley Otis is preparing to send Maeve an epic sext After three seasons of will-they/won’t-they, Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis are still will-they/ won’t-they’ing, even after kissing on season 3’s eventful

The V&A’s newest exhibition will pay homage to the life and works of Coco Chanel, charting the style evolution of the designer behind the House of Chanel. The exhibition is the first of its kind to be hosted by a major museum in the UK and will feature 180 looks, with all the iconic jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes – you know, the one that smells like Mum’s big night out – to boot.  Some of the most notable designs on display include outfits made for Hollywood stars Lauren Bacall (To Have or Not to Have, The Big Sleep) and Marlene Dietrich (Witness for the Prosecution, The Blue Angel). The exhibition will have eight different themed sections exploring all the hallmarks of the timeless Chanel look, from stitching to hitting the runway.  Here are some of the little-known facts behind one of the twentieth-century’s most influential/controversial designers. Nuns taught and inspired her After her mother’s death from tuberculosis in 1895 when she was just 11, Chanel’s father abandoned her and her four siblings at an orphanage where they were raised by the nuns of Aubazine Abbey. It was in this unassuming convent where Chanel learned how to sew and where she was inspired to create the signature Little Black Dress. Apparently it was the habits of the nuns who helped hone her craft. She lived in a hotel for more than 30 years No, we’re not talking about the local Travelodge, Chanel spent much of her life at The Ritz Paris, booking herself into a suite in 1937 and not lea

Four years after becoming a New York Times Bestseller, American author Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue is getting the movie treatment. Landing on Prime Video on August 11, the BookTok favourite follows the secret romance between the son of the US President, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and Henry, Britain’s royal spare (Nicholas Galitzine). Having let their ongoing feud cause an international incident – more on that later – the high-profile and sickeningly good-looking pair are forced on a diplomatic mission to play nice. And given the flick’s R-rating, play nice they do.The result is funny and smart, a mix of Heartstopper earnestness and the royal silliness of 2004 Julia Stiles romcom The Prince and Me. It even shoehorns in that iconic British insult, ‘bellend’. The early reviews are taking over the internet too, with its ‘A+ casting ‘ and the two leads’ ‘electric chemistry’ both drawing praise, along with its fun but meaningful depiction of same-sex love. Here are six reasons why Red, White & Royal Blue is shaping up to be the surprise romcom hit of the summer. Photograph: Jonathan Prime/Prime Video 1. It gets sexuality right Unlike other LGBTQ+ romcoms of late that have somewhat missed the mark – we’re looking at you Happiest Season and Bros – Red, White & Royal Blue is nuanced and informative, without being preachy. It’s made crystal clear that Alex is bisexual, not gay, and we get a fly-on-the-wall view of the real talk that goes on around who do

As the Barbie movie’s July 21 release date fast approaches, London has fallen under the Mattel doll’s spell. A pink TARDIS has popped up on the North Bank. The London Eye has been lit up in Barbie’s favourite colour. Mega-fans are planning on dressing up in full-on Barbie garb to watch the film, with many of us considering watching two blockbuster films – Barbie and Oppenheimer – in one sitting in the name of #Barbenheimer. Seriously, are we okay? All this hype has almost made us forget what this is all about – the dolls themselves. It might not feel like it, but these guys have been going for way longer than the movie’s marketing campaign. Since 1959, more than a billion Barbies – and considerably fewer Kens – have been sold worldwide. And there have been plenty of famous Londoners among them. From pioneering scientists to onstage superstars, these are the locals who’ve been immortalised in plastic. David Bowie Bowie is so iconic that he got not one but two Barbie dolls made in his honour. Mattel first channelled the rockstar’s unmatched style in 2019, recreating the instantly recognisable Ziggy Stardust look from his ‘Space Oddity’ era. In 2022, round two saw the release of another doll, this time to mark the 50th anniversary of the late singer’s fourth album, ‘Hunky Dory’. The ‘Life On Mars?’ music video was recreated, complete with ’70s glam-rock look powder-blue suit and matching eyeshadow. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barbie® (

