The Latest Breaking News from Jane Bown

Maggie Smith: the magisterial star of Harry Potter and Downton had the courage and talent to do absolutely everything

The real-life dame and on-screen dowager countess, who has died aged 89, earned fame in her 70s and 80s for blockbuster roles. But her early work at the National Theatre marked her out as a talent for the ages

The Guardian - UK · Sep 27, 2024

‘It all felt new and exciting’: Observer Magazine writers share their memories

From interviews with Dusty Springfield and Agatha Christie to Jane Bown’s astounding pictures and, of course, Nigel Slater’s recipes… Some of our most loved writers, photographers, columnists and creatives share their stories of happy days on the mag

The Guardian - UK · Sep 8, 2024

‘Painting is dead’: celebrating the 150th anniversary of photography in 1989

Diverse, sensational and featuring ghosts, the earliest pictures were not as we might imagine them

The Guardian - UK · Jun 16, 2024

‘We’re so lucky to have met her’: Anna Scher’s former students on their lessons in drama and life

Anna Scher, who has died aged 78, gave acting classes to countless young people at her north London theatre school. Gary Kemp, Jake Wood, Winsome Pinnock, Trevor Laird and Ricardo P Lloyd recall a remarkable teacher

The Guardian - UK · Nov 13, 2023

‘The more children you have, the more laissez-faire you get’: Mick Jagger on ageing, rage and missing Charlie Watts

With the first new Rolling Stones songs in 18 years, the band’s frontman is kicking himself for taking so long. He reflects on turning 80 in a worsening world – and the style and humour of his late drummer

The Guardian - UK · Oct 20, 2023

Unreleased Sinéad O’Connor song to play at finale of church cruelty drama

The late singer gave the track to the producers of The Woman in the Wall, a powerful BBC series about Ireland’s Magdalene laundries

The Guardian - UK · Sep 24, 2023

Yevonde: Life and Colour exhibition reopens the National Portrait Gallery in style

A long-overdue exhibition of the work of photographer Yevonde Middleton (1893-1975) has opened at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), London. Yevonde: Life and Colour is the first major exhibition since the gallery reopened its doors, following a three-year refurbishment.

The Conversation · Jul 7, 2023

Martin Amis obituary

Writer whose acrobatic wit defied gravity and solemnity and who epitomised literary fame in an age of glitz and hype

The Guardian - UK · May 20, 2023

Queen Elizabeth II remembered by Sir Jackie Stewart

The former Formula One champion recalls the Queen’s warmth, dignity and style – and how she was an excellent driver

The Guardian - UK · Dec 11, 2022

The Queen’s portraits - how countless artists have made an icon of a figurehead of state

Her face has imbued our cultural consciousness since she was a child

Evening Standard · Sep 19, 2022