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I’m not going to go into the technological mumbo-jumbo here. There’s a lot of that in BBC One’s latest thrill-ride, Nightsleeper, but trust me, the majority of that is not exactly important for you to understand. In this article, we’re going to go through the plot of the series before sharing our thoughts.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens in the Show?

It kicks off at Glasgow station. The Heart of Britain Nightsleeper service is about to commence, like on any other night, but it gets delayed by a sudden mugging incident at the station. Two masked men snatch away a woman’s bag on the platform and climb onto the train. Fortunately, police officer Joe is on the scene, here to catch the same train. Joe chases down the muggers inside the train and snatch back the bag from them. The muggers get away, but it’s mostly a win for Joe,...

It may feel like we’re heading into our sixth month of winter, but whatever the weather says, spring is technically here.

Ringing in April (hopefully sans showers), The Independent’s team of critics and culture editors have hand-selected the very best TV series, films, music, exhibitions, books and theatre to enjoy over the weekend.

Chief art critic Mark Hudson heads to Dundee to learn about the history of tartan in Scotland, while TV editor Ellie Harrison checks out comedy queen Daisy May Cooper’s most serious role to date in Rain Dogs. In the film arena, Adam White celebrates both artsy Mubi releases (Please Baby Please) and surprisingly good blockbusters (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves). Music editor Roisin O’Connor sings the praises of indie supergroup boygenius’s edgily titled five-star album the record. Arts editor Jessie Thompson delves into pop music’s recent past with Michael Cragg’s...

With the clocks set to leap forward this weekend and the Easter holidays around the corner, it’s undeniable: spring is finally here.

And what more fitting way to spend a seasonal March weekend than by imbibing some of the best culture on offer. Whether it’s TV series, films, music, art shows or theatre, there is a plethora of options over the next few days, and The Independent’s team of critics and culture editors have hand-selected some of the best.

Chief art critic Mark Hudson reviews a flawed but possibly essential modern art exhibit at the National Gallery. TV editor Ellie Harrison celebrates the return of the best show on television, Succession, and features editor Adam White looks at three very different film releases, including the fourth John Wick, out in cinemas today. Meanwhile, music editor Roisin O’Connor sings the praises of Lana Del Rey’s new album...

After an eventful last weekend – which saw Everything Everywhere All at Once sweep the 2023 Oscars – the world finally has time to take a breather.

But the new releases haven’t stopped coming, whether that’s films, TV series, books, albums, art exhibitions or stage plays. To help parse the influx of options from across the arts, The Independent’s culture desk has assembled another edition of our weekly Arts Agenda.

Arts editor Jessie Thompson walks us through two of the best books to dive into this weekend, and raves about the new production of Guys and Dolls. Music editor Roisin O’Connor praises a career-best release from Welsh rock band Trampolene. Chief arts critic Mark Hudson recommends three exhibitions from three different UK cities, and features editor Adam White has nothing but good things to say about Pearl, the acclaimed prequel to last year’s pulpy slasher X. Ellie Harrison, meanwhile,...

It’s Academy Awards weekend, that time of year when the film industry obsesses over who will win what, and why.

But there’s more going on than just the Oscars. The Independent has compiled a guide to the best cultural activities and events taking place over the next few days, for our weekly Arts Agenda. Critics and editors recommend a diverse range of options from the worlds of art, literature, film, music, stage and TV.

Arts editor Jessie Thompson heralds an exciting new project from feminist publisher Virago, and discusses the divisive Bake Off musical currently storming the West End. Features editor Adam White has good things to say about the new Scream film, which features Wednesday star Jenna Ortega. Chief art critic Mark Hudson urges everyone to go and check out the Cézanne exhibition while there’s still a chance, and features writer Annabel Nugent walks us through...

The third weekend of February brings some fascinating exhibitions, some left-field film releases... and a cocaine-fuelled bear. Yep, you read that right.

But that’s not all that features in this week’s Arts Agenda, The Independent’s guide to the best cultural activities each and every weekend. Our team of critics and editors have selected a range of options from across the different spheres of culture: art, books, film, music, stage and TV.

Among the highlights are David Hockney’s new immersive experience at Lightroom (we’ve also got an exclusive interview with the man himself). TV editor Ellie Harrison talks about the return of ITV’s Unforgotten – sadly sans Nicola Walker – while film editor Adam White has found the perfect Netflix film to fill the Jennifer Coolidge-shaped hole in all our lives after The White Lotus. Arts editor Jessie Thompson, meanwhile, enthuses about Coco Mellors’ bingeable novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein,...

The third weekend of February brings some fascinating exhibitions, some left-field film releases... and yet another awards ceremony.

But that’s not all that features in this week’s Arts Agenda, The Independent’s guide to the best cultural activities each and every weekend. Our team of critics and editors have selected a range of options from across the different spheres of culture: art, books, film, music, stage and TV.

