Stephen Smith

Off the Box

One of the last TV newsmen speaks of the halcyon days of long lunches and fat ratings, living life high on the hog.
Gary Grimes

Day 1,509 in the Big Brother House

Our writer, a lonely tweenager in rural Ireland, took to his computer and found new galaxies of possibilities – on a Big Brother forum.
Henry Wismayer

Brick by Brick

A celebration of an establishment in deepest south London with a tricksy landlord and a never-changing clientele. An ode, then, to the beauty of the mediocre pub.
Drew Lustman

The Kids Are Coming up from Behind

The life of an international DJ consists of ceaseless transit and wild-eyed revelry. So how do you keep the beats pumping when parenthood comes calling?
Olympia Campbell

An Ugly Business

A top model describes the scrutiny you face from booking agents, designers and your peers when you try and land a fashion campaign. Sorry, babe, it happens to the best of us.
Miranda Sawyer

Loving the Nineties

Who were the gatekeepers who made the country swing again? Travel back to 1992, and meet the DJs, producers and journalists who made Britpop a global juggernaut.
The Fence

Snooker Loopy

Two writers face off in a grudge match of snooker: the fanciful, ludicrous game of punished error and forced embarrassment. Róisín Lanigan cues off first...
Clive Martin

The More They Feel, the More They Buy

Mad//fest, or Madfest for short, is an advertising and marketing conference where speakers declaim that 'brands are dead' or 'brands are God.'
John Banville

A Memorable Meal

Novelist John Banville once went for lunch in an Umbrian tavern. He's remembered it for the past fifty years. He recounts it for us now.
Orlando Whitfield

The White Whale

A failed art dealer recounts his dealings with one of the industry's trickiest and most enigmatic characters.