Luke Thompson is having his cake and eating it. Figuratively: that’s how he describes simultaneously filming season three of ‘Bridgerton’, Netflix’s hugely successful TV series, and rehearsing for Ivo van Hove’s West End stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s bestselling novel ‘A Little Life.’ And literally: he’s tucking into a vanilla-and-passionfruit cake while chatting about his busy schedule, using words like ‘lucky’ and ‘blessed’ as he munches away in Terry’s, a 1940s time-capsule caff in Southwark.  He’s run the two miles from rehearsals in London Bridge. That’s how excited he is to talk about stepping into the shoes of Willem, one of the book’s four lead characters, alongside an all-star cast headed up by James Norton of ‘Happy Valley’ as Jude, Omari Douglas from ‘It’s a Sin’ as JB and Zach Wyatt from ‘The Witcher’ as Malcolm. ‘I knew there was a possibility “Bridgerton” wouldn’t be able to fit around this,’ he explains. ‘I worried I’d audition, be offered the part and have to turn it down. So to be able to do both is the joy of joys.’ ‘Joy’ isn’t usually the first word that springs to mind when talking about ‘A Little Life’, the Booker Prize shortlisted novel that captured imaginations and speared souls when it first hit bookshelves in 2015. The plot follows four college friends as they move painfully through life, covering topics from sexual assault, drug addiction, self-harm and suicide. It’s not an easy read, yet it has the unputdownable power of a story in need of

We asked you about the weirdest things that have happened to you while sharing a place in London. Here’s what you said… 'I lived with a guy who stored steak under his bed' 'I was introduced to my flatmate's boyfriend. He was my ex' 'My landlord died so I got to live there rent-free for a bit while his family figured out what to do.' 'My housemates had a full on fist fight about who should take the bin out' 'Someone carved threatening messages into my chopping board and peed in my pots and pans' 'I said no to a date with a guy in my house, so he keyed my car' ‘My flatmate crashed into the garage door after drunk-driving home from Spearmint Rhino.’ ‘A girl who collected her boyfriend’s semen in a plastic cup, which she kept under her bed.’ ‘Three vegan Aussie lads told me not to go in the “LSD fridge”.’ ‘My gay flatmate giving a blow job to his “straight” friend at the kitchen table one night.’ ‘A crazy French girl put drawing pins inside the oven gloves as a farewell gift.’ ‘My live-in landlady presented me with the ashes of her dead cat in a miniature coffin.’ ‘My male housemate couldn’t explain why my lost bra turned up in the back of one of his drawers – complete with makeshift plastic-bag padding.’ ‘My housemate brought home a few pheasants he claimed to have shot. They still had shop tags on their feet.’ ‘The man who greeted each morning in a waistcoat and Y-fronts, with a large G&T and the words: “It’s always six o’clock somewhere in the Empire!” No, he wasn’t called Bor

Anyone born in the Nineties will know the significance of October 3. It's been christened Mean Girls Day since 2004, the year Tina Fey's teen comedy became an instant cult classic. If you're over the age of 35, let us explain. The date relates to when Lindsay Lohan's misfit protagonist, Cady Heron, speaks to her conventionally dishy love interest, Aaron Samuels. He asks what day it is. She replies with 'It's October 3rd'. And thus, with three words, a million memes and an unofficial holiday was born. Following in the footsteps of Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls has become a timeless cultural touchstone. Need proof? Try googling 'Mean Girls brunch near me'. And let's not forget Kris Jenner's 'cool mom' bit in Ariane Grande's Thank U, Next music video. 2018, what a time. Most October thirds, MG fans go all out, creating their own Burn Books, taking scissors to their T-shirts and bombarding Daniel Franzese with Cameo requests. And this year is no different. Except it kind of is. Hotels.com has gone OTT by offering one-night stays in pink hotel rooms on Wednesdays...for the price of an UberLUX. The five participating hotels can be found in Washington DC, Sweden and Paris. And there are two here in London. The Mayfair and Raddisson Blu Edwardian are offering up their pink-themed suites for a steal-price of £60.  Each room is bookable with a 'Fetch' bespoke code - yes, literally - but you'll have to move faster than Regina George in front of a moving bus to get

