Vanessa Thorpe
@vanessathorpe.bsky.social
The Observer’s arts and media correspondent
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Dancing like Spanish horses
No fainting allowed at a traditional equine festival in sunny Menorca
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4yjHbv4
No fainting allowed at a traditional equine festival in sunny Menorca
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4yjHbv4
Dancing like Spanish horses | The Observer
No fainting allowed at a traditional equine festival in sunny Menorca
bit.ly
September 5, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Dancing like Spanish horses
No fainting allowed at a traditional equine festival in sunny Menorca
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4yjHbv4
No fainting allowed at a traditional equine festival in sunny Menorca
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4yjHbv4
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
An elegy on the death of reading
James Marriott’s The New Dark Ages is a heartfelt lament for and celebration of books in a device-dominated age. But the battle against distraction is nothing new
✍️ Erica Wagner
https://bit.ly/3UgubrD
James Marriott’s The New Dark Ages is a heartfelt lament for and celebration of books in a device-dominated age. But the battle against distraction is nothing new
✍️ Erica Wagner
https://bit.ly/3UgubrD
An elegy on the death of reading | The Observer
James Marriott's The New Dark Ages is a heartfelt lament for and celebration of books in a device-dominated age. But the battle against distraction is nothing new
bit.ly
August 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM
An elegy on the death of reading
James Marriott’s The New Dark Ages is a heartfelt lament for and celebration of books in a device-dominated age. But the battle against distraction is nothing new
✍️ Erica Wagner
https://bit.ly/3UgubrD
James Marriott’s The New Dark Ages is a heartfelt lament for and celebration of books in a device-dominated age. But the battle against distraction is nothing new
✍️ Erica Wagner
https://bit.ly/3UgubrD
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
What to read this week, from Anita Brookner to Harry Belafonte
Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk
✍️ Ellen Peirson-Hagger
https://bit.ly/4gBQ8ca
Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk
✍️ Ellen Peirson-Hagger
https://bit.ly/4gBQ8ca
What to read this week, from Anita Brookner to Harry Bela...
Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk
bit.ly
August 27, 2026 at 9:05 AM
What to read this week, from Anita Brookner to Harry Belafonte
Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk
✍️ Ellen Peirson-Hagger
https://bit.ly/4gBQ8ca
Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk
✍️ Ellen Peirson-Hagger
https://bit.ly/4gBQ8ca
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Marin Alsop/Philharmonia Orchestra – the American maestro transforms the Proms
The celebrated conductor was in exuberant form, demonstrating her command of contemporary US music, from Gershwin to the neglected Joan Tower. Plus, Grimeborn Opera Festival
✍️ Fiona Maddocks
https://bit.ly/4xZYfpP
The celebrated conductor was in exuberant form, demonstrating her command of contemporary US music, from Gershwin to the neglected Joan Tower. Plus, Grimeborn Opera Festival
✍️ Fiona Maddocks
https://bit.ly/4xZYfpP
Marin Alsop/Philharmonia Orchestra review – the America maestro transforms the Proms
The celebrated conductor was in exuberant form, demonstrating her command of contemporary US music, from Gershwin to the neglected Joan Tower. Plus, Grimeborn Opera Festival
bit.ly
August 27, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Marin Alsop/Philharmonia Orchestra – the American maestro transforms the Proms
The celebrated conductor was in exuberant form, demonstrating her command of contemporary US music, from Gershwin to the neglected Joan Tower. Plus, Grimeborn Opera Festival
