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SubscriptionsSection: Culture
History, music, cooking, travel, books, theatre, film – but also with an eye on the ‘culture wars’, nationalism and identity.
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Prince Andrew has Prised Open the Lid of the Monarchy’s Pandora’s Box
Otto English explores why the British are so reluctant to discuss what the point of the Royal Family is
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‘Sorry We Missed You’ Review: Ken Loach’s True Story Delivers a Punch
A damning portrait of zero-hours contracts, private debt and public austerity in Brexit Britain.
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Odeon of Death: Noah
Noah (Show-a) (2019) And lo, a great flood came upon the earth, and the Lord said to Noah, Buildeth thou an ark. So he did, and sailed far away, as the people of South Yorkshire cried, “Shit! Come back!” And over the waves the distant strains of Rock the Casbah could be heard… The Odeon…
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How I Fell Down a Right-Wing Brexit Rabbit Hole – and Came Out the Other Side
Steve Jones recalls how Facebook took him on a dark journey and why he now regrets voting to Leave the EU.
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WORD OF THE WEEK: hugger-mugger
(n.) secrecy, concealment; (adj., adv.) clandestine, hidden from view Rely solely on the headlines and you’d be forgiven for thinking not much of any consequence has happened this week, save for two former Labour MPs endorsing Boris Johnson in the upcoming December election. It’s true, Ian Austen and John Woodcock’s words were hardly beneficial to…
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When will we Return to the Hope we had when the Berlin Wall Fell 30 Years Ago?
Otto English recalls what it was like growing up in a world where the threat of the Cold War loomed large – and the surprise and optimism when, one day, this came to an end.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Making Better People – Why Eugenics Refuses to Die
Even if we could make fitter, cleverer humans, would that make them more valuable people?
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Odeon of Death: The Twat in the Hat
(With apologies to Theodor Geisel) Who’s that creeping in the fog?
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Jacob Rees-Mogg: A Relic of the Past, A Danger to the Future
Musa Okwonga explores the controversial Conservative politician’s popularity and what it represents about modern England.
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The 2008 Financial Crisis Paved the Way for Brexit – Why Don’t We Talk About it Anymore?
A decade ago, the financial crisis presented the most pivotal economic, political and social moment since the fall of the Berlin Wall. We need to examine its effects if we are to learn lessons in Brexit Britain.
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The Strange Death of Middle Class England
As part of the March of the Oligarchs series, Stephen Colegrave looks at the impact of the super rich on the English middle class.
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War and Amnesia: Tales My Grandfather Never Told Me
A personal story from Otto English about how the past is far too often sanitised to make people who were never there feel better about their family, our collective past and our country.
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The March of the Oligarchs: 1979 to 2019
Peter Jukes with the historical background to a new Byline Times series on a global phenomenon that best explains Boris Johnson and Donald Trump.
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Odeon of Death: Halloween
Halloween (2019) Notice: the Odeon regrets to announce the cancellation of tonight’s screening, in which Michael Myers may or may not end up dead in a ditch. The show will be rescheduled for late January 2020. Maybe. The Odeon of Death can be found on Twitter at, perhaps not altogether surprisingly, @OdeonofDeath.
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‘Men Need Spaces to Talk About Masculinity. Cutting Hair Can Save Lives’
As part of her Why Masculinity Matters series, Hardeep Matharu speaks to Tom Chapman, founder of the Lions Barber Collective, about the need for spaces for men to speak to each other about the challenges of navigating masculinity.
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Odeon of Death: Interminablenator: Dark Fart
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. Interminablenator: Dark Fart (2019) The peace and prosperity of the UK is under threat from a new Terminator sent from the future. Skynet’s secret weapon, the D0MCUM-1000, absolutely will not stop, ever, until we are dead. The Odeon of…
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‘The Idea is Trump and Boris are Alpha Males and their Ludicrous Sex Drive Tells You they are Winners’
As part of her Why Masculinity Matters series, Hardeep Matharu speaks to cultural commentator and writer Peter York about why ideas of toxic masculinity seem to be more relevant in politics than ever.
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‘It’s Men. That’s the Common Denominator in Crime and We have to Address It’
As part of her Why Masculinity Matters series, Hardeep Matharu speaks to Frances Crook, chief executive of the UK’s oldest prison reform charity, about why masculinity must be discussed by those in power if we are to effectively address crime.
