Going out: Cinema
Eleanor the Great
Out now
June Squibb stars in Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, which premiered at Cannes and tells the tale of the eponymous Eleanor, a senior citizen recently relocated to New York, who strikes up a friendship with a 19-year old – and then stumbles her way into pretending to be a Holocaust survivor.
Lurker
Out now
A hit at Sundance, this is the story of a lowly retail employee who happens to strike up a friendship with a rising pop star, becoming the Boswell to his Johnson, if Boswell was part of a pop star’s entourage. But the path of friendship with a famous person never did run smooth, and the uneven power dynamic soon prompts some desperate manoeuvring in this psychological thriller.
Ella McCay
Out now
Emma Mackey stars in the latest from James L Brooks (his first since 2010), a political comedy about an idealistic thirtysomething working in government and preparing to step into the shoes of her mentor, Governor Bill (Albert Brooks). Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as Ella’s aunt.
Preparation for the Next Life
Out now
An undocumented Uyghur immigrant is looking for a new start in New York when she meets an American soldier in Chinatown, in this drama adapted from the Atticus Lish novel, starring newcomer Sebiye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger (Nickel Boys). Directed by Oscar nominee Bing Liu (Minding the Gap). Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Bladee
London, 13 & 16 December; Dublin, 14 December; Manchester, 17 December
Hailed as the “Mystic Oracle of Internet Rap” by Pitchfork earlier this year, the Swedish cult hero continues his busy year – which already includes a collaborative EP with Yung Lean, and features on songs by PinkPantheress and Oklou – with this tour. Michael Cragg
MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio
Barbican Hall, London, 19 December
It’s the time of year when amateur and professional choirs throughout the land are dusting off their scores of Handel’s Messiah for their annual performance. For a change the more ambitious ones might opt for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio instead, and this year the BBC Symphony Chorus is taking up the Christmas Oratorio that James MacMillan composed for the LPO six years ago. The composer conducts his amalgam of biblical narration and liturgical choruses, with Rhian Lois and Roderick Williams as the soloists.Andrew Clements
Alan Barnes
Fleece Jazz, Colchester, 16 December; Chichester Jazz Club, 19 December
For the festive season, one of the UK jazz scene’s most entertaining swing-to-bebop sax maestros regularly hits the road, this year with long-time trumpet partner Bruce Adams on Tuesday, and his A-list UK eight-piece on Friday. John Fordham
Duckwrth
Manchester, 14 December; Bristol, 15 December; London, 16 December
Shape-shifting LA musician Jared Lee, whose most recent album, April’s All American F*ckBoy, fused hip-hop, alt-rock and narration from LaKeith Stanfield, brings his frantic, gonzo energy to these shores for this three-date tour. MC
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Going out: Art
Peter Doig
Serpentine Gallery, London, to 8 February
Party on with one of the best shows of 2025, and also a club, a gig and an indoor festival as this enchanting painter mixes his art with sounds from his vinyl collection. Giant vintage cinema speakers pump out the soundtrack to paintings that transport you to Doig’s exotic, atmospheric worlds.
A Case at the Museum
The Harris, Preston, to 4 January
The world of Wallace and Gromit comes to life in this ideal exhibition for the Christmas season. The relaunched Harris art gallery in Preston gives the beloved plasticine characters their own retrospective while also exploring the life and art of their creator Nick Park. Pass the mince pies, Gromit.
Lasting Impressions
V&A, London, to 27 September
In Käthe Kollwitz’s print Death and the Woman (Tod und Frau), a child attempts to save its mother from a skeleton that is trying to drag her off, transforming the old German theme Death and the Maiden. This display of prints by women also includes Faith Ringgold and Laura Knight.
Humphrey Ocean
Gainsborough’s House, Suffolk, to 22 March
The pop-tinged painter, and former bassist with Kilburn and the High Roads, exhibits his cool and precise yet at times very poetic architectural views. Flat vistas of tower blocks and houses against empty skies capture the way we live now. It makes a contrast with the Georgian home of Gainsborough. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Woman in Mind
Duke of York’s theatre, London, to 28 February
One of Alan Ayckbourn’s more unusual plays is about a housewife who hits her head and starts to live a double life, one real and one imaginary. Sheridan Smith stars (always a bundle of contradictions) alongside comedian Romesh Ranganathan in his West End debut.
