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Lord Bragg is to present On Class and Culture

Terence Blacker: Facetiousness isn't funny, it's tiresome and irrelevant

Most comedians lose the capacity to write sparky, original comedy in middle age
The spanking of Keira Knightley in David Cronenberg’s film A Dangerous Method is proving a marketing hit

Terence Blacker: Slow down, and the search for happiness might take care of itself

The Way We Live: The need for escape helps explain why 'The Artist' is making millions
JB Priestley is amongst those who years ago turned down an honour

Terence Blacker: In the age of team-building, we all need solitude more than ever

The Way We Live: Our culture may be self-obsessed but, weirdly, it is also one in which the noise of crowds and groups drowns out the unconventional and individual
Tired old clichés: rural stereotyping is more prevalent than ever

Terence Blacker: We're not world class at many things, but looking after animals is one

The Way We Live: It's pleasing that British morality can influence tough foreign farmers

Terence Blacker: Things go better with Kate

She sprinkles the royal fairy dust with occasional visits and her name on letterheads

Terence Blacker: Match-fixing is a curse the UK invited in

Britain is notable for the way it has encouraged gambling over the past 10 years

Terence Blacker: In 2012 cheese-rolling will be introduced as an Olympic sport and Eric Pickles will win Rear of the Year

Terence Blacker offers his predictions for the coming year

Terence Blacker: Home-made or just very small? The truth about your Christmas cards

The Way We Live: It is a yuletide paradox that you can know someone so well that sending a card is an exercise in futility

Terence Blacker: I lived with cranky legend who changed more lives than the authors he dealt in

The writers may soon have returned home but they will have done so with a different view of the world
Career Services

Day In a Page

Picture preview: Lucian Freud drawings

Lucian Freud drawings

Picture preview
Silent revolution at the Baftas as the French take top awards

Silent revolution at the Baftas

The Artist wins in seven categories, with Meryl Streep the other big success story
Whitney Houston: The diva who had – and lost – it all

The diva who had – and lost – it all

Nick Hasted charts the highs and lows of Whitney Houston's life
How Picasso won over (some of) the British

How Picasso won over (some of) the British

Winston Churchill and Evelyn Waugh hated his work, but Picasso provided inspiration for a whole generation of UK artists
Topshop: A Decade Of Design

Topshop: A Decade Of Design

When London Fashion Week starts on Friday, Topshop will celebrate 10 years backing its brightest young stars
John Prescott: 'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

At 73, John Prescott isn't mellowing. In fact he's taking a shot at becoming a police commissioner
Jim Gamble: We are losing the race to protect our young

Jim Gamble: We are losing the race to protect our young

Technology and the children who use it won't wait for slow-moving child-protection services and police to catch up
Sarah Sands: A friend is not the one you turn to, but the person who turns to you

Sarah Sands on friendship

A friend is not the one you turn to, but the person who turns to you
Andy Burnham: 'It's a genie out of the bottle moment'

Andy Burnham interview

'It's a genie out of the bottle moment'
Leveson: What we've learnt so far

Leveson: What we've learnt so far

Ingenious hacks, shifty editors and attacks of Sudden Memory Loss Syndrome – Matthew Bell assesses the state of play at the Royal Courts of Justice
Modern lovers: The 'sexual body warriors' and pioneers transforming 21st-century relationships

Modern lovers: The 'sexual body warriors'

Sarah Morrison meets the people redefining love in the 21st century.
'I was angry, so angry': How heartbreak, betrayal and Su Pollard helped Estelle find pop success

Estelle: 'I was angry, so angry'

The singer talks about heartache, betrayal and bouncing back.
Choc tactics: Bill Granger's Valentine's recipes for chocoholics

Bill Granger's Valentine's recipes for chocoholics

Should it be white, milk or plain? Can you make a melt-in-the-mouth pudding without using any?
Male, pale & stale: Could more women on the board help Mothercare – and other ailing firms?

Male, pale & stale

Could more women on the board help Mothercare – and other ailing firms?
Upstairs, downstairs, 2012-style

Upstairs, downstairs, 2012-style

There are now more domestic workers in Britain than in Edwardian times