In an homage to perspiration as well as inspiration, and more than two decades after his maiden nomination, the British director Christopher Nolan won a first Academy Award for his epic biographical drama, Oppenheimer.
It capped a good night overall for the UK, with seven Oscars, including, unusually, best foreign film (for British director Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, a film spoken largely in German, Polish and Yiddish) and a hat-trick of behind-the-camera gongs for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things.
From film and TV to fashion and video games, the UK creative industries are a hotbed of talent, craft and innovation, much of it to be found in the capital. British film studios are in high demand; Barbie, a billion-dollar behemoth despite its lack of awards, was mostly filmed on a set at Warner Bros’s studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.
Meanwhile, a raft of announcements in the Budget, including relief to businesses rates and a new tax credit scheme, should support both film studios and independent filmmakers alike. Oscar wins are the pinnacle of many an artistic career. But the hard graft often happens far away from Hollywood.
The rise of the air fryer
How can you tell if a friend or colleague has purchased an air fryer? They will tell you. But now, the ever-present electric ovens are in a sense in everyone’s home. The Office for National Statistics has rejigged the items it uses to calculate inflation, and the air fryer has made its debut in the nation’s shopping basket.
It is in good company. Hipsters will rejoice as vinyl has made a stunning comeback, appearing in the basket for the first time in 32 years. Its old foe, the cassette tape, which displaced vinyl in 1992, is nowhere to be found. Other items culled from the list include popcorn, hot rotisserie-cooked whole chicken and, curiously, sofa beds — as pull-out beds become more popular.
Also on the exit ramp is Covid, so to speak. Hand sanitiser, added to the basket in 2021, has been removed. Although, it should be added, there need not be a novel coronavirus to persuade Britons of the benefits of washing their hands.
Ramadan Mubarak
For Muslims in London and around the world, the holy month of Ramadan has begun, serving as a time of reflection, contemplation, and celebration.
Open iftar events are being held across the capital, while for a second year the West End is host to Ramadan lights, set to be switched on every evening until Eid next month. To all our readers who observe it, Ramadan Mubarak.