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WORD OF THE WEEK: undermimic
(v.) to fall short in replicating something already done by someone else Well, well, well. He’s only gone and done it. Apparently. After a week of frantic into-the-night renegotiations, a plume of white smoke finally puffed its way up from the Brussels skyline early Thursday morning. Rumour has it, from a burning pile of three…
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Odeon of Death Film of the Week: Brexit – The Movie
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. Brexit: The Movie (2019) Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer star in this surreal black comedy. ** Cinema note: this is an ongoing and endless feature presentation. Once the auditorium doors are locked, there’s no way out again. The Odeon of…
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WORD OF THE WEEK: Scowth
scowth (n.) a period of time off from work; scope or freedom to focus on other things
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Odeon of Death: Joker
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema.
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‘Joker’ Review: This Dark Tale of Gotham City Shows How a Hellish Populism Could Take Hold of Our Society
Chris Sullivan gives his take on the controversial new film starring Joaquin Phoenix and compares its dystopian vision with 1970s New York and the UK today.
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WORD OF THE WEEK: public house bargain
public house bargain (n.) a poor or unprofitable bargain; a questionable deal For the past several weeks, it has seemed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s approach to the on-going Brexit negotiations has been to keep his cards close to his chest, and then at the very last moment reveal that he wasn’t ever actually holding…
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The Odeon of Death Film of the Week: Nineteen Eighty-Four II: The Return of Big Brother
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. Nineteen Eighty-Four II: The Return of Big Brother (2019) “Nobody heard what Big Brother was saying. It was merely a few words of encouragement, the sort of words that are uttered in the din of battle, not distinguishable individually…
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‘Judy’ Review – “If I am a Legend Why Am I So Lonely?”
Chris Sullivan reviews the film Judy and considers how the star became a victim of her own fame.
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MOOD-BASED TRAVEL: Miami Beach
In the latest in his series exploring how to experience travelling as an antidote to your mood, Kyle Taylor gives his take on Miami.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: The Point of Wasps
John Mitchinson on why we should cut the pub garden pest some slack.
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WORK OF THE WEEK: Ettercapped
(adj.) bitten by a spider They say heroes come in all shapes and sizes. If you support Brexit, for example, your current hero likely comes in the form of the glabrous Machiavelli currently working the gears of 10 Downing Street—and whose supposed reputation for political shrewdness belies the fact that he’s now engineered the government’s…
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Found in Translation: The ‘Close Strangers’ of Europe Speak to Us All
Emma Burnell discovers many wider echoes in the dramatisation of tensions between Ukrainians and Poles.
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The Odeon of Death Film of the Week: Humbug
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema.
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WORD OF THE WEEK: seagull manager
seagull manager (n.) an overseer who arrives, ruins everything, then departs without fixing it Two former UK Prime Ministers stepped back into the political limelight this week. One is a level-headed, fiercely pro-European, and still highly respected statesman, who has boldly used his platform to wade into the on-going High Court battle over Boris Johnson’s…
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The Show Ends in Mumbai: Why U2 Must Reconsider Its Gig in Modi’s India
CJ Werleman is in danger of burning his ‘Rattle and Hum’ Tour T-Shirt after the Irish band’s recent announcement that its recent tour will end in Modi’s India.
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The Odeon of Death Film of the Week: The Bulk
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. The Bulk (2019) BULK SMASH BACKSTOP! After laugh-a-minute Doctor Alex Johnson is exposed to Gammon radiation, he transforms into the Uncredible Bulk, a violently destructive idiot with his ever-present catchphrase, “Don’t make me Ukippy… you wouldn’t like me when…
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Uncivil War – A Social Media Conflict Without An End
Otto English laments how the culture war that began with the EU Referendum has now polarised and enveloped every aspect of our national debate online.
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Odeon of Death: Solent Red
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. Solent Red (2022) In a polluted and starving Britain of the near-future, Charlton Heston’s under-resourced policeman discovers the terrible truth about the nation’s main food supply, Get Ready-Brek… The Odeon of Death can be found on Twitter at, perhaps…
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WORD OF THE WEEK: Scofflaw
(n.) someone who treats the law with contempt; someone who deliberately flouts rules that are difficult to enforce
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Odeon of Death: Cecil B DeMille’s Cain & Unable (1949)
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. Cecil B DeMille’s Cain & Unable (1949) And it came to pass in the land of Angels there were two brothers, one brutish with hair like unclean corn, and one a bit nicer. And lo, when Unable saw what…
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Islam is in My Heart Not in My Clothes: Why I Removed My Hijab
Parveen Ali explains why she decided to permanently remove her headscarf following five years of negativity from those she interacted with – including harassment from the far-right.
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History’s Rhyme: Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Johnson and Cummings
As cliff-edge Britain searches around for historical analogies to a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, Arthur Snell discovers an infamous King and his ill-fated adviser are the most telling of all.
