Merry Christmas – and welcome to the last Guide of 2025! After sharing our favourite culture of the year in last week’s edition, we now turn this newsletter over to you, our readers, so you can reveal your own cultural highlights of 2025, including some big series we missed, and some great new musical tips. Enjoy the rest of the holidays and we’ll see you this time next week for the first Guide of 2026!
TV
“Get Millie Black (Channel 4), in which Tamara Lawrance gives a powerhouse performance as a loose-cannon detective investigating a case in Jamaica. The settings are a tonic in these dreary months, and the theme song (Ring the Alarm by Shanique Marie) is a belter. But be warned: the content of the final, London-set episode goes to some dark places.” – Richard Hamilton
“How good was Dying For Sex! This drama about a terminally ill woman embarking on an erotic odyssey was so funny and sad and true and daring. There has never been anything like it on TV. And I haven’t seen a better double act than Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate in years. I’m gutted it can’t come back but hopefully they find some other way to continue their partnership.” – J Roberts
“I don’t know if this year saw the best series of Slow Horses, but it was surely the season that featured the best scene: when Jackson Lamb told a shocking story about Soviet torture methods in the cold war that doubled up as a personal history. I see that the next series is already on the way – can’t wait!” – Toby
“The Studio – fantastically laugh-out-loud humour, suitably flawed characters and stunning LA backdrops made this a really fun watch.” – Andrew Gartside
Music
“Radiohead’s appearance in November was an unexpected treat and a lovely way to round off my 50th year. Having spent my life following music and going to gigs, it was a joy to be part of such an event – one of the best concerts I’ve been to. Even ending up with tickets in the first place was a great surprise. A generous, diverse set list with the band on fine form, an interesting stage setup and enthusiastic crowd – couldn’t have asked for more.” – Calum Byron
“The Cords’ debut album. From the blistering opening burst of Fabulist to the blissful When You Said Goodbye, these 13 tunes in 31 minutes will put a huge smile on your face. It’s the Shop Assistants meets the Housemartins. And it’s fucking brilliant.” – Geoff Dixon
“Virgin was a great return to electro-dance-pop for New Zealand’s finest export, Lorde, after the minor disappointment of 2021’s Solar Power album (actually great to put on for chilled summer vibes but so much to live up to, with Melodrama being the best album of the 2010s and Pure Heroine the second best). Always herself, no matter how odd, she writes the most incisive lyrics. It’ll take a few listens then you’ll realise: bloody hell this is a very raw description of her eating disorder. Or sleeping with too many blokes. Or a complicated relationship with her mother. All with a killer chorus. Her honesty has sometimes taken my breath away, but when it’s matched with insane charisma (live it’s quite astounding) and her “this is me, take-it-or-leave-it” attitude, I fall even deeper in love.” – Suzanne Stockton
Film
“Corey Feldman vs The World, a documentary about the former child star’s failed attempt at a tour with his rock band. It initially plays on the perceived naivety of Feldman and his cringe-inducing lack of awareness, but when the fun stops and the paranoia starts, it reveals his true character. Quite the ride.” – David Gander
“The most underrated film of the year is definitely September 5, the heart-stopping drama about how the ABC Sports team covered the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics. I haven’t seen another film that wrestles so well with the ethics around getting a scoop, and the performances are fantastic, especially Peter Sarsgaard as the unflappable station chief. The period detail is great too, with all the wide-collared shirts and chunky TV equipment. Definitely check it out.” – Jess, nr Lichfield
“It’s so hard to look past Sinners as the film of 2025, given that it got everyone returning to the cinema – at least for a week. A creepy, gory vampire film that was about something and had so much style. Also, what a soundtrack! I also loved Bring Her Back and Weapons, two more horror films that made you feel something – and think!” – Amy Hamilton
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