Culture

“There was an unlikely quality to it, sure, from a cultural point of view, if you want to call it that,” says playwright Arthur Miller of his marriage to Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. He is talking with BBC’s Alan Yentob in 1987 about the public perception that their union was an improbable match – him […]

Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained at a German airport for allegedly failing to declare a luxury watch he was planning to auction for charity. The Hollywood actor was held for three hours at Munich airport on Wednesday. An investigation for alleged tax evasion was launched as the watch was intended to be sold within the European […]

FKA twigs has responded after a Calvin Klein advert was banned for presenting her as a “stereotypical sexual object”. A UK regulator found the poster – featuring the singer just wearing a denim shirt – was likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women. Writing on Instagram, she suggested the ban – which came after a […]

Dubbed Nigeria’s viral ballet dancer, 13-year-old Anthony Madu’s life has changed beyond recognition over the last three years after his dance moves and internet fame catapulted him from his modest home in Lagos to one of the UK’s most prestigious ballet schools. It was his dance teacher who filmed the young boy in June 2020 […]

Actor Matthew Perry’s death was an accident caused by the “acute effects of ketamine”, medical officials in Los Angeles have confirmed. The star was found unresponsive in the pool of his LA home in October, but a post-mortem examination was inconclusive at the time. Drowning was listed as a contributing factor in his death. He […]

On 11 December 1936, unable to reconcile his desire for US divorcée Wallis Simpson with his role as King, Edward VIII made the shocking decision to abdicate the throne, bringing an end to a crisis that tested the boundaries of duty, love and the monarchy itself. “At long last I am able to say a […]

On this day in 1980, John Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City, and ever since Beatles fans have speculated about what might have transpired with the band had he lived. A rediscovered 1975 interview with Lennon from the BBC archive gives some clues. Beatle John Lennon met Mark Chapman – the […]

The Pogues are battling for number one along with Wham! and Mariah Carey after the death of frontman Shane MacGowan, the Official Charts Company says. Their gritty festive track Fairytale of New York has never reached the top spot since its release in 1987. Last Christmas by Wham! is currently on track to take the […]

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Commonwealth Government of Australia have taken steps to ensure that Indigenous cultural heritage is better recognized and protected. ICOMOS is UNESCO’s international advisory body on World Heritage matters and works to ensure that the significance and value of indigenous tangible and intangible heritage, including cultural […]

ACCIONA Cultura, a leading cultural production company, organized the second panel discussion of its lecture series aimed at promoting culture through technological innovation and creativity. Held at the regional office of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Riyadh, the event brought together a number of leading figures from the world of art, government and business […]