{"id":472867,"date":"2025-10-04T05:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T05:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/472867\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T05:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T05:37:11","slug":"from-the-bfi-london-film-festival-to-taylor-swift-your-complete-entertainment-guide-to-the-week-ahead-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/472867\/","title":{"rendered":"From the BFI London film festival to Taylor Swift: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going out: <\/strong>Cinema<\/strong><\/p>\n

BFI London film festival<\/strong>
8 to 19 October
The annual smorgasbord of cinema returns to the UK capital (and beyond, via various regional satellite screenings), offering a selection of the best major international festival premieres, from Cannes to Venice. Catch the latest from Richard Linklater and Lynne Ramsay, as well as Guillermo del Toro\u2019s new Frankenstein.<\/p>\n

Urchin
<\/strong>Out now
<\/strong>Harris Dickinson has been making a name for himself as a homegrown British star on the rise able to hold his own opposite the likes of Zac Efron (The Iron Claw) and Nicole Kidman (Babygirl). But here he steps behind the camera for his directorial debut, about a young hustler (Frank Dillane) struggling to make a life for himself on the streets of London.<\/p>\n

Him
<\/strong>Out now
Starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers and Julia Fox, this new sports horror from Jordan Peele\u2019s production company \u2026 wait, what? \u201cSports horror\u201d? Yep, that\u2019s the genre, mashing tropes from sports movies and horror together, to give us a story about a would-be American football star who enters a world that isn\u2019t all it seems.<\/p>\n

Plainclothes
<\/strong>Out now
Winner of a Special Jury award at the Sundance film festival, Carmen Emmi\u2019s debut sees an undercover cop (Tom Blyth) in 1990s New York tasked with entrapping gay men, only to fall hard for one of his targets (Russell Tovey). Catherine Bray<\/p>\n

Going out: Gigs<\/strong>In bloom \u2026 John Grant. Photograph: Jeaneen Lund<\/p>\n

John Grant
<\/strong>Dublin, today; touring to 17 October
Last seen on a UK stage in July as part of Jonathan Watkins\u2019s reimagining of Christopher Isherwood\u2019s A Single Man, John Grant returns to his more usual fare with this run of gigs. That involves digging into a vast discography of experimental but deeply emotional vignettes anchored by his soulful baritone. Michael Cragg<\/p>\n

No Bounds festival
<\/strong>Various venues, Sheffield and Rotherham, 10 to 12 October
Celebrating \u201cart, music, technology, community, and radical joy\u201d across 16 venues, this experimental fest boasts headliners including electronic producer Joy Orbison, while the support is stacked with dancefloor-based noise merchants including Factory Floor, Beatrice Dillon and Sheffield-born DJ 96 Back. MC<\/p>\n

Arnie Somogyi and Mark Edwards: The Ellington Piano Project
<\/strong>7 to 12 October; tour starts Manchester
Imaginative and very experienced UK instrumentalist composers Arnie Somogyi (bass) and Mark Edwards (piano) co-lead a subtly personal tribute to Duke Ellington \u2013 adapting ideas from his last album to celebrate his magic anew, with a fine contemporary band including fast-rising young Dutch sax newcomer Gideon Tazelaar. John Fordham<\/p>\n

Dublin Jack
<\/strong>Dublin, 7 October; London, 9 October; Belfast, 14 November
The Belfast Ensemble give the first performances, in concert, of Conor Mitchell\u2019s latest opera. It\u2019s a darkly comic portrait of Jack Saul, described as \u201cone of Ireland\u2019s most infamous erotic exports\u201d, whose work as a rent boy in Victorian London led to his notorious trial. Andrew Clements<\/p>\n

Going out: Art<\/strong>In the abstract \u2026 Betty Parsons\u2019 Untitled, 1969. Photograph: Alison Jacques\/Alexander Gray Associates\/The Betty Parsons Foundation\/Michael Brzezinski<\/p>\n

Betty Parsons<\/strong>
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea, 4 October to 18 January
Best known as a Manhattan gallerist who championed the freewheeling work of Jackson Pollock, Parsons gets her due as a painter in her own right. She escaped from the art business into her studio as often as she could. Her paintings are abstract and colourful, transporting you to America\u2019s golden age.<\/p>\n

