Black Comedy review – Peter Shaffer’s relentless farce provokes helpless laughter
A stealing sculptor struggles to keep his visitors in the dark, while they lope and grope with the lights out, in Shaffer’s escalating slapstick show
Eclipse review – W1A creator’s dark comedy about matters of life and death in Devon
John Morton’s debut as a playwright is a finely crafted family drama with shades of Alan Ayckbourn
Sherlock Holmes review – the game is afoot, a stone’s throw from Baker Street
Adolescence to The Celebrity Traitors: who will win the TV Baftas … and who should?
Magic review – spellbinding standoff between Houdini and Conan Doyle
April 2026
A dubious career move: how The Claudia Winkleman Show ended the presenter’s winning streak
It seems that even the Traitors host can’t save the ailing chatshow format. As her series ends, it’s hard not to feel that she never quite got out of Graham Norton’s shadow
March 2026
In the Print review – Rupert Murdoch hits trade unions with fake news in tense thriller
Scott Mills’s sudden sacking suggests BBC has made its mind up about him
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) review – this brevity is the soul of wit
Ant & Dec are shunned at last! The TV Baftas make some clever omissions for once
Under Milk Wood review – dark fairytales swirl around Dylan Thomas’s evergreen village
‘There’s no way back for him’: Martin Clunes on playing Huw Edwards in a controversial new drama
February 2026
A Thing of Beauty review – Imogen Stubbs electrifies as grilled Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl
Men Behaving Badly: The Play review – boorish flatmates prattle like it’s 1999
January 2026
In Our Time review – the first Melvyn Bragg-less show will have made BBC management clench buttocks
Misha Glenny’s debut as host of the long-running Radio 4 series tackled JS Mill’s On Liberty – a bold move given the BBC’s current legal battles
December 2025
Indian Ink review – Felicity Kendal is formidable in emotional epitaph for Tom Stoppard
The actor gives a skilful performance in the late playwright’s 1995 meditation on love and literary posterity, directed by Jonathan Kent
‘Astonishing’: how Stanley Baxter’s TV extravaganzas reached 20 million
The Scottish star used his exceptional gift for impersonations to create genre-mashing specials that were as epic as the Hollywood films they parodied. He was a perfectionist performer with huge talent
The BFG review – RSC’s big friendly mishmash lacks Matilda’s confidence
This adaptation of the beloved tale about an ogre looks beautiful but does not grow into a giant to rival the company’s hit Roald Dahl musical
November 2025
Where to start with Tom Stoppard: from Brazil to Leopoldstadt
Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas review – Lloyd Webber and Rice reunite for festive felonies
