Critical Mass at The Cinema Museum

When I was invited to a preview of independent filmmaker Mike Freedman’s latest documentary, I turned on my SatNav and headed for somewhere in SE11. Manoeuvring into the narrow driveway of what initially looked like a modern housing development, but then appeared to be the entrance to some sort of ... Read More...

When R S Thomas met Liz Taylor

Why poets should never attempt small talk with beautiful actresses... If I hadn't happened to read a review of a  biography of Richard Burton - and I wouldn't have happened to read it had I not noticed that it (the review) was by the excellent Byron Rogers - I would never ... Read More...

Heroes of Slang 17: Rudyard Kipling

His soldier Tommy is one of the great English archetypes. But did Kipling invent or merely popularise him? Mr Slang investigates... Kipling, by allusion, has cropped up regularly in these posts. Enough of the oily rags. It is time for the engineer. Yet Kipling is not at first sight a particularly ‘slangy’ ... Read More...

The Best of British!

The Dabbler publishes its guide to Great Britain for those of our foreign readers who intend to use the events of the summer as an excuse to make the pilgrimage. This summer, London will host the Olympic Games, and many foreign visitors will visit Great Britain. Although the games are still ... Read More...

London on Film: message in a capsule

A collection of archival clips puts to shame a seedy corner of today's TV... I just caught a wonderful programme on BBC4. That's a sentence I could write a few times a week: the channel's worth the licence fee alone, unlike that nice Mr Attenborough who used to be, but has ... Read More...