Ten reasons why Bradford deserves to be 2025’s city of culture
From Charlotte Brontë to David Hockney and Zayn Malik, my home town of Bradford has a rich cultural history – and its beauty is balm for the soul
On my radar: Eva Rothschild’s cultural highlights
The Irish artist on a thrilling Mexican novel, a lovable comedy about two Cork misfits, and some devastating Mississippi blues
Tony Ross: ‘I wasn’t at all like Horrid Henry when I was a boy’
The author and illustrator, 83, tells Donna Ferguson about working with Roald Dahl, his three happy marriages, feeling sorry for optimists and being brought up in the Blitz
Revenge is sweet: the music, TV and theatre about getting your own back
From Shakespeare’s dithering Dane to Desperate Housewives’ steely-eyed Bree, our critics serve up the coldest revenge dishes
Queer Spaces by Adam Nathaniel Furman and Joshua Mardell review – a fascinating LGBTQIA+ architecture history
This creative book is a hymn to the gay-friendly buildings treasured by film-makers, artists and activists
On my radar: Marwa al-Sabouni’s cultural highlights
The Syrian architect and writer on the idea of home in Branagh’s Belfast, smart Arab horses in Homs and the joy of lentils in Damascus
Harry Potter and the missing sketches: JK Rowling’s first drawings of boy wizard
Author’s original drawings for her first Hogwarts novel to appear in print – alongside the return of a mysterious wizard
Shift your vibe! 60 quick ways to make yourself slightly happier
Things feeling a bit stale? These small tweaks to your routine will turn things around, boost your mood and could even make you a better person …
Percy Allum obituary
Academic whose bold analysis of Neapolitan politics and the Camorra sent shock waves through the city
Blonde: will a shocking new film shatter the myth of Marilyn Monroe?
From Cannes to the Met Gala, the screen icon’s lucrative legacy lives on. But how will a new film affect the way the world sees her?
The mystery of the buried owl: the 30-year treasure hunt baffling French puzzlers
Launched in 1993, it has become one of the world’s longest games. So who are the amateur sleuths hoping to hit gold? Photographer Emily Graham joins them on the trail
My brother the superhero: how the death of comic book legend Steve Dillon inspired a creative awakening
Glyn Dillon designed costumes for Star Wars, while his brother Steve created the Preacher comic strip. When Steve died at 54, Glyn bought a ladder and some vast canvases - and poured his grief into painting
Bold Ventures by Charlotte van den Broeck review – architects of their own demise
A poetic tale of 13 flawed buildings that spelled catastrophe for their designers
Anonymous, anti-capitalist and awe-inspiring: were crop circles actually great art?
Dismissed as the work of pranksters, these mysterious flattenings should now be seen as stunning examples of non-profit art for all, says this bestselling author, who recalls the wonder they injected into the 1980s
Something for the weekend: film, music and more for May Day bank holiday
From a spot of Quadrophenia to a good innings with The English Game, our critics suggest art to inspire the best use of your extra day of free time