Country diary: Little rituals to help sparrows and wrens

The Marches, Shropshire: Boxing Day has its own more violent customs between humans and animals. That’s not the world I choose to live in

Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike

With no plans, I set off from John O’Groats to travel down south to Dover. Friends and family didn’t think I’d last a mile

Special Christmas Day Broadcast: Big Guests, Breaking News & Analysis On The World’s Most Vital Stories! Must-Watch/Share Event!

Watch & share!

Feast Days: Christmas

A poem

My big night out: I went to a White Stripes gig with a colleague

On that brilliant night at Ally Pally 21 years ago, Laura and I decided to go to Detroit on holiday. Since then there have been countless adventures: road trips, dive bars, rock camps …

The hill I will die on: Fruit with meat? What kind of pervert are you?

Please don’t ever offer me cranberry sauce with my roast turkey – that’s just jam on your Christmas dinner, and who wants that?

The best outfits to wear on New Year’s Eve

From pub chic to sofa-ready, we’ve got looks for every kind of NYE celebration, including the New Year’s Day walk

Wild animals are great gift givers – and there’s one present in particular I’d love to receive for Christmas

Penguins hand over pebbles; scorpionflies give spitballs. But I’m hankering after a sea sponge presented by a dolphin

My weirdest Christmas: the oven was broken, the turkey was raw and all the crisps had been eaten …

It wasn’t until 7pm that anyone noticed the unfolding crisis. As our hunger grew, my Mum came up with an unlikely and audacious plan

Around the world in 50 countries: the globe-trotting Christmas travel quiz

From the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to Donald Trump’s territorial wishlist, test your travel knowledge. Every answer is the name of a country

Books to look out for in 2026

Memoirs from Liza Minnelli and Lena Dunham, essays by David Sedaris and Alan Bennett’s diaries are among the highlights of the year ahead

Two men feared missing in sea off Devon beach on Christmas Day

Emergency services launched major search at Budleigh Salterton after reports of people in difficulty in the water