Government Stuff
DCMS is providing £4.7m to create more and better volunteer opportunities for young people in the arts, supported by Arts Council England.
Digital Minister Chris Philp has announced a £1m investment to fund data governance research.
The Bank of England and the Treasury are to launch a formal consultation on a UK central bank digital currency.
The UK has launched a bid for a council seat on the UN’s International Telecomms Union.
DCMS has released a summary of findings from an independent inquiry into the National Lottery Community Fund.
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Culture Stuff
Arts & Culture
The Courtauld Gallery in London reopens next week after a huge three-year glow-up. The Guardian on how its Old Masters have never looked so good.
The Stage unpicks some of the key findings of the external investigation into racism at The Barbican.
The Freelands Foundation has awarded a total of £800k to two leading art institutions for projects addressing racial inequality in visual arts.
Perth in Scotland has become the UK’s first UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art. Woo.
David Prichard has won the prestigious Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2021 for his series of portraits of Indigenous stock women in Australia.
This year’s Manchester International Festival saw a record audience of 1.4m people despite social distancing measures.
Julie’s Bicycle has called on governments to address the gap between culture and environment policy.
A Black British cultural takeover from Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder in The Guardian last weekend, including this on the changing status of Black British art.
More than $200m worth of art has been sold on the opening night of New York’s fall auctions. All bought by me.
Banksy painted one of his trademark rats on the set of a new BBC drama just so Christopher Walken’s character could paint over it.
Design
First it was on… then off… then on, again?... But no, definitely off. The government has definitively put plans for a 1,000ft Tulip tower in London to (flower) bed.
Talking of large London buildings… The Evening Standard on how the multi-billion pound development in Nine Elms is really struggling to find buyers.
Theatre & Dance
Plans for the new Sadler’s Wells East have been unveiled, aiming to make it the ‘National Theatre of the dance world’. It’ll also include a hip-hop academy.
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced a two-year training programme offering a ‘genuine alternative pathway’ for people from underrepresented backgrounds.
Classical Music & Opera
Arts Council England has announced a new action plan to create a fairer and more inclusive classical music sector for England.
The Philharmonia Orchestra has announced its 2022 season under new principal conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
Tourism & Heritage
Ancient Olympia is to be digitally preserved following a deal between the Greek government and Microsoft.
Archaeologists working on the HS2 project have uncovered a bunch of rare Roman statues in Buckinghamshire. *Holds up 2 fingers* I’ve got 5 of them over here!
Museums
Curatours (a portal for arts & culture) has launched its first museum, the Museum Of Plastic 2121 – brought to you virtually from a plastic-free future.
Press, Books & Libraries
After announcing plans to step down after 32 years, Sky News’ veteran editor-at-large talks to The Times about a changing of the guard at the station.
A female author is to write James Bond novels for the very first time, with Canadian Kim Sherwood tasked with penning the next trilogy.
The Times talks to James Daunt of Daunt Books, Waterstones and now Barnes & Noble about the daunting task (clever) of taking on Amazon.
Exhibitions and Events
Paul McCartney from a band called The Beatles has a (free) exhibition of lyrics up in the British Library until March. Want to bring a mate? That’s fine, just come together.
Today over 50 museums and galleries will be taken over by children and young people as part of the annual Kids in Museums Takeover Day.
Extremely lit. Lumiere Durham, the UK’s leading light festival, returns with 30 light-based installations around the city from next Thursday.
All next week is the Achates Philanthropy Foundation Symposium – a series of nightly conversations challenging the cultural sector to think differently.
Paine’s Plough has brought SESSIONS by Ifeyinwa Frederick to Soho Theatre until December – a new production exploring the complexities of mental health in young men.
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Rebellion’s Jason Kingsley talks to The Sunday Times about the state of play for investment in the British video game scene.
GlobalStep and Scottish mobile developer Outplay Entertainment have been announced as sponsors of the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2021.
As it's a mere… 43 days away, Rebellion Publishing has kicked off its Christmas sale of all its RP Book Club picks.
