Critics reveal the film they want to win best picture
Lionsgate BBC Culture asked critics from around the world to make the case for each of the nine films in contention to win the best picture prize at the 2017 Academy Awards. Paramount Pictures Discounting the fake movie that provided Argo with its title, no science fiction film has ever won the Oscar for best […]
What if women were physically stronger than men?
Rachel Nuwer Features correspondent Woman in a gym If superior strength was suddenly available to women, how would society change? Rachel Nuwer asks researchers and gender experts for their views about an intriguing thought experiment. When Judith Gardiner’s father died in 1963, her mother, a lawyer, took over the couple’s joint patent law practice. In […]
How the fake Beatles conned South America
Ed Prideaux Features correspondent Bill Ande at billande.com (Credit: Bill Ande at billande.com) In 1964, South American fans eagerly awaited the arrival of the Fab Four – but four Americans named Tom, Vic, Bill and Dave turned up instead. It’s a bizarre story of a con gone wrong, writes Ed Prideaux. Early in 1964, as […]
How toxic masculinity dominated cinema in 2023
Nicholas Barber Features correspondent Warner Bros Barbie, The Royal Hotel, Fair Play, Cat Person, How to Have Sex: post #MeToo, directors explored toxic masculinity in every imaginable genre – with surprising results. When the news broke in 2020 that a film about Barbie dolls was to be co-written and directed by Greta Gerwig, the maker […]
When prison makes things worse
Getty Images Many incarcerated women are victims themselves – of mental health problems, and of crimes worse than their own. Is prison the wrong place for them? Criminal Myths A special series about the factors that shape crime In April and May BBC Future is exploring several misconceptions about criminals and crime, in a time […]
How did A Christmas Carol come to be?
Lucinda Hawksley Features correspondent Alamy The real-life inspiration for Tiny Tim had a much sadder fate. Dickens’s frustration about poverty in Great Britain led to a classic, writes Lucinda Hawksley. In May 1843, Charles Dickens was invited to a fundraising dinner in aid of the Charterhouse Square infirmary, which cared for elderly, impoverished men. Ironically, […]
The designer who freed the female body
Cath Pound Features correspondent He was a visionary couturier who blazed a trail with his beautiful, daring dresses. Cath Pound explores the life and work of Fortuny, beloved by Marcel Proust and supermodels alike. There are few fashion designers from the early decades of the 20th Century whose creations could be worn today without resembling […]
Pheromones are probably not why people find you attractive
Getty Images Are pheromones real? (Credit: Getty Images) Are you really sending out airborne aphrodisiacs to potential mates? In 2010, dozens of people gathered in a Brooklyn art gallery to smell each other’s unlaundered t-shirts. This was no fetish party, but an attempt at seduction through smell. The premise of the “Pheromone Party” was simple: […]
The new age of explicit TV
Emma Jones Features correspondent Netflix A new wave of shows featuring nudity and sex are appearing on the small screen. Are viewers becoming less prudish? Emma Jones takes a look. In 1995, TV audiences were mesmerised by the so-called ‘Darcy’ phenomenon – a young Colin Firth as the arrogant Mr Darcy, emerging fully-clothed but dripping […]
Netball Super League: England Netball to relaunch division in 2025 as part of push for professionalisation
England Netball has announced plans to relaunch the Netball Super League from 2025 as part of a push to professionalise the division. The sport’s governing body began an open tender process on Tuesday for expressions of interest in joining the newly reformed league. The Super League is the sport’s elite domestic competition in the UK. […]