BBC set to make shows for YouTube in new deal
Amidst Trump’s legal threats and a waning Gen Z audience, the BBC is hoping to gain back some much-needed goodwill with a landmark new YouTube deal. The BBC has struck a deal with YouTube to make brand new content tailored specifically for the digital platform. It comes after months of turmoil...
Current in Culture
Is the ‘Wuthering Heights’ controversy warranted?
Literary purists are on the rampage over Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaptation of the gothic novel. But why do modern takes on historic literature so often spark backlash? Wuthering Heights may be one of the most famous books ever written, but Emily Brontë’s singular masterpiece has proved near impossible to adapt...
Has ‘Diary of a CEO’ flown too far to the right?
The popular podcast is receiving heat for a recent conversation around women and motherhood. It highlights how far the show has strayed from its origins. Stephen Bartlett is no stranger to controversy. When you head-up one of the biggest podcasts on the planet, that comes with the territory. And it...
Nicki Minaj and the rise of right wing grifting
Rapper Nicki Minaj was once considered a gay icon and a strong denouncer of Trump, having previously criticised his immigration policies and campaigns. Over the past year she has made a strong pivot the other way, appearing at right wing rallies with Erika Kirk in a likely attempt to...
Why are Gen Z suddenly so nostalgic for 2016?
2016 was the year of Pokemon Go, The Chainsmokers, Snapchat dog filters and skinny jeans. Gen Z are currently on a nostalgia binge, with searches for ‘2016’ having increased 71% in the last year over 2024. What’s going on? We’re not even two weeks into the year, and everything already...
Brigitte Bardot and the complexity of mourning celebrity
The French movie star’s death sparked sadness and scorn, as her right-wing politics mark a complicated legacy. You might now Brigitte Bardot for her blonde bombshell looks – with voluminous golden hair so infamous that she arguably cemented ‘French Girl Chic’ into modern parlance. Even if you haven’t watched any of her...
Podcasts are now eligible for Golden Globes
And as the inaugural nominations are announced, liberals are winning. I can’t say I was surprised when the Golden Globes announced the addition of podcasts to their awards roster. This year, my Spotify wrapped was comprised largely of podcasts (apparently I spent thousands of hours listening to the dulcet tones of The Rest is Politics) and I’m not alone in my love for long-form listening. According to The Economist, more...
2025 was the year of yearning
We couldn’t stop longing for what it didn’t have After a decade defined by hustle and optimisation, 2025 turned toward something softer and unresolved. The year of yearning. From breakout show ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ to Charli XCX’s viral hit ‘party 4 u’, the past 12 months of romance have been all about reaching out and never touching. But why has this childhood sense of longing had such a...
‘Heated Rivalry’ is reigniting dangerous debates about queer storytelling
The surprise hit for HBO Max has just been renewed for a second season – but its success highlights the age-old question of who gets to tell queer stories. Heated Rivalry, a show based on Rachel Reid’s novel about two ice hockey players who fall in love, was only meant to air on Canadian streaming service Crave. The explicit sex scenes and niche plotting weren’t likely to draw in huge numbers...
Study says most streaming shows made by white people
A new report published by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has found that over 90% of the top 250 programmes on streaming services were made by white people last year, an increase over 2024. Cultural diversity has seen a significant decrease this year compared to 2024, a new study by UCLA has concluded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktJGNSf0zfc As part of its Hollywood Diversity report, the university published that 91.7% of the...