✍️ Fiona Maddocks
https://bit.ly/4xZYfpP
The celebrated conductor was in exuberant form, demonstrating her command of contemporary US music, from Gershwin to the neglected Joan Tower. Plus, Grimeborn Opera Festival
✍️ Fiona Maddocks
https://bit.ly/4xZYfpP
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
The French preoccupation: film-makers’ new obsession with the Second World War
As a new biopic finds an unexpected youth hero in the figure of Charles De Gaulle, Jonathan Romney on the wave of directors revisiting France’s wartime legacy
✍️ Jonathan Romney
https://bit.ly/4wVSRmO
As a new biopic finds an unexpected youth hero in the figure of Charles De Gaulle, Jonathan Romney on the wave of directors revisiting France’s wartime legacy
✍️ Jonathan Romney
https://bit.ly/4wVSRmO
De Gaulle: Résistance – and why France is obsessed with Second World War movies
As a new biopic finds an unexpected youth hero in the figure of Charles De Gaulle, Jonathan Romney on the wave of directors revisiting France’s wartime legacy
bit.ly
August 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
The French preoccupation: film-makers’ new obsession with the Second World War
As a new biopic finds an unexpected youth hero in the figure of Charles De Gaulle, Jonathan Romney on the wave of directors revisiting France’s wartime legacy
✍️ Jonathan Romney
https://bit.ly/4wVSRmO
As a new biopic finds an unexpected youth hero in the figure of Charles De Gaulle, Jonathan Romney on the wave of directors revisiting France’s wartime legacy
✍️ Jonathan Romney
https://bit.ly/4wVSRmO
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
In search of Anita Brookner
Hermione Lee unravels the knotty life of the novelist and art historian – doing her the service of leaving all her mystery intact
✍️ Laura Cumming
https://bit.ly/4zxX0Qm
Hermione Lee unravels the knotty life of the novelist and art historian – doing her the service of leaving all her mystery intact
✍️ Laura Cumming
https://bit.ly/4zxX0Qm
In search of Anita Brookner | The Observer
Hermione Lee unravels the knotty life of the novelist and art historian – doing her the service of leaving all her mystery intact
bit.ly
August 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM
In search of Anita Brookner
Hermione Lee unravels the knotty life of the novelist and art historian – doing her the service of leaving all her mystery intact
✍️ Laura Cumming
https://bit.ly/4zxX0Qm
Hermione Lee unravels the knotty life of the novelist and art historian – doing her the service of leaving all her mystery intact
✍️ Laura Cumming
https://bit.ly/4zxX0Qm
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Comic timing: why I quit my life as a crime reporter to become a clown
A veteran journalist swaps the newsroom for clown school, tumbling into joy, humour and an optimism about humanity
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4wQquX2
A veteran journalist swaps the newsroom for clown school, tumbling into joy, humour and an optimism about humanity
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4wQquX2
Comic timing: why I quit my life as a crime reporter to b...
A veteran journalist swaps the newsroom for clown school, tumbling into joy, humour and an optimism about humanity
bit.ly
August 27, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Comic timing: why I quit my life as a crime reporter to become a clown
A veteran journalist swaps the newsroom for clown school, tumbling into joy, humour and an optimism about humanity
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4wQquX2
A veteran journalist swaps the newsroom for clown school, tumbling into joy, humour and an optimism about humanity
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4wQquX2
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried to erase
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried t...