Gilbert & George
<\/strong>Hayward Gallery, London, 7 October to 11 January
The pioneers of performance made their name in the 20th century, with compelling, mysterious actions such as The Singing Sculpture and \u201cpictures\u201d that commented on Britain in the age of punk. Here, their 21st-century works are brought together, starring London alongside themselves in images of urban mayhem, desire and death.<\/p>\n

Nordic Noir
<\/strong>The British Museum, London, 9 October to 22 March
Not the TV genre \u2013 but apparently it\u2019s just caught up with the British Museum\u2019s prints and drawings department, which uses the well-worn term for a show of Scandinavian art. Edvard Munch\u2019s prints live up to the title. There are also works by Olafur Eliasson, the GRAS Group and more.<\/p>\n

Downland
<\/strong>Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, 4 October to 24 January
Britain\u2019s Neolithic landscapes have inspired land artists and visionaries, past and present. William Blake and John Constable both depicted Wiltshire\u2019s most famous monument, Stonehenge. This exhibition curated by archaeologist and artist Dr Rose Ferraby explores how this and other Wiltshire sites still inspire art, with work by Paul Nash included. Jonathan Jones<\/p>\n

Going out: Stage<\/strong>Off the top of her head \u2026 Emma Doran.<\/p>\n

Hamlet
<\/strong>National Theatre: Lyttelton, to 22 November
New deputy artistic director Robert Hastie \u2013 whose productions always have such gusto and spirit \u2013 starts his tenure at the National with a fearless and funny take on Shakespeare\u2019s momentous tragedy. Hiran Abeysekera stars. Miriam Gillinson<\/p>\n

Lost Atoms
<\/strong>Curve, Leicester, 4 October; touring to 28 February
It\u2019s the last night at the Curve ahead of a major tour for Frantic Assembly\u2019s 30th-anniversary production. Anna Jordan\u2019s show explores how love shapes our lives and memories and is infused with the company\u2019s trademark physicality and flair. MG<\/p>\n

Ballet Black: Shadows
<\/strong>Watford, Wednesday; touring to 29 November
If you\u2019ve read Oyinkan Braithwaite\u2019s hit novel My Sister, the Serial Killer then this double bill from Ballet Black will be worth seeing. Artistic director Cassa Pancho has made a dance take on the darkly comic thriller. You might not think of ballet and crime scenes going together, but it works. Lyndsey Winship<\/p>\n

Emma Doran
<\/strong>Bangor, today; touring to 24 April
On her socials, the Irish standup reports from motherhood\u2019s frontline with a mixture of bone-dry humour, gossipy divulgence and a mild whiff of chaos. It\u2019s the vibe she brings to this tour Emmaculate, which covers her unusual family life \u2013 she had her eldest at 18 \u2013 plus plenty of universal parenting conundrums. Rachel Aroesti<\/p>\n

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Staying in: Streaming<\/strong>Moving pictures \u2026 Film Club. Photograph: BBC\/Gaumont\/Ben Blackall<\/p>\n

Film Club<\/strong>
BBC Three & iPlayer, 7 October, 9pm
Sex Education\u2019s Aimee Lou Wood has been the magic ingredient in many a TV drama; now she\u2019s created her own, alongside Ralph Davis. Two best friends, Evie (Wood) and Noa (Nabhaan Rizwan), watch a film together every week \u2013 but rather than cinephilia, the pair are motivated by a secret love for each other.<\/p>\n

The Celebrity Traitors
<\/strong>BBC One & iPlayer, 8 October, 9pm
The original UK version of The Traitors benefited no end from the decision to cast civilians rather than the Z-listers and reality stars who populate the rest of the franchise. It also meant this long-awaited celebrity spin-off has been able to attract a magnificent cast \u2013 Alan Carr! Jonathan Ross! Celia Imrie! \u2013 guaranteed to have you in stitches.<\/p>\n

Victoria Beckham
<\/strong>Netflix, 9 October
Her cameos in her husband\u2019s eponymous Netflix documentary were pure gold, so hopes are high for Posh\u2019s own fly-on-the-wall series. Ostensibly, it will chronicle her fashion brand, but the actual draw is the tabloid-friendly domestic rollercoaster that\u2019s long been the real family business.<\/p>\n