If multiplatform King’s Cross music venue Goods Way were a song, it would sure be something country. It oozes a rumpled charm but you know it’s experienced more heartbreaks than Brad Paisley can shake a handtooled boot at.  It fatefully set its opening a week before London’s first coronavirus-related lockdown, before tentatively reopening in October 2020 to again be stifled by lockdown 2.0. It wasn’t until June 2021 it finally got its shot to show the capital what it was all about. This New Orleans-style speakeasy situated on the Regent’sCanal is the brainchild of the people who brought us Flat Iron Square in Southwark, and aims to bring a taste of the Louisiana bayou to London. Sweetwater, the in-house saloon-style cocktail bar boasts an impressive cigar bar and plenty of whiskey, while the Courtyard is a thoughtfully curated dining space inspired by the Mississippi Delta, hosting an eclectic mix of independent food traders. Resident stalls include foodie favourites Pomelo, Breddos, Temple of Seitan, The Duck Truck and Sushi On Jones. And that’s just covering the basics. Now that the indie venue has finally found its feet, it’s leaning more on its Americana roots. Launching this weekend, Goods Way will host its first Sunday Service Live session, a new weekly series of free, live music featuring a line-up of established jazz musicians, including Irene Serra, Heidi Vogel and Corina Kwami, alongside rising stars.  The sessions will take place every Sunday between noon and 3pm,

Hit Netflix show ‘Sex Education’ is finally back on our screens for season 3, and making quite the bang in the process. (That opening sequence. Ooooft) There’s a new headmistress in town. Otis has debuted a pretty pathetic-looking moustache and we’re all still wondering what Eric sees in Adam. Known for being an era-shifting commentary on teenage life, covering sex, sexuality, body image, trauma and all the awkward fumbling in between, the show is also a love letter to ’90s fashion, nifty architecture and interior design. Otis and Jean’s home has become just as synonymous with the show as the actors themselves. And for good reason. The rusty-hued riverside chalet is a stunner. Luckily for the show’s fans, it really exists and is available to rent.  The 100-year-old Norwegian-chalet-style house is situated near Symonds Yat Rock in the Wye Valley in Herefordshire. It’s near the Forest of Dean and there are walking and cycling trails through spectacular coiuntryside. According to its website, it is accessed via a romantic wooded driveway and offers space for up to ten guests across four double bedrooms and one twin room. There’s also a sundeck and a massive conservatory filled with plants – perfect for conducting sensual arousal workshops or reading the latest Nick Hornby. Seriously, whatever works for you. Outside, there’s a log-burning fire, pizza oven, hammock and roll-top bath, to really get you in the wilderness spirit. Just remember Jean’s house rules while you’re there

While the ‘Is Bromley in London or Kent’ debate will rumble on long after humans have been wiped out by sun, sea, volcano or asteroid, what we can all agree on is that the capital is spenny. Everything from a takeaway coffee to a step on the property ladder appears to be getting more and more out of reach for the average Londoner. And things only seem to be getting trickier for the capital’s singles. According to research conducted by beauty expert Cosmetify, which analysed data from cost-of-living calculators Expatistan and Numbeo, London is the most expensive place to date in the UK, beating Oxford, Edinburgh and Cambridge. The study looks at the key pillars of *bougie* dating: the cost of two cinema tickets, a restaurant dinner for two, a pint of beer, a cocktail and a taxi fare within a five-mile radius.  The findings show that searching for The One in the Big Smoke is costing Londoners almost double what it would in the most affordable city, Hull, birthplace of Lemsip and Philip Larkin, and 2017’s UK City of Culture. The northern city’s average pint price is a wholesome £3.37, with a cocktail coming in at £7. While a beer in the capital will set you back £6.11(!!), with a cocktail costing £12. (Seriously, propose now.) In better news, Wales’s capital city, Cardiff, is second on the affordability scale, which basically means you’re probably better off catching the Megabus to the ’Diff to woo the lucky lad or lady in your life. And before some idiot asks, no you don’t need