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 9:46 AM
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried to erase
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Extreme clowning
Zach Zucker has turned his anarchic Stamptown cabaret into a cult hit and now a Netflix special
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4A19dNZ
Zach Zucker has turned his anarchic Stamptown cabaret into a cult hit and now a Netflix special
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4A19dNZ
Extreme clowning | The Observer
Zach Zucker has turned his anarchic Stamptown cabaret into a cult hit and now a Netflix special
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Extreme clowning
Zach Zucker has turned his anarchic Stamptown cabaret into a cult hit and now a Netflix special
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4A19dNZ
Zach Zucker has turned his anarchic Stamptown cabaret into a cult hit and now a Netflix special
✍️ John Simpson
https://bit.ly/4A19dNZ
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Camden Fringe’s Shakefest – mixed, young, ridiculous fun
A punchy Prince of Tyre musical and a portrait of a pouting Perdita are among the highlights of a festival held in an old pub theatre
✍️ Susannah Clapp
https://bit.ly/4yb45VK
A punchy Prince of Tyre musical and a portrait of a pouting Perdita are among the highlights of a festival held in an old pub theatre
✍️ Susannah Clapp
https://bit.ly/4yb45VK
Camden Fringe’s Shakefest review – mixed, young, ridiculous fun
A punchy Prince of Tyre musical and a portrait of a pouting Perdita are among the highlights of a festival held in an old pub theatre
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Camden Fringe’s Shakefest – mixed, young, ridiculous fun
A punchy Prince of Tyre musical and a portrait of a pouting Perdita are among the highlights of a festival held in an old pub theatre
✍️ Susannah Clapp
https://bit.ly/4yb45VK
A punchy Prince of Tyre musical and a portrait of a pouting Perdita are among the highlights of a festival held in an old pub theatre
✍️ Susannah Clapp
https://bit.ly/4yb45VK
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
What to do this weekend, from Wolf Alice’s B-sides to a young artists’ summer exhibition
Daisy Lynch picks five cultural highlights, whether you have a few minutes, an hour or a day to spare
https://bit.ly/4gFXdsg
Daisy Lynch picks five cultural highlights, whether you have a few minutes, an hour or a day to spare
https://bit.ly/4gFXdsg
What to do this weekend, from Wolf Alice’s B-sides to a y...
Our critic picks five cultural highlights, whether you have a few minutes, an hour or a day to spare
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 1:15 PM
What to do this weekend, from Wolf Alice’s B-sides to a young artists’ summer exhibition
Daisy Lynch picks five cultural highlights, whether you have a few minutes, an hour or a day to spare
https://bit.ly/4gFXdsg
Daisy Lynch picks five cultural highlights, whether you have a few minutes, an hour or a day to spare
https://bit.ly/4gFXdsg
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
A country in mourning: Norwegians left stunned by the death of King Harald\
The national outpouring of grief that has met the death of Norway’s monarch speaks volumes about the man and his message of inclusivity
✍️ @www.johnbleasdale.com
https://bit.ly/3SkdyuB
The national outpouring of grief that has met the death of Norway’s monarch speaks volumes about the man and his message of inclusivity
✍️ @www.johnbleasdale.com
https://bit.ly/3SkdyuB
A country in mourning: Norwegians left stunned by the dea...
The national outpouring of grief that has met the death of Norway’s monarch speaks volumes about the man and his message of inclusivity
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 2:36 PM
A country in mourning: Norwegians left stunned by the death of King Harald\
The national outpouring of grief that has met the death of Norway’s monarch speaks volumes about the man and his message of inclusivity
✍️ @www.johnbleasdale.com
https://bit.ly/3SkdyuB
The national outpouring of grief that has met the death of Norway’s monarch speaks volumes about the man and his message of inclusivity
✍️ @www.johnbleasdale.com
https://bit.ly/3SkdyuB
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
25 years on, 9/11 survivors reunite in a powerful documentary
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
✍️ Barbara Ellen
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
✍️ Barbara Ellen
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
9/11 Reunited review – 25 years on, this September 11 reunion makes for powerful viewing
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 3:26 PM
25 years on, 9/11 survivors reunite in a powerful documentary
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
✍️ Barbara Ellen
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
✍️ Barbara Ellen
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
"Was there ever a larger, more startling figure than Dolly Parton?"
Read Frank Cottrell-Boyce's full tribute to the late #DollyParton
https://bit.ly/4cegeAH
Read Frank Cottrell-Boyce's full tribute to the late #DollyParton
https://bit.ly/4cegeAH
Frank Cottrell-Boyce on Dolly Parton: ‘She had true grit ...
The late Tennessee superstar had a unique ability to square the circle of being loyal to her inner hillbilly with her gifts as a formidable artist
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 5:03 PM
"Was there ever a larger, more startling figure than Dolly Parton?"
