Comment & Opinion

Jonathan Self: Real friendship survives separation, violently different opinions and surprisingly shabby behaviour'

The reopening of a much-loved restaurant is, says Jonathan Self, like a joyous reunion with an old friend.

Carla Carlisle: The Nanny State isn't to be feared — it can fix pretty anything from the NHS to the Post Office

Put your worries aside and join Carla Carlisle on a journey in to common sense.

Curious Questions: Why did the Garden Cities of Tomorrow never catch on?

The worst excesses of the Industrial Revolution prompted some truly forward-thinking urban planning as far back as the 19th century — yet today, precious few of us live in the idyllic 'garden cities' that were dreamed of. Martin Fone looks at what happened, the benefits that came to pass from those fresh ideas, and what got lost on the way.

Do you know your apple-catchers from your tittamatorter? Take a crash course in the UK's local languages

With experts warning that regional accents could disappear within decades, our sometimes quaint and, often, bizarre dialect words are becoming ever-more precious.

'Somebody in North London wondered if four plump squirrels would be beyond my remit and a chef in Camberwell wants enough venison offal for a pop-up event'

It was interesting enough to study Freud, sex, gender and the English language, says Patrick Galbraith, but looking back, he wonders if it was really worth the money.

'Seagull Boy' aged nine from Derby copies seagull, wins European Championship

Having once been nipped by a seagull while eating a tuna sandwich, Cooper Wallace gained the power to perfectly mimic a seagull. He travelled to De Panne in Belgium to put his skills to the test.

Jonathan Self: These are a few of my favourite things (audio version)

Forget bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens — Jonathan Self loves the sound of a burning log shifting in the stove and a tractor misfiring on its way up the lane.

Curious Questions: Was music's famous 'Lady of the Nightingales' nothing more than a hoaxer?

Beatrice Harrison, aka ‘The Lady of the Nightingales’, charmed King and country with her garden duets alongside the nightingales singing in a Surrey garden. One hundred years later, Julian Lloyd Webber examines whether her performances were fact or fiction.

Jason Goodwin: When gaucho chic in Dorset becomes something 'between instrument of torture and decommissioned nuclear reactor'

An attempt to bring a touch of gaucho chic to Dorset doesn't go well for our columnist.

When sheds become art: The 'mini temples' that stand proud on 200-year-old allotments

Arthur Parkinson marvels at the spectacular sheds of Stoney Road Allotments.

The British Museum is at a nadir in its fortunes — it's a brave person stepping up to take charge

Our cultural columnist Athena on the challenges — the many challenges — for Nicholas Cullinan, the new director of the British Museum.

Minette Batters: We need to trade on a level playing field

After six years leading Britain's largest farming union, Minette Batters talks life after the NFU and why MPs of all parties need to take farming more seriously.

The woodpecker's maracas and the duets of owls: Why Nature is the unbeatable soundtrack of Spring

The unmistakable sounds of the world coming awake after winter are enough to put a smile on our faces, even when the skies are still grey and the fields still damp.

Opinion: I'm a vicar — and an agnostic. Here's why that makes sense.

On the eve of Easter, the Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy considers how asking ourselves a question to which we already know the answer, but which we may have forgotten, echoes the message of the Resurrection.

Why does the tax year start on April 6th?

The tax-year calendar is not as arbitrary as it seems, with a history that dates back to the ancient Roman and is connected to major calendar reforms across Europe.

Carla Carlisle: 'Sometimes, repetition brings revelation'

Did we learn the lessons about Donald Trump from eight years ago? Probably not, says Carla Carlisle.

The real meaning of Easter, and how to make a vicar's dog collar from a Bounty bar

Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy joins James Fisher on the podcast to talk about life in the church — how he came to the profession in later life, what it was like being a priest in the pandemic, and his life as a writer and reverend.

Patrick Galbaith: If you don't keep using your local pub and butcher, you won't have a community worthy of the name

Patrick Galbraith laments those who complain about the price of beer in pubs and and beef in butchers — the real value is in keeping a sense of place.

Curious Questions: Why does Easter move dates every year?

Phoebe Bath researches why exactly Easter is a called a 'moveable feast'.

A dairy farmer's view of Jaipur, the city where traffic stops for sacred cows

Jamie Blackett files his final Farming Life column from the pink city in India, and reflects on how different cultures treat their methane-producing ruminants.