The Standard

Every January, campaigns like Dry January and Veganuary encourage restraint and self-denial at the coldest, darkest point of the year. But what if we’ve misunderstood both health and the seasons? In this episode of The Standard , host Alan Leer is joined by journalist Melanie McDonagh as she makes the case for “Wet January” — arguing that winter is the worst possible time to give things up, and th...

Is there anything better than a cultural escape as winter sets in? Today we're debunking one of the lesser-known art forms - opera - as the timelessly classical La Traviata show opens in the capital, which is the most performed opera in the world. We're joined by Netia Jones, the Associate Director of Opera at the Royal Opera, to discuss the origins of the art forum, how technology is changing it,...

Support for  Labour  in  London  has fallen to a new record low with the Tories pushed into fourth place behind the Greens and  Reform UK , according to a new poll. Just 31 per cent of Londoners now say they would vote for Sir Keir Starmer’s party, according to a Savanta survey, down from 43 per cent at the 2024 General Election. The broader picture is of a fracturing of p...

Overthrown Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is facing drug trafficking charges in New York after being seized by US forces in an early-morning raid on Caracas. But he was once instrumental in an extraordinary deal between London and the oil-rich South American nation that resulted in 250,000 low-income Londoners being able to claim half-price bus and tram fares for a year . As the world watches...

It’s a new year and officially the first Monday back to work after the festive break…if that feels a little bleak, and you’re looking to schedule some laughs in 2026, then stay tuned for today’s episode.  The live comedy scene seems to expand exponentially every year; from award nominees to TV stars to online sensations and podcast heroes, stand-ups are all getting back to their stage roots.&...

It’s a new year, and 2026 is set to be full of blockbuster and arthouse film releases to entice viewers to the cinema.  Although we’re only just entering Oscars season, a brand new slate of films will be hitting the big screen very soon.   The Standard’s Head of Culture, Martin Robinson, is here to discuss some of the most anticipated movies of 2026, including Wuthering Heights, Ham...

A special preview from our sister podcast Brave New World, featuring a new episode from its latest series. Host Evgeny Lebedev is joined by Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of WHOOP, to explore recovery, sleep, and why “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Will shares how overtraining as a Harvard athlete led him to build a wearable focused not on steps, but on the missing piece of performance: ho...

Back in 2016, Netflix released a little show called Stranger Things, which went on to become the defining megahit for the streamer. But now, ahead of the finale on New Year’s Day, the sheen appears to be wearing thin… Fans and critics alike have complained about overstuffed plots and too many characters - and more than 280,000 people have signed a petition, demanding to see alleged unseen footage...

As another year draws to a close, we’re taking a look back at the past twelve months and what it’s meant for the world of video games.  It’s been a stellar year for indie games , with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 raking in heaps of plaudits (and a fair few award nominations) for its take on the JRPG genre — while smaller titles like Wanderstop and Blue Prince have proved that you can do an awf...

As we settle into the festive season, it’s time for a round-up of all the best TV from 2025 . It’s been a jam-packed one, as ever, serving up lashings of humour, tragedy and a whole lot of sequels. Severance has returned for the first time in years, as has Stranger Things, and the Alien franchise has gotten its own TV spinoff for the first time ever. The Standard’s Commissioning Editor and Culture...

It’s well-documented that our courts system is in crisis but following an investigation, The Standard can reveal that magistrates are sitting in secret to allow utility companies to break into people’s homes, granting warrants based on applications they have never seen. Back in late 2022, energy firms and courts were rocked by scandal when it was revealed that hundreds of thousands of warrants – i...

It might be the festive season, but there’s fury in the corridors of power following a row which broke out regarding proposals that would see local elections delayed for a second year in a row for millions of voters.  It comes as the government plans to abolish the two-tier system of district and county councils, creating a swathe of new local authorities that will be responsible for deliveri...