Read Frank Cottrell-Boyce's full tribute to the late #DollyParton
https://bit.ly/4cegeAH
Read Frank Cottrell-Boyce's full tribute to the late #DollyParton
https://bit.ly/4cegeAH
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Younger people – those under 30 – are increasingly thought to have a low awareness of September 11, 9/11 Reunited, a three-part National Geographic docuseries, sets out to engage them emotionally.
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
9/11 Reunited review – 25 years on, this September 11 reunion makes for powerful viewing
What Julian Jones’s series lacks in geopolitical context it makes up for in deep humanity. Plus, The Murder Detective investigates the death of Lyra McKee
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Younger people – those under 30 – are increasingly thought to have a low awareness of September 11, 9/11 Reunited, a three-part National Geographic docuseries, sets out to engage them emotionally.
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
https://bit.ly/4gzlIHp
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried to erase
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried t...
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 6:10 PM
John Healy, the writer the literary establishment tried to erase
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
His 1988 memoir of homelessness and alcoholism, The Grass Arena, was lauded one minute and pulped the next. Nearly 40 years on, Healy, now 83, is setting the record straight
https://bit.ly/4zJUpTC
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
"Country music is powered by well-spun tales of humble origins, hard work and loss, and Dolly Parton’s greatest hits draw deep from those resonant wells."
Read Kitty Empire's tribute to the late country star.
https://bit.ly/4zGZBHV
Read Kitty Empire's tribute to the late country star.
https://bit.ly/4zGZBHV
Kitty Empire on Dolly Parton, the self-styled ‘Backwoods ...
The country star’s seven-decade career was built on instinctual understanding of business and branding and a songwriting style that drew on her own experience heartbreak and survival
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 5:05 PM
"Country music is powered by well-spun tales of humble origins, hard work and loss, and Dolly Parton’s greatest hits draw deep from those resonant wells."
Read Kitty Empire's tribute to the late country star.
https://bit.ly/4zGZBHV
Read Kitty Empire's tribute to the late country star.
https://bit.ly/4zGZBHV
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
‘They were stitching for their lives’: why the Bayeux tapestry is a testament to terror
As the embroidery arrives in the UK for the first time in 950 years, experts say the women who created it were playing a strategic game of survival, writes Vanessa Thorpe
https://bit.ly/4gCmAef
As the embroidery arrives in the UK for the first time in 950 years, experts say the women who created it were playing a strategic game of survival, writes Vanessa Thorpe
https://bit.ly/4gCmAef
‘They were stitching for their lives’: why the Bayeux tap...
As the embroidery arrives in the UK for the first time in 950 years, experts say the women who created it were playing a strategic game of survival
bit.ly
August 29, 2026 at 12:55 PM
‘They were stitching for their lives’: why the Bayeux tapestry is a testament to terror
As the embroidery arrives in the UK for the first time in 950 years, experts say the women who created it were playing a strategic game of survival, writes Vanessa Thorpe
https://bit.ly/4gCmAef
As the embroidery arrives in the UK for the first time in 950 years, experts say the women who created it were playing a strategic game of survival, writes Vanessa Thorpe
https://bit.ly/4gCmAef
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Alicia Graf Mack is preparing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for its first international tour since she became artistic director
Nancy Durrant steps inside the studio for the Observer New Review
https://bit.ly/46uby6b
Nancy Durrant steps inside the studio for the Observer New Review
https://bit.ly/46uby6b
Rallying the troupe | The Observer
Alicia Graf Mack is preparing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for its first international tour since she became artistic director
observer.co.uk
August 29, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Alicia Graf Mack is preparing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for its first international tour since she became artistic director
Nancy Durrant steps inside the studio for the Observer New Review
https://bit.ly/46uby6b
Nancy Durrant steps inside the studio for the Observer New Review
https://bit.ly/46uby6b
Reposted by Vanessa Thorpe
Bitter Christmas is Almodóvar’s mea culpa
The Spanish director’s candid exploration of self-doubt, grief and an auteur’s struggle with his creative life has none of the bitterness of its title
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4qDEDW5
The Spanish director’s candid exploration of self-doubt, grief and an auteur’s struggle with his creative life has none of the bitterness of its title
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4qDEDW5
Bitter Christmas review – Almodóvar’s mea culpa
The Spanish director’s candid exploration of self-doubt, grief and an auteur’s struggle with his creative life has none of the bitterness of its title
bit.ly
August 28, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Bitter Christmas is Almodóvar’s mea culpa
The Spanish director’s candid exploration of self-doubt, grief and an auteur’s struggle with his creative life has none of the bitterness of its title
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4qDEDW5
The Spanish director’s candid exploration of self-doubt, grief and an auteur’s struggle with his creative life has none of the bitterness of its title
✍️ @vanessathorpe.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4qDEDW5
Our critic suggests….What to do this weekend, from Aperol spritz in Leeds to reggae in Sheffield
observer.co.uk/food/recipes...
