Susan Loppert obituary

My partner Susan Loppert, who has died aged 81, was the moving force behind the development of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Arts in the 1990s. This pioneering programme, which Susan directed for 10 years (1993-2003), was a hugely innovative and imaginative project to bring the visual and performing arts into the heart of London’s newest teaching hospital.As Susan wrote in an article for the Guardian in 2006, this was not about “the odd Monet reproduction or carols at Christmas … but 2,000 original works of art hung in the vast spaces of the stunning atrial building” as well as in clinics, wards and treatment areas – many of them specially commissioned. And on top of this, full-length operas, an annual music festival, Indian dancers in residence, and workshops by artists from poets to puppeteers.Susan was born in Grahamstown, South Africa, to Phyllis (nee Orkin, and known as “Inkey” because of her dark hair), a lawyer and anti-apartheid activist, and her husband Eric Loppert, a manager

Oh yes he is! Kiefer Sutherland dives into the world of panto

Hollywood megastars hit Leeds this year to make Tinsel Town, a feelgood festive comedy about panto. The 24 star, Rebel Wilson and more talk about their addiction to Greggs sausage rolls – and epic brawls with Danny DyerTwenty-odd years ago, I binged a TV series on DVD for the first time. At my mate’s house in a village outside Harrogate, I was glued to Jack Bauer shooting his way through 24. We probably only made it to episode six before surrendering to sleep for school the next day.Fast forward to the start of this year, and photos are all over the local news of Kiefer Sutherland out and about in nearby market towns Knaresborough and Wetherby

O come out ye faithful: a joyful roundup of UK culture this Christmas

The 12 Beans of ChristmasTouring to 19 December Last year, character comedians Adam Riches and John Kearns joined forces for an archly silly tribute to crooners Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Now Riches is back with another leftfield celebrity riff as he gives his Game of Thrones-era Sean Bean impression (as seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his Edinburgh show Dungeons’n’Bastards) a yuletide twist. Rachel AroestiThe BFGRoyal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 7 February Are you ready for snozzcumbers and dream-catchers, for norphans and whizzpoppers? A stellar team have come together for this world premiere of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, with a script courtesy of Tom Wells (Jumpers for Goalposts) and puppetry by the masterful Toby Olié (Spirited Away). John Leader heads up the cast for this beloved story of an orphan befriending a giant; Daniel Evans directs. Kate WyverCount Arthur Strong Is Charles Dickens in A Christmas CarolTouring to 14 December The reliably bewildered and chronically digressive one-time variety star takes his tangent-riddled festive show on tour again

Nominate your favourite Australian children’s picture book of all time

A good picture book is pure magic – and Australia has produced some of the best. Nominate your favourite hereThe best children’s picture books can be pure magic for adults, too: witty and wise prose or poetry that is a joy to read aloud, coupled with vivid, evocative illustrations that live on in the memory – and the culture – for decades.Australia has produced more than its fair share of classics, from the effortlessly educational to the cheekily irreverent, and we want you to nominate your favourite for a major reader’s poll we will run in late January: the best Australian children’s picture book of all time.To be eligible a book must be:Primarily intended to be read aloud to children who don’t yet read independently;Able to be read in a few minutes – we’re looking for a child’s picture book, rather than a graphic novel or illustrated chapter book;Written by an Australian (or someone we’ve claimed);Published in Australia.If the respondent is under 18, a parent or guardian must complete the form on their behalf

Jimmy Kimmel: ‘Thankful that we only have five weeks left in this year’

Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump’s especially weird address at the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon.On his final show before the Thanksgiving holiday, Jimmy Kimmel counted his blessings. “This year, I am most thankful that we only have five weeks left in this year,” he joked on Tuesday evening.Meanwhile at the White House “the presidential ketchup boat is filled to the brim and ready to go.” On Tuesday, at the “freshly paved over Rose Garden”, the president presided over the annual pardon of the turkeys, “which at this point are the only thing that Trump hasn’t pardoned this year”

Seth Meyers on Trump’s meeting with Mamdani: ‘I’ve never seen Trump this smitten before’

Late-night hosts discussed Donald Trump’s strangely friendly meeting with New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.Seth Meyers devoted his Monday Closer Look segment to the bizarrely friendly White House meeting between Donald Trump and New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, where the president seemed downright pleased to be meeting the Democratic socialist that his administration has long demonized.“He looks like a five-year-old meeting Mickey Mouse,” said an amused Meyers. Though Trump had previously called Mamdani a “communist” and a “total nutjob” the president seemed charmed by the 34-year-old mayor.“I’ve never seen Trump this smitten before,” the Late Night host said