Good Grief, Charlie Brown! | Little Drummer Girl | Churches | The British Betrayal of Childhood | Jollibee...
This week our guide on what to see, watch, visit, read and eat brings you a homage to a comic classic, yet another nail-biting espionage thriller from the BBC, churches as tourist attractions and Asia's answer to KFC finally hitting our high streets.
SEE: Good Grief, Charlie Brown! When it comes to comics nothing is more iconic and enduring than Charles M. Schultz’s Peanuts and the world he created around the likes of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. During his lifetime Schultz created 17,897 comic strips, which were syndicated to over 2,600 newspapers around the globe and translated into 21 languages, making Peanuts arguably one of the most influential comic brands in global popular culture. Good Grief, Charlie Brown! is a charmingly curated exhibition now open at Somerset House, which features cartoon strips rarely seen in the UK, original artworks inspired by Schultz’s loveable characters including Lucy, Woodstock, Linus and Schroeder, as well as objects and artefacts belonging to the artist himself. The exhibition explores the artist’s unique creative process and examines how Peanuts tackled important issues such as faith, existentialism, race, war and feminism. Look out for the ‘Silver Snoopy’, which NASA took to the moon and back, and sit back and relax on a massive bean bag while enjoying some seriously good animation in the screening room. Just a warning - it’s pretty much impossible to avoid spending money in the gift shop too, by the way.
Good Grief, Charlie Brown! is running at Somerset House until 3 March 2019. To find out more visit https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/good-grief-charlie-brown and follow @Somersethouseon Twitter for updates.
WATCH: Little Drummer Girl. 9pm on a Sunday has very much become the BBC’s time to shine. No sooner had we mourned the finale of The Bodyguard, than we were then gripped by The Cry, and now the latest pulsating espionage thriller everybody is talking about, Little Drummer Girl, which, like its predecessors, promises great things. Following in the footsteps of the immensely popular The Night Manager, this six-part adaptation of another John Le Carré novel starts explosively, literally, as a suitcase bomb explodes in the house of an Israeli attaché in West Germany, 1979. As the hunt is on to track down Palestinian terrorist mastermind Khalil, cunning Mossad spymaster Martin Kurtz recruits Charlie, a budding English actress, in an effort to infiltrate the bombmaker’s network. Elegantly shot and convincingly stylised, this new series will certainly go a long way towards keeping cravings for The Night Manager at bay, at least until season two airs, whenever that will be.
The first episode of Little Drummer Girl is now available on BBC iPlayer.
VISIT: A church near you. Lovers of history, heritage and architecture take note! It’s not just about museums, stately homes and castles – the UK’s churches are now very much on the map as fascinating and unique tourist attractions and a new website makes visiting and exploring them even easier than ever. The National Churches Trust is a charity that supports church heritage and helps maintain, repair and keep open some of our most stunning, historic and unique church buildings. This month their new website explorechurches.org has launched to spark more curiosity about church tourism. Using their postcode function you can look for churches to visit near you and find out more about the wealth of historic monuments and architecture, stunning stained glass, links with social and national history and even find some spooky artefacts for Halloween. Some churches also offer a ‘5 star experience’ – with easy parking, visitor facilities and fantastic tea and cake while others contain uplifting interiors and quiet spaces to have a break from hectic life.
Visit www.explorechurches.org to find out more about churches in your area and visit the National Churches Trust website to learn more about their work to conserve and maintain Britain’s church heritage. www.nationalchurchestrust.org
@NatChurchTrust
READ: The British Betrayal of Childhood. ‘Why are so many children being let down in Britain in 2018?’ this thought-provoking new book by former Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green seeks to ask this important question. Pulling no punches, Sir Al isn’t afraid to present major challenges to the status quo and to ask readers to think again about what the UK’s healthcare, social services and education systems are currently achieving for children. Echoing the sentiments of Eighteenth Century philanthropist and campaigner Thomas Coram, this timely call to arms aims to show how ‘courage, compassion and commitment’ are more important than ever in 2018 if we want to improve the lives of children in the UK. Hoping to start a national debate and to engage the public, policy-makers and local communities, this hard-hitting and brave book calls for more anger and action to make a difference to the well-being of British children.
The British Betrayal of Childhood: Challenging Uncomfortable Truths and Bringing About Change by Sir Al Aynsley-Green is published by Routledge in paperback. Follow the publisher on Twitter at @routledgebooks and the book's hashtag #stopthebetrayal.
DINE: Jollibee. Described as the ‘Asian KFC’, Filipino restaurant chain Jollibee is regarded as the world’s biggest Asian fast food brand, so it is no surprise that it sent fans jumping for chicken joy when it launched its second European site in Earls Court, London, last week. Mad, wacky, and joyful, Jollibee is a fun and original chicken shop gone bonkers with a frankly bizzare menu. It is best known for its standard chilli-coated fried chicken, Chicken Joy which comes with a secret to-die-for gravy. This can be served with brand's signature spaghetti which comes with a slice of hotdog and ground beef, and a red sauce that is rumoured to be made with banana ketchup, liver spread and condensed milk. It also has a rice dish with a beef pattie covered in mushroom gravy, corned beef, garlic rice and fried egg. Sides include a ball of mash potato and gravy, creamy macaroni soup and buttered sweetcorn. While it might take the Brits a while to stomach this concept, many Londoners, including us, are overjoyed with this quirky and exciting addition to London’s eclectic dining scene.
Jollibee, Earls Court is open now. Follow @jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.
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