The British Library is one of the UK’s greatest cultural institutions.  However, behind the scenes, the staff who make it function are working longer hours for less pay, in worsening conditions. Now, with help from the PCS union, they’ve decided to fight back. But what does this means more broadly in terms of who is able to access and benefit from our cultural institutions?  The Standard...

A special preview from our sister podcast Brave New World, featuring a new episode from its latest series. Host Evgeny Lebedev sits down with Professor Tim Spector and Dr Federica Amati — the leading scientific minds behind personalised nutrition company ZOE — to rethink everything we’ve been told about food. They challenge myths around fats and calorie counting, unpack the damage caused by ultra-...

 More than 17 million people arrive in the capital each year to celebrate one of London's most beloved cultural gemstones - theatre. But seeing a central London play can set you back hundreds of pounds, and the costs are only going up. Audiences are now being priced out with the average price of a top ticket rising by 50% between 2023 and 2024 to 146 pounds and 61 pence a seat. So who or what is t...

At least 15 people including a London-born rabbi have died and dozens more remain in hospital following a shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach.  The attack was declared a terrorist incident, and targeted a Hanukkah celebration at a park next to the beach on the first day of the Jewish festival of lights. It comes as Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones has said that Britain is being blighted by an...

Londoners will have to pay more in transport costs from March 2026, as mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has revealed that tube fares are set to rise. The cost of a single tube journey in zone 1, central London will be hiked by up to 7.1 per cent, which is about double the current rate of inflation.  According to details published by City Hall, most Tube and train fares – for TfL services such as the Eliz...

Londoners are being urged to get the flu vaccine in the next few days to get maximum protection by Christmas Day, as the capital experiences a tidal wave of contagious super flu. Cases are rising sharply in the capital, new figures revealed, as health chiefs warned the NHS was facing a “worst-case scenario” with the doctors’ strike set to start next week. Those with flu-like symptoms are being urg...

A “world-leading” social media ban has been enforced by the Australian government, to prevent under-16s from accessing social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.  Platforms that do not comply risk fines of up to $49.5m. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the move as "the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies"....

Jamie Oliver is to relaunch his Italian restaurants in 2026 - seven years after the chain went out of business - having reached a deal with Brava Hospitality Group, the owners of Prezzo. At its peak, there were more than 40 Jamie’s Italian sites across the UK, but after rapid expansion and a changing market, the company ran into trouble. Now the first UK branch in six years is set to open in Leice...

Nominations for the Golden Globe Awards 2026 are in - effectively kicking off a film awards season that will last until the Oscars in March.  Leonardo DiCaprio film One Battle After Another has swept up with nine nominations, whilst Netflix drama series Adolescence and Hamnet actor Paul Mescal are among the other nominees. Other Hollywood heavyweights recognised for their work include Timothe...

You might not have heard of the Hinduja family , but with a net worth of over £35 billion, they topped the Sunday Times Rich List for six of the past 10 years. The eldest two of four sons, Srichand and Gopichand, were co-chairmen of the Hinduja Group - which always prided itself on being a family business. They brought billions to London and built the capital’s grandest hotel - the Owo - and their...

In the blink of an eye, the year is almost over - and that means only one thing: Christmas is upon us once more.  Alongside all the playing of board games, eating of turkey and unwrapping of presents, there’s one other thing that remains a mainstay in most British festive households: the telly.  Nothing quite beats the feeling of sitting in front of the TV, sliding into a post-feast food...

A special preview from our sister podcast Brave New World , which has just launched Season 4.  Host Evgeny Lebedev sits down with Steven Bartlett to talk ambition, mindset, burnout, and the lessons failure can teach us — including one learned on a padel court.  Listen to the full conversation on the Brave New World podcast here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

A damning inquiry into sex crimes against women and girls in public places has been published, concluding that too many perpetrators are slipping through the cracks and that prevention schemes are often “just words”. Four years after the murder of Sarah Everard in Clapham by a Metropolitan police officer, the second part of the Angiolini Inquiry found that there is a “critical failure” to answer b...