James Graham’s Dear England, which opened at The National Theatre in June 2023, follows the trials and tribulations of the England men’s football team between 2016 and 2022, amidst a backdrop of Brexit, Covid and identity politics. It’s a promising premise for a play, presenting the state of a nation through the lens of the beautiful game. Despite this, I have always found football’s inability to translate to stage or screen, aside from one or two notable exceptions (The Damned United, Bend It

London’s football clubs paid less than four per cent of the £8m it took to police football matches in the capital last season. The clubs paid just £270k of the cost because of legislation which means they are only expected to pay a fee for policing inside the stadium and on their land, resulting in the taxpayer picking up the hefty £8m bill (a lower sum compared to previous seasons due to the pandemic). The figures were obtained by My London through an FOI request. For more news and features

A former video games addict who would "fall asleep on his keyboard" during daily 12 hour sessions is now helping young people who are struggling, as stats show an NHS clinic for gaming disorders is seeing more patients than ever before. It comes after the (W.H.O.) endorsed an initiative entitled #PlayApartTogether, to encourage people to stay indoors and play video games during lockdown. Since then, the number of teenagers playing video games around the country has soared. The NHS clinic for

United by lockdown but divided by Brexit, this first person feature explores the relationship between a son and his father in strange circumstances. Families invariably fall out, but when politics is the cause of that rift things go up a notch. To disagree with your loved ones on how the world should be ordered conjures up all sorts of emotions, as many have discovered since lockdown. After the Brexit referendum result, I couldn’t bear to look at my father. As a family, we epitomised the UK’s

Read about one man's total immersion into a football simulation game, thanks to an unlikely endorsement from the World Health Organisation. As the U.K. initiated lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) backed an initiative entitled #PlayApartTogether. This was in late March, and the scheme urged people to stay indoors and play video games. Ironically, the W.H.O. classified ‘gaming disorder’ or video game addiction as a disease just over a year ago. As

Football in Italy is a religion and its home is Rome. This, much to the dismay of Lazio fans, makes Francesco Totti a God amongst men. The Italian is one of the finest players of his generation but one who has always resisted the temptation to leave Roma to earn more money with another team. Totti is Roman through and through - the King of Rome in the eyes of many. Even at the ripe old age of 39, he remains the self-proclaimed persecutor of Lazio with the strength of a soldier and the strut o

How relevant are Michelin stars today and how does a restaurant’s wine list factor? James Bayley reports.

It's been a whirlwind 48 hours for football fans across the country and Europe. In that time, they've seen the prospect of a European Super League (ESL), a project described as the "death of football," go from a genuine possibility to a non-existent entity. The project itself, founded by 12 of the richest football clubs in Europe, sought to form a league, without relegation, that would monopolise the money and the talent in the game in a way we haven't seen before. For more news and features

During the lockdown, many of us have had to adapt to life without football. Thankfully, we are in the midst of a golden age for sports documentaries, and Diego Maradona by Asif Kapadia is as good as it gets. Kapadia has produced the most significant portrait of a footballer ever committed to screen. Using a treasure trove of archive footage we meet Diego, a shy mummy’s boy confined to a shantytown on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. He has nothing to offer but his capacity for resilience and burg

For a few years now there have been indications from the SPL that one of its greatest teams is seeking pastures new. Celtic themselves do not want to relocate; they simply want a change of scenery on their away days. The proposition is for The Celts to leave their beloved Scottish Premier League and form a part of the English Premier League. It’s perfectly logistical, assuming that Bournemouth vs Celtic wouldn’t be a lunchtime kick-off. Instead of playing the likes of St Mirren, The Hoops would face Manchester United, and the other big teams of the Premier League, week in week out. Celtic haven’t suddenly outgrown the Scottish Premier League, in fact they are still second to Rangers in terms of league titles won. However, with each passing season the TV rights for top flight English football are auctioned all over the globe, at extortionate rates. Every time this happens the EPL leaves the SPL further and further in its wake, and Celtic with it.

The latest instalment of our 'before you're 30' series concerns classical music. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but a browse of our list below could inspire a new lifelong passion, or elevate your pub quiz game. For a lot of newcomers to classical music, film scores have been a useful gateway. Spotify is awash with “workout” playlists featuring the music of Hans Zimmer, a composer so mainstream, he is now a regular on the music festival circuit. Lockdown is the perfect time to become more acq

Throw the chaos of the World Cup into the mix, and this year’s festive period is guaranteed to be Box Office! The Premier League returns on Boxing Day, with many star players unseasonably tanned for the winter fixtures ahead following the World Cup in Qatar. By the 26th of December, six weeks will have passed since the previous round of PL matches – it almost feels like we are starting the season all over again. As things stand, Arsenal are leading the way on 37pts, with Man City 5pts behind.

This warming has underpinned the rapid expansion of the UK viticulture sector and its current focus on sparkling wine production. However, according to research conducted by the International Viticulture and Enology Society (IVES), climate change may create opportunities for more varieties and wine styles in the UK over the next two decades, particularly Pinot Noir. The UK’s ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 2002, and heatwaves like those experienced in 2018 contributed to rec

The idea that a newly built 'landmark' can become an instant cultural phenomenon is a bit absurd, but that doesn't stop councillors, mayors and architects from investing in doomed vanity projects. A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In this case, we are looking for over-budget, unsuccessful, and embarrassing tourist attractions. The infamous Marble Arch Mound has become a c

Never mind the murder, think about the money: Newcastle fans don traditional Arab headdress and Saudi Arabian flags at first game after £300m takeover (pity about the result) • Ant and Dec were among the thousands of Newcastle United supporters cheering on the Toon Army • Majority of fans were in high spirits including some who paid tribute to the Premier League's richest owners • Before the 4.30pm kick off against Tottenham, protesters were spotted outside the 52,000 seater stadium Newcastle U

England have reached the final four of Euro 2020 after a resounding victory against Ukraine. Fans across the capital, from Boxpark in Croydon to Trafalgar Square celebrated each goal with beer flying everywhere. Londoners will be desperate to book their next venue for the semi-final, which will be played on Wednesday, July 7 at Wembley against Denmark in front of 60,000 fans. READ MORE: 'I visited the England football mad street where they sing 'It's Coming Home' from 7am during the Euros' T

As the Autumn Internationals draw to a close, and with it, England’s worst year since 2008, talk of 2023 Rugby World Cup glory may seem a bit premature. However, with England in Pool D and their opponents already revealed, a clear route to the final in Paris can be drawn. Heading into the tournament on the search for some form, England fans now have reason to be optimistic with the pool stages nearly complete and a 100% record still in-tact following wins against Argentina, Japan and Chile. Ba

Former England footballer Paul Parker has signed up to a first-of-its-kind study in London, aiming to uncover why black men develop prostate cancer at twice the rate of other men. Funded by Prostate Cancer UK in partnership with Movember and based at the Royal Marsden in London, the PROFILE study will look at the genes of men of African and Caribbean descent to see if they can learn to predict prostate cancer risk and find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease. Billericay-based Pa

Arsenal football club is the latest significant business to use the Covid loan scheme. Based in North London, the Premier League team will borrow £120 million from the Bank of England as a “short-term solution” to quell their financial difficulties. For more news and features about London directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter . Last year, the club was criticised after announcing 55 redundancies, including their club mascot, “to take the club forwards." A club statement read: "As w