On my radar: Christopher Bailey’s cultural highlights

Burberry president Christopher Bailey. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty Images

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Christopher Bailey graduated from the Royal College of Art with a master’s degree in 1994. After stints as a womenswear designer at Donna Karan and Gucci, he joined Burberry in 2001 as design director. In 2009, he became chief creative officer and from 2014 to July 2017 was also Burberry’s CEO; since July, he has had a dual role as chief creative officer and president. In 2009, Bailey was awarded an MBE, in 2013 an honorary doctorate and in 2014 was named GQ’s designer of the year. Here We Are, a photography exhibition about 20th-century British life, curated by Bailey and writer Lucy Kumara Moore, is at Old Sessions House, London EC1 until 1 October.

1 | Book
Keeping On Keeping On, Alan Bennett

‘A wonderful, distinctive voice’: Alan Bennett. Photograph: Pal Hansen for the Observer

I am currently dipping in and out of Alan Bennett’s diaries, which I love. Bennett’s Yorkshire-ness is so evident in his writing and feels very familiar and personal to me. He has such a wonderful, distinctive voice and it seems impossible to read any of his work without hearing it. This book in particular feels the most revealing about the way he thinks and sees the world: it’s frank, candid, disarming and brilliantly funny in places.

2 | Film
Lion (Dir Garth Davis, 2016)

‘A sophisticated, layered and passionate performance’: Sunny Pawar in Lion. Photograph: Allstar/Screen Australia

One of my favourite ever films is Educating Rita – so brilliantly acted by Julie Walters and Michael Caine. It’s a magnificent portrayal of human beings navigating the complexities of perception, class and expectations – uplifting, hopeful and optimistic but also tragic and depressing. Another film that has stayed with me more recently is Lion – it’s tender and tragic and extraordinary on so many levels. It’s wonderful to see a film capture human emotions with such grace and power. Each of the actors in the film was exceptional, but Dev Patel and Sunny Pawar were out of this world. It was very moving watching Dev play such a complex part with such visceral sensitivity and unbelievable to see an eight-year-old give such a sophisticated, layered and passionate performance.

3 | Music
Loyle Carner

‘Like a breath of fresh air’: Loyle Carner performing at Koko in London. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer

I have a fairly eclectic taste with music. This is reflected in my first experiences of live music: the very first concert I went to as a kid was Bob Dylan and I shall be a lifelong fan; the second was the Gypsy Kings. Right now, I love what Loyle Carner is doing – I love the honesty, the grittiness and the heart that he puts into his music. He feels like a breath of fresh air and the emotions feel so authentic to who he is and the experiences he has had. When he welcomed his mum on stage at Glastonbury I thought it was an incredibly beautiful and tender moment.

4 | TV
The Handmaid’s Tale

‘A real talent’: Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid’s Tale. Photograph: MGM/Hulu

I was blown away by this. It is so powerful and beautifully shot, depicting a world that seems impossible to imagine yet also unbelievably, eerily possible. We were hooked from the opening scene. I had the pleasure of watching Elisabeth Moss a few years ago in London in an incredible production called The Children’s Hour; both she and Keira Knightley were completely outstanding. I am so delighted to see Elisabeth recognised at the Emmys a few days ago – she is a real talent.

5 | Restaurant
The River Café, London

‘Authentic to the core’: The River Café, London. Photograph: VIEW Pictures Ltd/Alamy

It is always an absolute treat and privilege to eat here. The team that the brilliantly clever and lovely Ruthie Rogers (and Rose Gray) have built are like a family welcoming you into their home. The food is consistently delicious and the warm, unstuffy atmosphere is the perfect place for big family-and-friends dinners or a romantic supper for two. I have lots of favourites when I’m there, and am always excited to see their drink of the day. They also do an incredible stinco di vitello (veal shank) and the sorbets are out of this world. It is authentic to the core. And if you’re really, really lucky, you might even see Ruthie’s husband – the titan of architecture, Richard Rogers.

6 | Art
David Hockney, Tate Britain

‘Powerful and special’: David Hockney At Tate Britain. Photograph: David M. Benett/Getty Images

I have always been a huge admirer of David Hockney, having grown up around Salts Mill in Yorkshire, which has one of my favourite permanent collections of his. So when his latest major retrospective opened earlier this year next door to our design studios, at Tate Britain, I was overjoyed. It was incredible – completely different to the epic show A Bigger Picture at the Royal Academy in 2012 but equally powerful and special. It is spectacular to see Hockney’s creativity and curious mind, and I get the same thrill seeing his work today as I did when I first discovered it as a kid in Yorkshire. I’m hoping to get to see the show in Paris at the Pompidou – I am desperate to see his series of self-portraits.

7 | Theatre
The Ferryman

‘Brilliantly bold, creative theatre’: Paddy Considine and Genevieve O’Reilly in The Ferryman. Photograph: Johan Persson

I recently saw this at the Gielgud and it is one of the most powerful plays I have seen. I was slightly intimidated at the thought of sitting there for three and a half hours, but the second it started those hours disappeared with hardly a blink. The story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is dealt with in such a real and passionate way and the actors were so extraordinary. It felt like a real privilege to live in London and to see such brilliantly bold, creative theatre.