Copy: The National 26/12/11 >> I love tall buildings. A few years ago it seemed like every spare plot in central Manchester promised a skyscraper to compete with the peerless Beetham Tower. Buildings like this and this And then the credit crunch hit, and we were left with the slightly...

Copy: The National 19/12/11 >> If you’re stuck for a movie to get you in the festive mood, look no further than The Muppet Christmas Carol, the felty furry take on Charles Dickens’ classic broadcast tomorrow (Christmas Eve) on Channel 4. Gonzo is Charles Dickens, Kermit is...

Copy: The National 19/12/11 >> Yes, yes, Coldplay’s date in Manchester was right at the start of December. I know. However, I was covering it for The National, as Chris Martin’s band are playing in Abu Dhabi on New Year’s Eve, and they’ve only just published the...

Copy: The Stage 15/12/11 >> If you have any little ‘uns in your life that need entertainments over Christmas, forget the tacky charm of the panto and take them to Horse + Bamboo‘s brilliant 55 minute show Red Riding Hood at The Royal Exchange in Manchester. It really is the...

Copy: The National 15/12/11 >> Lucy Caldwell‘s second book, The Meeting Point, has been one of my favourite finds of this year. And it’s not just me either – last month it beat the likes of Tea Obreht to the Dylan Thomas Prize, the judges calling it ”a...

Copy: The National 14/12/11 >> The Southbank’s winter festival this year welcomed a Bollywood show to the shores of the Thames. But a Bollywood show with a difference – this was a Danish theatre company who were aiming to mix western theatrical traditions with Indian...

Copy: The National 07/12/11 >> Artist Piers Secunda wanted to chronicle the most important natural resource of our times; oil. But he took his interest to obsessive lengths – he decided he wanted to depict the pioneering age of the petrochemical industry by actually painting in...

Copy: The National 06/12/11 >> Late last month rumours that film adaptations of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica coalesced into something more substantial. But the reaction from fans was less than enthusiastic – probably thanks to worries that television series do not always...