For the latest Future Imperfect, Jason Kingsley chats to Cat Jarman about what we can learn from the teeth and artefacts Vikings left behind. Norway? Yes way.
And the newest episode of the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast features Scott Montgomery talking about squeezing so many thrills into the upcoming 2000 AD Encyclopedia.
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Creative Industries & Tech Stuff
Film & TV
Unity is buying Weta Digital – the legendary visual effects company co-founded by Peter Jackson – for a whopping $1.6bn.
Interesting read in The Economist on how streaming has weakened the economic clout of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Red light… GREEN LIGHT! A second season of Squid Game has been given the go-ahead.
This week saw the launch of a new Channel 4 series on extraordinary house extensions fronted by rapper Tinie Tempah. Might finally get to go to Scunthorpe.
Fashion
The British Fashion Council threw a sustainability showcase at COP26 last week, featuring the likes of Burberry and Stella McCartney.
A £100m revamp of House of Fraser on Oxford Street has been given the green light.
Music & Radio
Belfast has been officially recognised as a UNESCO City of Music. Love to see it.
The Beeb explores whether warning signs were missed at the Travis Scott festival tragedy in Houston.
Sir Lucian Grainge, head of Universal Music Group, looks set to earn more in 2021 than all UK songwriters did combined from streams and sales in 2019.
Dave leads the nominations for this year’s MOBO Awards with five nods.
Diana Ross has been announced for the Sunday teatime ‘legend slot’ at next year’s Glastonbury. Ages yet though. Shame you can’t hurry months, you just have to wait.
Gaming
Pop star Zara Larsson talks to the Beeb about making over $1m selling virtual merch on Roblox since joining the gaming universe in May. The metaverse is already here.
Tech & Telecoms
Google has lost its appeal against a €2.4 billion antitrust fine by the European Commission over how it promoted its shopping comparison service.
Vodafone is to become Britain’s largest full-fibre provider after expanding its partnership with City Fibre.
Electric vehicle startup Rivian has just had the biggest IPO for a US company since Facebook.
Uber is raising rates by 10% in London in a bid to lure back drivers – and they’re being sued by the US Justice Department for allegedly overcharging disabled people.
Disney is the latest company to announce plans for its own metaverse. A whole new wooooorld.
Elon Musk has flogged $5bn in Tesla stock after running a poll for his followers on Twitter. Oh, to be the world’s richest man.
A new report here from Milltown Partners and Clifford Chance exploring what tech policy experts think is next for AI.
Buy high, sell low. Bitcoin has hit a new record high of over $68,000.
Facebook is planning physical shops to sell virtual reality. I’m doing the opposite. Virtual sho… doesn’t even make sense, ignore.
I’m here for news like this. Airbnb is introducing ‘verified wifi’ so hosts can’t pretend they have gigabit when they actually have dial-up.
Now this is quite incredible. A missing girl has been rescued in the US after signalling to a driver for help with a hand signal she learnt on TikTok.
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Appointments & Movers
Eamonn Holmes is leaving This Morning after 15 years to join GB News; British creative director Daniel Lee is leaving Bottega Veneta; Norwich Playhouse director Caroline Richardson is stepping down after 25 years; Arike Oke and Jason Wood have joined the BFI as executive directors; HuffPost UK has named Cate Sevilla as editor-in-chief; Mary Jane Edwards has been announced as interim director of the Arts Foundation; Leeds Playhouse’s Robin Hawkes is leaving to join Manchester Palace & Opera House Theatres as theatre director
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...And Finally
A massive male cow went rogue on Guangxi’s high street this week barging into displays and knocking people off of mopeds. A bull in a Chinese shop.
Dogs are set to get their own TV channel in the UK to help with stress. What will it show, I hear nobody ask? Oh I don’t know, stuff like 24 Hours in Paw-lice Custody? Re-runs of Jurassic Bark? The latest series of Woof I Lie to You?
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