A Christmas Fair
Chadderton Town Hall, 17 December to 2 January
This co-production between Oldham Coliseum theatre and Not Too Tame theatre company – which creates work that celebrates regional identity and champions community – looks a treat. It’s an immersive take on Jim Cartwright’s festive play, which explores the lives of locals preparing for their annual fair. Miriam Gillinson
Live at Christmas
Touring to 21 December
Everyone loves a festive bargain and this country-wide series of mixed-bill standup shows certainly provides bang for your buck. Featuring the likes of Tim Key, Phil Wang and Simon Amstell, each instalment presents a pick’n’mix of at least five comics – all of whom would be hot tickets solo. Rachel Aroesti
Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show
Aviva Studios, Manchester, to 4 January
Australian circus troupe Circa are masters of their craft – usually classy, well-choreographed acrobatics that play in theatres and festivals around the globe. So this feels like a swerve into new territory, a family show based on an endearing animated character, it promises slapstick comedy along with tumbling, juggling and aerial feats. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
Fallout
Prime Video, 17 December
The peppiest protagonist to ever trudge through a post-apocalyptic wasteland returns in the hit video game adaptation. Following the jaw-dropping season one finale, we rejoin Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean as she heads to Las Vegas, where civil war is waiting.
A Mary Berry Christmas
iPlayer & BBC1, 17 December, 9pm
The most Christmassy activity in the world is lying horizontally on the sofa while somebody else painstakingly prepares a festive feast – so if you’ll be the one sweating over the stove this year, take the opportunity to put your feet up and marvel at the creations of our patron saint of comforting yet meticulously precise home cookery.
The Salt Path Scandal
Now & Sky Documentaries, 15 December, 9pm
The Observer’s report on the omissions and inconsistencies in Raynor Winn’s bestselling 2018 memoir rocked the publishing world this summer. In this documentary, we go behind the story with investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou as she continues to tease fact from fiction.
Emily in Paris
Netflix, 18 December
Few Netflix shows have generated as much outrage as this syrupy-sweet, stereotype-saturated romcom starring Lily Collins. Yet that hasn’t remotely dampened its colossal popularity. Devotees will be delighted to reunite with the titular American marketing manager as she relocates to Rome for more culture-clash romance. RA
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Staying in: Games
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes
PS5, Xbox, PC; out 19 December
This hefty expansion to Ubisoft’s really rather good but overlooked movie tie-in from 2023 tells a fresh story of Na’vi revenge in a new, stunningly realised region of the planet Pandora. That the new Avatar film is out on the same day is probably just a coincidence.
Star Trek: Infection
Meta Quest, Steam VR; out now
There are few more effective ways to shut out all that interminable Christmas cheer than strapping on a VR headset, and while the egalitarian do-goodery of Star Trek and full-bore survival horror might not sound like the most sympatico bedfellows, this offers effective scares aplenty. Luke Holland
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Staying in: Albums
Roddy Ricch – The Navy Album
Out now
Originally slated for release a year ago before being delayed multiple times, the third album by the Compton rapper finally emerges. Of its two singles, both now quite old, Survivor’s Remorse is the most interesting, with Ricch reflecting on his life over a looped sample of Kelly Clarkson’s Me.
Fucked Up – Grass Can Move Stones Part 1: Year of the Goat
Out now
Twenty years after starting their ambitious Zodiac series (they tackled the Year of the Horse in 2021), the Canadian noise merchants begin its towering conclusion with the goat. Part 1 features just two songs, one of which is the 28 minute-long Long Ago Gardens.
Hercules and Love Affair – Someone Else is Calling
Out now
DJ and producer Andy Butler returns to his Hercules and Love Affair moniker for the first time since 2022’s In Amber album. This new EP of sleek house and disco is lead by the hypnotic title track, which features vocals from Icelandic singer Elín Ey, AKA Hips and Lips.
Anna of the North – Girl in a Bottle
Out now
Norwegian soft-pop practitioner Anna Lotterud (below) returns with this fourth album, the first part of a mooted double LP. Created with producer Starsmith (Ellie Goulding, Kylie), songs such as the tactile Call Me and the wobbly No One Knows You Better soundtrack the minutiae of a relationship. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Life After Prison
Podcast
The Prison Radio Association’s fascinating series on rehabilitation and the realities of life post-incarceration returns with a new batch of episodes. Guests include an ex-soldier on battling addiction problems and a former prisoner turned chef.
How Ikea Mastered Furniture
YouTube
This comprehensive video essay explores how Swedish furniture brand Ikea came to dominate the world of interiors and budget design. From honeycomb paper structures to flat pack efficiency, we see how the brand continues to evolve.
Accompanying Austen
BBC Radio 3, 15 December
Marking 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, this charming five-part series (continuing daily to Friday) examines the niche pursuit of scoring Austen adaptations. Critic Antonia Quirke speaks to five composers about their approaches. Ammar Kalia