Among the highlights this week are a new exhibition at the Barbican showcasing the work of Alice Neel. TV editor Ellie Harrison talks about the Baftas, and the unlikely Netflix film poised to be a major contender. Speaking of awards, Adam White sings the praises of the off-kilter Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, an animated film that might just take home an Oscar in a few weeks. Arts editor Jessie Thompson, meanwhile, enthuses about Richard Hawley’s new musical,...

It’s the weekend again. If you’re not sure what to do, The Independent’s got you covered.

Welcome to The Independent’s Arts Agenda, our guide to the very best culture to catch up with across your Saturday and Sunday.

Carefully curated by our critics and editors, this round-up features hot tips across the worlds of art, film, TV, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, books and music. Whether you’re after a must-see new production or an under-the-radar gem you might have overlooked, we’ve got you covered.

This week, TV editor Ellie Harrison looks ahead to the series finale of BBC One’s acclaimed crime drama Happy Valley, and arts editor Jessie Thompson steers you towards Cheryl’s stage debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story. Film editor Adam White had a blast with M Night Shyamalan’s latest, Knock at the Cabin, while chief art critic Mark Hudson...

No plans this weekend? Let us fix that for you. Welcome to The Independent’s Arts Agenda, our brand new guide to the very best culture to catch up with across your Saturday and Sunday.

Carefully curated by our critics and editors, this round-up will bring you our hot tips across art, film, TV, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, books and music. Whether it’s a must-see newly opened show, or a gem you might have missed, we hope our recommendations mean you’re never stuck for something to see or do.

This week, if you haven’t watched The Last of Us yet, our TV Editor Ellie Harrison says you’re in store for a treat, while our Arts Editor Jessie Thompson is very curious about Melanie C’s Sadler’s Wells dance show. Elsewhere, our Film Editor Adam White says you can now watch Damien Chazelle’s Babylon at...

Tons of songs become baseball stadium classics, even if they don’t start out that way: Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Gary Glitter’s “Rock & Roll Part 2,” the list goes on. Harry Nilsson aimed to go straight to the ballgame with his own sports anthem, “Yo Dodger Blue.”

“Dad was devoted to this team ever since they were the Brooklyn Dodgers,” his son Kiefo tweeted of the track, which was included on the singer-songwriter’s posthumous album, Losst and Founnd, a collection of material Nilsson recorded at the end of his career.

Twenty-five years after Harry Nilsson died of a heart attack at the age of 52, his estate has announced a new album of unreleased material. Titled Losst and Founnd, the record will arrive on November 22nd via Omnivore Recordings.

Nilsson was working on the record at the time of his death, and fans have asked for its release ever since. It marks his first new material in nearly 40 years, following 1980’s Flash Harry. Two singles have been released — the dreamy “U.C.L.A.” and “Lost and Found” — which can be heard below.

Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler has again sent President Trump a cease-and-desist letter for using the band’s music without permission at a political rally.

In 2015, the singer’s legal team warned the then-Republican presidential candidate over his use of “Dream On” on the campaign trail. Three years later, a Trump rally Tuesday at West Virginia’s Charleston Civic Center featured Aerosmith’s 1993 hit “Livin’ on the Edge,” resulting in another cease-and-desist letter from Tyler, Variety reports.

“By using ‘Livin’ On The Edge’ without our client’s permission, Mr. Trump...

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is demanding President Donald Trump stop using the band’s songs at rallies, like the one held at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia on Tuesday (August 21). The band’s 1993 hit “Livin’ on the Edge” was played as Trump devotees entered the venue, which has a capacity of 13,500. Tyler has in turn sent a “cease and desist” letter through his attorney Dina Lapolt to the White House accusing the President of willful infringement in broadcasting the song, which was written by Tyler, Joe Perry and Mark Hudson.

Citing the Lanham Act, which prohibits “any false designation or misleading description or representation of fact … likely to cause confusion … as to the affiliation, connection, or association of such person with another person,” Tyler’s attorney contends that playing an Aerosmith song in a public arena gives the false impression that Tyler is endorsing Trump’s presidency.

The...

A seriously injured father of three is being hailed as a hero after he pushed his pregnant wife from the path of a speeding truck.

Aaron Gutierrez and his family had just finished celebrating his 6-year-old son’s birthday at a local pizzeria in Fresno, California, when they hopped on a bus to return home on the night of January 5. The bus dropped them off just a short walk away, and as Gutierrez, his mother, pregnant wife and the couple’s two other children talked about their fun night during their stroll, a speeding blue Toyota Tacoma ran a red...

On Sunday afternoon Wembley stadium will be awash in the red of Liverpool and blue of Cardiff. Both sets of fanatical fans are respected throughout football as being among the most genuine and loyal, showing respect to their own teams and opposition alike. By Sunday evening one set of supporters will be heading home disappointed and the other celebrating the first trophy of the English season – with the guaranteed ‘booby’ prize of the The Europa League! But despite the much maligned competitiveness of the Carling Cup a trophy is still trophy and you can bet that behind closed doors both Arsene Wenger and Avb would swap places with either manager to keep their respective teeth baring chairmen from the door.

