CultureTwelve of the best films of 2026 so farBBC film critics Caryn James and Nicholas Barber pick their cinema highlights of the year – from Christopher Nolan's epic blockbuster to a farcical sex comedy.Ariana Grande leaves problems at home as her tour hits the UKThe star plays the first of 10 dates in London, after which she will "step back" from public life.The Polygamist's author says women see themselves reflected in her Netflix hitZimbabwean novelist Sue Nyathi self-funded her debut novel and now asks who can afford to write at all.Why Tupac Shakur's murder trial is happening 30 years after he was killedThe rapper was fatally shot four times in a drive-by crime in September 1996, and only one person has ever been charged in connection to his death.The story of the last woman to be hanged in Wales Leslie James was executed for murder, but her looks were talked about as much as her crime. A new book documents the case.DocumentariesAncient Treasures with Bettany HughesA Tale of Two BritainsMayhem! The Scandalous Lives of the Georgian KingsBritain's Hidden HeritageMurder 24/7Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty7/7: The London BombingsVersailles: The Dream of a KingCanal Boat DiariesRethinking King George III: In Ten PortraitsYou're Dead to MeThe Real Unforgotten: The Unsolved Murder of Carol MorganQueens That Changed the WorldThe Trial of Fergie's Royal DresserDesert Island DiscsDesert Island DiscsShania Twain, musicianSaveDesert Island DiscsPaul Farmer, charity leaderSaveDesert Island DiscsNorman Cook, DJ and musicianSaveDesert Island DiscsJo Nesbø, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsAnna Maxwell Martin, actorSaveDesert Island DiscsPeter Layton, artistSaveDesert Island DiscsGuy Martin, presenter and former motorcycle racerSaveDesert Island DiscsEmily Watson, actorSaveDesert Island DiscsGary O'Donoghue, journalistSaveDesert Island DiscsDavid Morrissey, actorSaveEntertainment newsI wish I had been a more rebellious teenager, says Bella RamseyThe Office's Lucy Davis 'overwhelmed' by kindness after cancer diagnosisSki Sunday host Chemmy Alcott suffers collapsed lung after jumping into lakeEurovision Song Contest 2027 to be held in Burgas, BulgariaWatch list19 of the best TV shows of 2026 so farFrom a surprise horror-comedy hit to a suburban whodunnit with a difference and the latest runs of Rivals and Ted Lasso, we pick the year's greatest programmes to stream right now.10 of the best TV shows to watch this AugustFrom the comeback of Apple TV's hit football comedy to a dark teen thriller from Ryan Murphy, and new DC superhero series Lanterns – these are the best series to watch and stream.From our Culture editorsAnthony Bourdain championed restaurant workers - his biopic does notThe new film about the US culinary titan is entertaining. But it sidelines the workers, many immigrants or people of colour, that to him were the real stars of the restaurant industry.The English stately home where Nazis were tricked into spilling their secretsAt north London's Trent Park during World War Two, high-ranking Nazi POWs relaxed and chatted in the elegant upstairs rooms – while downstairs, "secret listeners" were eavesdropping.She convinced her husband she was pregnant - then took someone's baby from hospital The new true-crime docudrama A Child of My Own explores the case of a young Mexican woman who took desperate measures to fulfil her maternal dream.A US physicist on why the bombing of Nagasaki in WW2 couldn't be stoppedThirty years after the bombing of Nagasaki, a US physicist who helped to assemble the bomb revealed to the BBC the decision-making behind the blast.The New Normal with Katty KayThe alarming rise of perfectionism among young peopleFears about not being perfect jumped 40% in 35 years, and the rise began before smart phones social media.Why divorce is skyrocketing among older AmericansDivorce is falling across America, except among people over 65. A sociologist explains what's driving the split.Boys and men are obsessing over muscle. Doctors are worriedA doctor who has studied the issue for 30 years says social media is making things worse.In HistoryThe bold mission to smuggle Hitler's 'wonder weapon' out of Nazi-occupied PolandIn 1977, the BBC looked back at the summer of 1944, when Allied agents smuggled pieces of Hitler's V2 rocket by hiding them in the apartment of a German officer.The British double agent who defected to Russia and taught enemy spiesKim Philby's defection to the Soviet Union was made public on 30 July 