Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop’s Victorian Benefits on BBC Two
Last week, a new documentary entitled Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop’s Victorian Benefits premiered on iPlayer. In keeping with the witty, sardonic style of Hislop’s historical investigations of Victorian and…
Boycotting is a democratic staple – the government ban is blatant censorship
Last week, the UK government announced new rules to stop “politically motivated” boycotts of Israel by local councils, with clauses that leave open the possibility of restricting the right to…
Harper Lee: 1926-2016
Harper Lee, the internationally best-selling author of To Kill A Mockingbird, passed away on Friday 19th February at the age of 89. She spent her entire life in Monroeville, Alabama,…
Theatre is lagging far behind film in LGBT+ representation
Art, literature, cinema, and performing arts have seen a striking increase in LGBT+ themes and characters. Often these have challenged stereotypical depictions of queer individuals or dismissed in favour of…
BBC Three on Elton John
This week, BBC Radio 6 welcomed the writer of the biggest-selling single of all time for an autobiographical romp when it hosted Sir Elton John. The 67-year-old declares: “Music has…
Coming Oot! A Fabulous History of Gay Scotland
This week, BBC One Scotland broadcast a television programme that charted the story of Scotland’s gay community from 1945 to the present day. A rich combination of testimony, archive, interviews…
Frank and the Golden Era of Radio
This Monday, BBC Radio Two welcomed Paul Gambaccini to explore the radio career of musical legend Frank Sinatra. ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ enjoyed prominence during the golden age of radio in…
Scientology and the universality of religious freedom
Last week, a Moscow high court declared that Scientology does not comply with the country’s federal law on religious freedom, and therefore is ineligible for any protections under Russian law.…