For Liverpool it’s the opportunity to end a six year trophy drought (after 2006′s Fa Cup ‘The Gerrard Final’) in surprisingly a first visit to the new Wembley (since...

Jean Rollin "was a double outsider," argues Dave Kehr in the New York Times, "a filmmaker drawn to the fantastique in a country that had a limited tradition of genre filmmaking as well as a proud tradition of Cartesian rationalism that discouraged explorations of the supernatural. What France did offer, however, was a thriving interest in eroticism, and when Rollin was finally able to make his first feature, The Rape of the Vampire (1968), he did so by combining his childhood fascination with American cliffhanger serials and early-20th-century French fantasists like Gaston Leroux (author of The Phantom of the Opera) with gauzy nudes and exotic couplings." The British company Redemption is "collaborating with Kino International to release handsomely remastered Blu-rays, taken from the original camera negatives, of five key Rollin titles: The Nude Vampire (1970), The Shiver of the Vampires (1971), The Iron Rose (1973), Lips of Blood (1975) and Fascination (1979)."

"Entering Rollin's cinematic...

The rock reality TV show Rock .n. Roll Fantasy Camp, Season 2 will start airing on VH1 Classic on August 20. This season, the show stars Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum (Both of Guns N. Roses/Velvet Revolver) and Mark Hudson with special guest appearances from Paul Stanley of Kiss, Sammy Hagar, Phil Collen of Def Leppard, Marky Ramone of The Ramones and more. Rock .n. Roll Fantasy Camp isn.t just another reality TV show. It really is a camp. You can learn more at www.RockCamp.com and, for those who want to jam/perform with rock stars instead of watching them on TV, The Camp is back with two new fantasy camps: August 12-14 (NYC): Relive the Woodstock experience...

• Charity Concert This Saturday In Manhattan Features Artists Aged Nine To Ninety • Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Neil Innes, Earl Slick, Mark Hudson, Marshall Crenshaw, Tom Chapin, Glen Burtnik & many more team up with Lennon's first band The Quarrymen (The Band That Became The Beatles) to salute Lennon on his 70th birthday John Lennon with his band The Quarrymen on Saturday July 6th 1957. Photographed just one hour before John Lennon & Paul McCartney met for the first time -- the 'Big Bang' that led to the Beatles. Photo: © 1957 & 2010 -- Geoff Rhind This Saturday -- October 9th -- is the exact 70th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. There are multiple celebrations taking place worldwide, including the Us release of the superb movie Nowhere Boy about Lennon's teenage years, the formation of his band The Quarrymen...

Michael Jackson lookalike Michael Lewis showed up on tonight’s X Factor show.

The 26 year old shop assistant could move similarly to the King Of Pop, but his voice was hideous. He sang Rock With You for the judges in London and not one of them was impressed by what they saw.

Judges Comments:

Simon Cowell: Can I be honest with you Michael? That was hideous, there was nothing authentic, it was just awfukl

Louis Walsh: It was a very bad impersonation of Michael, it was more like Latoya.Where is the love?

As Michael launched into his second song, an acapella version of Mj’s Human Nature, the audience became very vocal and chanted ‘off, off, off.’ Lewis blasted them shouting:

“There is so much negativity in this room it is unreal. There is no love in your life or heart whatsoever.”

But the judges went with...

X Factor star Leona Lewis and one time American Idol hopeful Jennifer Hudson have gotten together and recorded a song for the soundtrack of Sex And The City 2.

Leona is no newbie to the world of Hollywood soundtracks, having sang for both Avatar and Precious in the last year alone. And lets not forget that Jennifer won a best supporting actress Academy Award for her role in the 2006 musical movie Dreamgirls.

A source told The Sun: “The pair have recorded the song and it’s being discussed as either the main theme or to feature on the soundtrack.

“They each have incredible voices and will appeal to both the UK and the Us.

“It’s perfect for the next Satc film.”

Related posts:x Factor: Mark Hudson Thinks Leona Lewis Lacks Star QualityWhitney Houston: Leona Lewis Is A “Baby Me!”X Factor: Leona Lewis To Duet With Whitney Houston?Jennifer Hudson...

Former X Factor contestant Ben Mills has revealed that the show's producers turned down the chance to have Bon Jovi as guests on the programme three years ago. The New Jersey rock group appeared on the current series as part of the contest's first ever Rock Week. However, according to Mills, it was not the first time that the band had been suggested as guests. Mills said that Mark Hudson, Sharon Osbourne's co-mentor on the show, had offered to get the group to perform in 2006. "When I was on X Factor, Mark Hudson, who is great friends with Bon Jovi, offered the producers the chance to have them on," the singer told Digital Spy. "The (more)...