From patriotic parody to threat: Flanders and Swann, the Likely Lads and Reform | Letter

Stuart Heritage rightly observes the satire that is inherent in For He is an Englishman, the “patriotic” song from HMS Pinafore, cropping up in popular culture (‘The rallying cry of the rich and horrible’, 17 February).For a more xenophobic but equally tongue-in-cheek exploration of the same vein of nationalism, screenwriters need look no further than A Song of Patriotic Prejudice, by Flanders and Swann. In this paean to the English, every other nation of the UK is rubbished through caricature, and the rest of Europe dismissed in a few lines (“The Germans are German, the Russians are red, and the Greeks and Italians eat garlic in bed!”).This line of reasoning is explored in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? too, where Terry, to the derision of his friend Bob, runs through the shortcomings of every other nation. “To tell you the truth, I don’t like anybody much outside this town,” Terry adds

Goodies galore in a Clued-up crossword tribute to Graeme Garden | Brief letters

Thanks to Soup for the splendid birthday compliment to Graeme Garden (Cryptic crossword, 18 February). It brought back joyous memories of the Goodies, and reminded me of how many years I’ve been hooting with laughter at I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Many happy returns, Graeme – and all power to your setting, Soup.Julie MottersheadDeal, Kent Roger Mosey makes a lot of good points in his critique of the current news agenda (While we’re seeking to fix what’s wrong with Britain, look hard at our policy-lite, sensation-seeking media, 18 February). At the BBC, we used to have something called “the significance test”

Salman Rushdie among 170 figures to sign open letter over Barbican arts lead departure

Salman Rushdie, John Akomfrah and Pankaj Mishra are among more than 170 cultural figures who have signed an open letter to the Barbican expressing concern over the departure of its arts director, Devyani Saltzman.Saltzman, who became director of arts and participation at the Barbican in February 2024, is leaving the institution amid a significant leadership change a few weeks after its new CEO joined.Saltzman was recently named as one of the 40 most influential women working in the arts in the UK, and was described as the driving force behind the organisation. Her departure comes months after she unveiled a five-year creative vision for the Barbican.“We are writing as a group of global majority creative and cultural leaders and allies to express our profound disappointment and alarm at the decision to curtail Devyani Saltzman’s tenure,” the letter said

Colbert on RFK Jr’s Maha workout video: ‘Senior softcore that feels like dropping acid’

Stephen Colbert was feeling under the weather on Wednesday night but didn’t pull his punches, despite being “on enough steroids to be named the secretary of health and human services”.The host focused on Robert F Kennedy Jr and Maha in his monologue, particularly a surreal workout video that the health secretary released with Kid Rock this week, which Colbert described as “senior softcore”.After playing a clip of the “Rock Out Work Out” video, which featured shark attacks, taxidermized bears and lots of American flags, the host commented: “Why does this make you feel like you dropped acid at a Cracker Barrel?”The Maha clip features RFK Jr and Kid Rock working out together in some unexpected gym apparel. “Working out in tight jeans is not what a sauna is for,” said Colbert. “Saunas are for accidentally seeing your dad’s friend’s penis and never getting it out of your head for the rest of your life

‘He invented a style’: war chronicler Robert Capa refashioned himself and revolutionised photography

It is not often that you get to see a war photographer at work. Certainly not one who more or less defines our idea of the profession as it exists today, is widely considered to be its greatest practitioner and has been dead for more than 70 years.But as part of its new retrospective, the Museum of the Liberation of Paris has produced a short but remarkable candid film of Robert Capa on the job. He is largely unaware he is being filmed and the cameramen mostly do not know they are filming him.The researchers started with the 30 contact sheets – 24 rolls of film, about 500 photographs – the Hungarian-born photographer took on 25 and 26 August 1944, when the French capital was freed from four gruelling years of German occupation

Australian screen industry crushed as Universal shutters Matchbox Pictures, with 30 jobs lost

Universal International Studios has confirmed it will close Matchbox Pictures after nearly 20 years of operations, effectively terminating one of Australia’s most stable connections to the global market.From the suburban tension of The Slap to the global Netflix dominance of The Survivors, Matchbox served as a sturdy bridge between distinctive Australian storytelling and the glossy boardrooms of Hollywood.Universal’s withdrawal from an on-the-ground presence in Australia came as a shock to the local screen industry, given the Australian company, co-founded by Tony Ayres and Penny Chapman 18 years ago, had delivered the most successful Australian-made TV drama on Netflix for 2025, with The Survivors achieving a global audience of 28 million.Another two Matchbox productions, Safe Harbour and Nowhere Boys, won international Emmys, and the Cate Blanchett co-production Stateless won a record-breaking 13 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards from 18 nominations, including best telefeature or miniseries, best screenplay and best direction in television.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningThe Hollywood studio has removed its permanent overheads – physical offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and a full-time staff of 30 – and moved to a model where it will only invest in a project once it is active