“If I had to vote for a saint Jamie would be it. He’s good for the country.” At the BBC Studios on Great Portland Street, Gennaro Contaldo talks to Lucy Holden about his childhood […]
Walk for Forgiveness: Frankie Owens visits Leeds
Debates in the UK over how we can reform the punishment and rehabilitation of criminals are rife. The voices often lost within the debate are those of the offenders themselves – those who have lived […]
Theatre | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Tweet Night
4/5 Stars As part of the Guardian’s open-journalism project, I took part in a Tweet Night for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This experiment attempted to encourage people to re-think how we create theatre […]
The Top Five: Passion
Llio Maddocks recites Gennaro Contaldo’s mantra this week in the top five books about passion and love. 1. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H Lawrence The notorious tale of how Lady Chatterley escapes her passionless […]
Book of the Film: On The Road
Kerouac’s classic beat novel, based autobiographically on his own travels across America is completely riotous and completely spellbinding says Jessica Lane. On the Road follows the lives of a group of friends as they […]
Dance | The Lock In
4/5 stars The Carriageworks Theatre October 12 The Lock In is described as “the UK’s No.1 folk and hip hop dance extravaganza”, with a garish poster to match. Yet the show begins humbly with […]
Global Read: Bologna
John Grisham has proved time and time again that the legal genre is not his only area of expertise; The Broker not only displays Grisham’s extraordinary story-telling ability but his ability to diversify himself in […]
Dance | The Lady Boys of Bangkok
3/5 stars Millennium Square Until October 27 Approaching the alluring lights and striking marquee in Millennium Square, we didn’t know what to expect from the Lady Boys of Bangkok. Expecting to have a cold […]
Classic of the week: Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
Peter Perkins reviews 19th century Parisian skulduggery in this week’s Classic of the Week. Guy de Maupassant was perhaps better known in his country as a waiter and short story writer, but here he […]
Opera | Faust
3/5 Stars Opera North’s triumphant Don Giovanni set high hopes for the autumnal opera season at the Leeds Grand Theatre. Sadly, Faust doesn’t deliver. Director Rob Kearley has taken a big gamble by going for […]
Shopping Report: The All New Topshop Trinity Store
It was the day that for months had been highly anticipated and oh-so long awaited… Yes, the grand opening of the Topshop Leeds Trinity store finally arrived. Well, was it worth the wait?
Foulest Freshers Flu Ever?
Well it’s that time of year again. The alcohol-infused immortality complex, renown for boosting immune systems better than any vitamin known to man, has begun to wear off. The late nights, takeaway diet, lack of […]