Alexander Larman

Alexander Larman is an author and the US books editor of The Spectator.

A royal reunion is unlikely if Meghan returns to Britain

The name ‘Meghan’ bears a certain resemblance to ‘Me Again’. If the recent newspaper reports are to be believed, ‘Me Again’ is precisely what Britain is to be treated to, in the form of the return of the Duchess of Sussex to these shores this summer. It has not yet been confirmed whether Prince Harry’s

What is the Stranger Things backlash?

From our US edition

The fifth series of Stranger Things may have ended with David Bowie’s iconic song ‘Heroes’ being played – an appropriate piece of serendipity, given that Bowie departed the world ten years ago – but there has been very little heroic about the rest of the conclusion to one of the biggest shows on television. Such was the

Channel 5’s Huw Edwards drama should never have been made

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the disgraced Huw Edwards would never again appear on our TV screens. But Channel 5 has announced that the ex-BBC newsreader and convicted paedophile will be the subject of a drama, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards. This shameless show should never be broadcast. The ex-BBC newsreader and convicted

The great, underestimated Richard Yates

From our US edition

When the novelist Richard Yates, who was born in February 1926, was interviewed by the magazine Ploughshares in 1972, the conversation turned to the neglected writers of his generation. Yates, a man of remarkable acuity and taste, was typically incisive about the likes of Evan S. Connell, Brian Moore and Edward Lewis Wallant – and,

The decline of British Airways is a parable for modern Britain

British Airways used to bill itself, without irony, as ‘the nation’s favourite airline’. The days when it could legitimately use such a slogan are long gone. Now, the unfortunate passengers who endure a substandard service on the carrier are more likely to regard it as the nation’s least beloved airline, vying only with Ryanair for

Britain might soon be about to see a lot more of Prince Harry

The year just gone has hardly been a banner year for either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex, culminating in the humiliation of yet another publicist departing from their employment at its end. However, all of us hope that 2026 will be an improvement. Last weekend brought the potentially good news for Harry – although, perhaps, less so for the

David Bowie tore up the definition of pop music

Like many artists lionised by their admirers beyond comprehension, David Bowie – who died nearly a decade ago on 10 January 2016 – was a flawed, capricious figure who got it wrong, especially in his latter-day career, as often as he got it right. And he knew it, too. The one-time Thin White Duke was

What is going on with Meghan and Archewell?

Lucky subscribers to ‘As Ever’, Meghan Markle’s Pravda-esque newsletter, were given an exclusive insight this festive season into how the Duchess of Sussex would be spending the Christmas period. She wrote that ‘Last night, I was nibbling the remnants of our Christmas Eve feast (dim sum this year), wrapping a few last-minute gifts, and tiptoeing

The King’s speech hit the wrong note

When the King delivered this year’s traditional Christmas Day speech – the fourth he has now given – he chose to break with convention by delivering it not from the usual surroundings of Buckingham Palace, but from the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey. It is unfortunate, then, that it is royal-adjacent ladies of quite another

David Walliams's children's books were pure slop

Harper Collins announced last week that it would no longer be publishing any children’s books by their one-time cash cow David Walliams. The Little Britain star has been accused of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the publishing house – he has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing against him. According to a new investigation, one member

Does Spielberg’s new movie have real UFOs?

From our US edition

Steven Spielberg might be the most beloved and popular American director of the 20th century, but it is also unavoidably the case that, since 2005’s Munich, he has been on something of a disappointing run. While many of his films, not least The Fabelmans and West Side Story, have been critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated, there

Arcade Fire extinguished

From our US edition

Amid the many disappointments and commercial flops the music industry saw this year, perhaps the most egregious was the complete failure of Arcade Fire’s album Pink Elephant. The failure represents not merely the probable end of the band, but also the death of Obama-era rock. Pink Elephant received dismal reviews and didn’t even chart on the Billboard

arcade fire

The Brompton bicycle has had its day

Anyone who has had the misfortune to be in central London at rush hour will be familiar with an unlovely spectacle: that of a middle-aged man solemnly making a fool out of himself on an ungainly-looking bicycle that seems slightly too small for him. This mode of transportation is none other than the Brompton bicycle,

Welcome to the Wetherspoons of hotels

With the average cost of a hotel room in London costing around £250 a night – and not showing any signs of getting lower, either – most might think that a stay in the capital is a rarefied activity. However, the news that the Zedwell group of budget-conscious hotels have opened a mega-budget establishment in