The Last Frontier
<\/strong>Apple TV+, 10 October
In this nightmarish Alaska thriller, when a prison transportation plane crash-lands on his turf, rounding up the violent inmates is the sole responsibility of US marshal Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke). But when one terrifying escaper named Havlock (Dominic Cooper) begins targeting him, a wider conspiracy unfurls. RA<\/p>\n

Staying in: Games<\/strong>Tanks, a lot \u2026 Battlefield 6. Photograph: Electronic Atrs<\/p>\n

Battlefield 6<\/strong>
PC, PlayStation, XBox; out 10 October
Expect booms, rat-tat-tats and no small quantity of kablammos from this latest entry in the long-running military multiplayer series, in which 64 players at a time lay waste to vast, beautiful and entirely destructible environments.<\/p>\n

Little Nightmares III
<\/strong>Switch, PC, PlayStation, XBox; out 10 October
Don\u2019t let the cutesy visuals fool you; this phantasmagorical platform puzzle-horror is often genuinely scary, plucking imagery straight out of your most mattress-dampening childhood night terrors. If you\u2019re a bit of a wuss, it\u2019s OK: you can team up with a pal in co-op mode. Luke Holland<\/p>\n

Staying in: Albums<\/strong>Box fresh \u2026 Dodie. Photograph: Charlotte Hadden<\/p>\n

Dodie \u2013 Not for Lack of Trying
<\/strong>Out now
The Essex-born singer-songwriter returns with this belated follow-up to her Top 3 2021 debut, Build a Problem. While the tellingly capitalised and punctuated I\u2019M FINE! is elegant symphonic soft-rock, it\u2019s on I Feel Bad for You, Dave that Dodie experiments, pairing bossa nova with a takedown of a sad keyboard warrior.<\/p>\n

Upchuck \u2013 I\u2019m Nice Now
<\/strong>Out now
Recently signed to Domino records, the Atlantan punk rabble return with this Ty Segall-produced third album. Politically charged, gloriously abrasive and coiled like a spring, songs such as Tired and Forgotten Token highlight singer KT\u2019s ferocious delivery.<\/p>\n

Taylor Swift \u2013 The Life of a Showgirl
<\/strong>Out now
On her 12th album, and fifth since 2020, Swift reconnects with Swedish pop hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback for the first time since 2017\u2019s Reputation. It\u2019s an intriguing move, suggesting the global megastar and cultural omnivore is keen to somehow become more ubiquitous. Sabrina Carpenter is the only guest on the 12-track album.<\/p>\n

Say She She \u2013 Cut & Rewind
<\/strong>Out now
Say She She, AKA Piya Malik, Sabrina Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown, tackle near-future dystopia (She Who Dares) and bigotry (Disco Life) on this follow-up to 2023\u2019s breakthrough, Silver. The political themes are couched in elegant three-part harmonies, sleek disco and a unique blend of psychedelic soul and funk. MC<\/p>\n

Staying in: <\/strong>Brain food<\/strong> Photograph: artspromo<\/p>\n

From the Minds of Jazz Musicians
<\/strong>Podcast
Jazz historian Dave Schroeder\u2019s dive into the lives of great improvisers begins with a tribute to the late saxophonist David Sanborn. Another highlight of the series is Billie Holiday collaborator Mike Mainieri sharing his tales.<\/p>\n

How Comedy Was Destroyed by an Anti-Reality Doomsday Cult
<\/strong>YouTube
Don\u2019t be fooled by the dramatic title. This video essay from anonymous channel The Elephant Graveyard is an incisive and expertly researched analysis into the current wave of populist American comedy spearheaded by podcaster Joe Rogan.<\/p>\n

Global Dancefloor: Saigon
<\/strong>BBC World Service, 9 October, 9.30am
Following 2024\u2019s episode on the nightlife of Tbilisi, Frank McWeeny returns with dancefloor tales from Saigon. With 70% of the Vietnamese population under 35, he discovers a generation defining themselves away from war. Ammar Kalia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Going out: Cinema BFI London film festival8 to 19 OctoberThe annual smorgasbord of cinema returns to the UK…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,4884,257,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-472867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-london","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115314284550446720","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}