observer.co.uk/food/recipes...
What to do this weekend, from Aperol spritz in Leeds to r...
Our critic picks five cultural highlights, whether you have 20 minutes, a mealtime or a couple of days to spare
observer.co.uk
August 15, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Our critic suggests….What to do this weekend, from Aperol spritz in Leeds to reggae in Sheffield
observer.co.uk/food/recipes...
observer.co.uk/food/recipes...
You, the jury: Wagner Moura in the dock.
A Trial: After an Enemy of the People – a magnetic Wagner Moura holds court in Edinburgh
observer.co.uk/culture/thea...
A Trial: After an Enemy of the People – a magnetic Wagner Moura holds court in Edinburgh
observer.co.uk/culture/thea...
A Trial: After an Enemy of the People review – magnetic Wagner Moura holds court in Edinburgh
The Oscar-nominated actor is the compelling centre of a playful but toothless Brazilian retelling of Ibsen’s courtroom drama
observer.co.uk
August 13, 2026 at 7:08 AM
You, the jury: Wagner Moura in the dock.
A Trial: After an Enemy of the People – a magnetic Wagner Moura holds court in Edinburgh
observer.co.uk/culture/thea...
A Trial: After an Enemy of the People – a magnetic Wagner Moura holds court in Edinburgh
observer.co.uk/culture/thea...
Knox tells me why she values her time on stage….
Amanda Knox’s comedy show is strongest when her rage is evident
observer.co.uk/culture/in-r...
Amanda Knox’s comedy show is strongest when her rage is evident
observer.co.uk/culture/in-r...
Amanda Knox’s comedy show is strongest when her rage is e...
In her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, the woman wrongfully convicted of Meredith Kercher’s murder defiantly reclaims her story
observer.co.uk
August 13, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Knox tells me why she values her time on stage….
Amanda Knox’s comedy show is strongest when her rage is evident
observer.co.uk/culture/in-r...
Amanda Knox’s comedy show is strongest when her rage is evident
observer.co.uk/culture/in-r...
No clambake after this carousel hits town..The Galloping Cure – Missy Mazzoli’s opioid crisis opera is spectacularly scarring
observer.co.uk/music/classi...
observer.co.uk/music/classi...
The Galloping Cure review – Missy Mazzoli’s opioid crisis opera is spectacularly scarring
Premiering at the Edinburgh International Festival, a startling new work explores the devastating effect of addiction in the US through a hallucinogenic horse ride
observer.co.uk
August 13, 2026 at 6:59 AM
No clambake after this carousel hits town..The Galloping Cure – Missy Mazzoli’s opioid crisis opera is spectacularly scarring
observer.co.uk/music/classi...
observer.co.uk/music/classi...
This year’s Palme D’Or winner #Fjord divided critics…
May 24, 2026 at 11:55 AM
This year’s Palme D’Or winner #Fjord divided critics…