The pleasure boat that became a symbol of the north-east
In a corner of Britain scarred by post-industrial decline, the Teesside Princess sails up and down in a spirit of resilience. Has talk of regeneration buoyed spirits on board?
Jack Shenker
‘In girl bands, there’s always one they tear down’
The former Atomic Kitten star on the price of fame, touring with Katie Price, and blasting out her hits in the car
Rachael Healy
Fear and loathing at Frieze
This year’s London art fair was a spectacle insulated from the world outside the tent
Orlando Whitfield
My week with the clean-water warriors
Just Stop Oil activists have moved on to a new campaign: citizen’s arrests of CEOs
Miles Ellingham
Wendy Ide’s pick of other films: Relay, Facing War, Palestine 36 and more
Riz Ahmed is compulsively watchable in a pleasingly slippery New-York set thriller about a whistleblower
Wendy Ide
Javaad Alipoor transports Elmet to a disused depot
This Bradford city of culture commission based on Fiona Mozley’s novel is part Victorian melodrama part Grand Guignol gore
Clare Brennan
Final Fantasy Tactics is an ambitious, literary video game
This chess-like wargame weaves story and strategy with irresistible poise
Simon Parkin
Yorgos Lanthimos’s conspiracy comedy Bugonia is deranged
Emma Stone is terrific as a kidnapped big pharma boss in a story that is both savage and uncomfortably timely
Daily Sensemaker
Clear, calm analysis on the stories driving the day’s news
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A dispatch from The Observer’s kitchen table – from Nigel Slater’s recipes to interviews, features and hot tips
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Joe Goddard’s cultural highlights
Lolita Chakrabarti’s cultural highlights
Conrad Shawcross’s cultural highlights
Julian Joseph’s cultural highlights
The book of Margaret Atwood
The Canadian novelist’s memoir, Book of Lives, displays the wit, intelligence and complexity that marks her best work
Jonathan C Slaght: ‘I don’t like bears. They’re vindictive’
The wildlife biologist on his surprise hit Owls of the Eastern Ice, why tigers do well under autocrats, and lessons learned from Russia’s untamed spaces
Zadie Smith and Anne Enright: the art of paying attention
In rigorous, curious essays, two novelists examine the way we live now
What to read to understand friendship
Three books that explore the complicated fellowships that shape a life
What to read to understand the information age
What to read to understand the body
What to read to understand espionage
What to read to understand Wall Street
Wendy Ide’s pick of other films: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Hedda and more
Kelly Reichardt rewrites the heist movie
Wendy Ide’s pick of other films: Frankenstein, Roofman, Ballad of a Small Player and more
How daddy issues took over this year’s Oscars race
Albums of the week: Dave, Cat Burns, The Charlatans and Makaya McCraven
On Everybody Scream, Florence Welch is at her best
Oxford International Song festival hits a note of radicalism
Albums of the week: Tortoise, Tame Impala, Miguel, Emma Rawicz
In search of Anna Ancher, the shining light of Danish art
Mrinalini Mukherjee and the giants of Indian art
The grid: Welcome to Fliffmellington
The dark, wayward works of the Two Roberts
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