1963. In 2016, the BBC broadcast previously unseen footage of a lecture he gave to the Stasi.The macabre kidnapping of Eva Perón's corpseArgentina's iconic first lady died in July 1952. Sixty years on, the BBC looked back at her cadaver's bizarre disappearance – and its 16-year journey around the globe.The Soviet nuclear submarine wreck that is a 'ticking time bomb'In 1989, the Komsomolets sank off the Norwegian coast. Four years later, the BBC reported on plans to seal in its torpedoes' toxic plutonium.Arts in MotionMarina AbramovićMarina Abramović discusses art, creativity, and why she is still pushing artistic boundaries at 79.Arts in MotionKarl Ove KnausgårdKarl Ove Knausgård on the bridge between vulnerability and unbound literary freedom.Arts in Motion(LA)HORDEDesire, revolt and refuge: (LA)HORDE shapes a visceral world through daring choreography.Arts in Motion'I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't paint'Rising artist Shaqúelle Whyte on why painting for him is all about process, repetition, and doubt.Arts in MotionFrancesca Chiejina: Opera saved my lifeThe Nigerian-American soprano on how the stage allowed her to feel everything she was taught to hold back.Arts in MotionCecilia BartoliCecilia Bartoli has spent 40 years at the pinnacle of classical music, a feat few artists ever achieve.Arts in MotionNational Film and Television SchoolIt takes a village to make a film, with dozens of hands collaborating under pressure to turn vision into reality.Arts in MotionInside the school teaching students to slow down and observeAt the Royal Drawing School, students rediscover drawing as a powerful way to see and experience the world anew.Arts in MotionNFTS: Inside one of the world's most elite film schoolsThe NFTS opens its doors to the BBC to share what it takes to shape and train award‑winning filmmakers.Arts in MotionMarina Abramović is done with the pastWidely seen as the queen of contemporary performance art, Marina Abramović speaks to the BBC about her legacy.Arts in MotionEs Devlin's powerful art invites a closer look at strangersThrough intimate encounters with 50 Londoners, influential artist Es Devlin reimagines how we see home.Arts in MotionLina GhotmehFrom war-scarred Beirut to the British Museum, architect Lina Ghotmeh creates spaces that draw on history.Arts in MotionKarl Ove Knausgård: The writer who broke the rulesThe Norwegian author's raw honesty and fearlessness has made him one of literature's most compelling voices.Arts in MotionCecilia Bartoli: See the magic of Opera's 'last diva'Renowned for her astounding range, the Italian mezzo-soprano's singing is a source of joy for adoring Opera fans.Arts in MotionThe daring dance collective rewriting the rules of balletMeet the dance trio, La(Horde), leading the National Ballet of Marseille and reinventing ballet for a new era.Arts in MotionElif Shafak says her writing style is 'a little bit drunk'British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak tells the BBC her writing is guided by intuition rather than a rigid plan.Arts in Motion'Architecture is about allowing the extraordinary to happen'Beirut-born architect Lina Ghotmeh's vision for every structure is to honour their surroundings and history.Arts in MotionArchitects unveil future of design at Venice Biennale 2025As the Venice Biennale closes, curator Carlo Ratti calls on architects to face a burning world with courage.Arts in MotionA masterclass with French tenor Benjamin BernheimFrench tenor Benjamin Bernheim mentors young singers in the delicate art of French opera.Arts in MotionA masterclass with renowned sculptor Antony GormleyBritish sculptor Antony Gormley guides young artists in the expressive medium of clay and creative instincts.Arts in MotionMore culture17 mins agoArts Council accolade for restored cottage museumMrs Smith's Cottage regains the recognition it previously held before being forced to close in 2013.17 mins ago3 hrs agoThe lasting legacy of the 'Swedish Nightingale'Opera singer Jenny Lind's charitable work lives on at a children's hospital in Norwich.3 hrs ago3 hrs agoTheatre show aims to bring Constable painting to lifeAn Essex-based theatre company is staging a play about the Suffolk artist's famous painting.3 hrs ago3 hrs agoTake a virtual tour of former TV studios where hit shows were madeFans of Holby City, Top of the Pops and Grange Hill can look around their now-demolished studios.3 hrs ago21 hrs agoSecondhand book sales are booming. 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