Claridge's has let the TV cameras in and the result is a runaway reality hit. But what's it really like to spend the evening there? Unforgettable, say John Walsh and Charlotte Philby

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The 10 Best photography books

From Magnum contact sheets to portraits by Mario Testino, there’s something here for everyone to feast their eyes on...

My Secret Life: Pierre Dukan, 70, diet guru

'I injected my friends and family'

Six hours, 35 miles and 118 years of history: that’s the offer from
Mersey Ferries for its special Manchester Ship Canal departures
between Seacombe (on the Wirral, opposite Liverpool) and Salford
Quays
Marilyn Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch'

Needles at the ready for the The Seven Year Stitch

So you want to make like Marilyn Monroe? You don't need to start a hot and heavy affair with a president nor hit the (bleach) bottle. What you need is a needle and thread, some slinky white fabric and a copy of a new book, Sew Iconic: How to Make 10 Classic Hollywood Dresses by Liz Llewellyn (A&C Visual Arts, £14.99).

Album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday Roman Reloaded (Island)

The early American reaction to Nicki Minaj's follow-up to Pink Friday has been "mixed" – which is entirely appropriate, given that the album itself has an almost schizophrenic character.

When in Rome, don't do as the tourists do. Start your sightseeing early

Winter in the Eternal City provides the best chance to soak up the history without all the hassle. At least that's the theory

Coelho says: 'I cry very easily - tears are words waiting to be written'

My Secret Life: Paulo Coelho, 64, author

'I'm very good at archery'

One Day (12A)

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson

Preview: Glamour of the Gods

Vintage prints of the stars of Hollywood's 'Golden Age' will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery from 7 July.







Marilyn Monroe dress stars in Hollywood sale

The star of the hit film Singin' in the Rain , Debbie Reynolds' is to sell off some of Hollywood's most famous frocks when part of her collection of movie memorabilia goes under the hammer in Beverly Hills today.

Vespa PX 125 - iDrive

Mod fashion returns as Vespa relaunches its classic PX scooter

Minor British Institutions: Pyjamas

Pyjamas have seen something of a revival these past chilly winters. Not the mimsy ones in pastel colours whose principal existence now is in the parallel world of modesty-conforming television bedrooms, but the full flannel, with stripes, cord and top pocket (for your hanky, of course). What could be more comforting and more secure (so long as you've tied the cord properly) while the ice grips and the wind whistles without?

Caroline: A Mystery, By Cornelius Medvei

As he nears retirement, Mr Shaw the insurance broker goes on his summer holiday and falls for a creature with "eyes a man could drown in". Their "strange affair" begins with a shock of mutual recognition in a field: "two strangers come face to face" and "an overpowering force shakes them". Shaw takes his new-found beloved back to the family home, an object of "devotion" as much as "affection". She wins over office colleagues, when she comes into work, with her "lovely personality". Her staff assessment promises swift promotion."Always well-groomed and never over-dressed", she also learns to play chess with a grandmaster's eye and a killer instinct. Her gift shows off "the grace of a dancer, the force of a juggernaut". Yet, for all her allure, this angelic being keeps a distance: "She combined great personal charm with an air of serene detachment". Then, one sad night, Caroline nudges open the door of her makeshift stable in Mr Shaw's backyard and disappears for ever.

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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end