Selected
I am an award-nominated journalist, writing on a wide range of topics including race, feminism, pop culture, social issues and relationships. Former writer for HuffPost and Arts and Culture Editor at gal-dem, I am now working part-time as gal-dem's Opinions Editor. In 2017 I graduated with a First Class BA in Psychology from Cambridge University, going on to work as the University's Welfare and Rights Officer for one year.
Over the two years I have been shortlisted for Fresh New Voice Commentator of the Year, and for the Observer / Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism.
I have bylines in The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, HuffPost, Vogue, Dazed, HUCK, ROOKIE, gal-dem, Glamour the British Journalism Review and others.
Selected
Frazer-Carroll is transported by Grande's radical anti-breakup-anthem Thank U, Next in this highly commended review for this year's Observer/Anthony Burgess prize for arts journalism
Journalism 101 tells us that if someone says it's drizzling outside, and another that it's dry, the job of the journalist is not to quote both but to find out which is true. But this week, the BBC upheld a complaint against the breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty for stating a truth as obvious as "water is wet".
"A 'black girl'. How weird is that?" I laughed. I'm met with silence from my mum's side of the dinner table. "It's not weird. It's what you are." Like one million other people in the UK, I'm mixed race. Up until I was a teenager, I'd never considered I could be anything else.
Imagine you're at university and are subject to a racist attack by white students. If you decided it would be useful to go to counselling to talk about it, how much would the therapist's race matter? For Cambridge students, it's emerged that the answer is "a lot".
Tonight is the night. The anticipation has been mounting for weeks, but now the time has come, I'm not sure I can hack it. Lying in my best friend's bedroom in my ruby-red pyjamas with the teddy bears on them, tears begin to roll down my cheeks, soaking into the silk pillow.
After coronavirus broke out and many countries began to go into lockdown, CityMapper published data showing how busy cities had ground to a halt. Suddenly, for anyone who was not a key worker, the invisible daily map of our movements through space, was condensed to a number of square metres.
From superstars to people in the street, the photographer captures black bodies in all their strength and vulnerability
illustration by Nadia Akingbule Roxane Gay is in demand - so her first visit to the UK has not necessarily been a relaxing one. A New York Times bestselling feminist commentator, whose bibliography hones in on bodies, race, and sexual violence, Roxane has become a staple in the 21st-century feminist canon.
I don't know when my depression started, and I also don't know when it stopped. My first memory of feeling very low is an awkward conversation with one of my sixth form teachers. Pushing in my plastic stool as the class filed out, he pulled me aside for a chat.
"Awful lot of white men," my mum mused, breath tight in her chest but trying to sound cheery. It was my first day at Cambridge, and touring the grounds of where I would be living for the next three years, we'd stumbled upon my college's formal dining hall, walls dripping with portraits of famous alumni and former college masters.
Gal-Dem's art and culture editor, Micha Frazer-Carroll, shares her shifting experience of London's biggest Caribbean celebration over the years
As the beads, in every shape, size and colour, rattled on to the wooden school desk, my deputy headteacher finally understood. It had been an emotional struggle: much to her distress, my sister, aged six, had been called out of class for wearing long, tiny braids with colourful beads at the ends - a common style among Caribbean kids.
Can you imagine being told the way your hair grew out of your head was inappropriate for work? Or that a hairstyle your parents chose for you broke a school uniform code? These are familiar experiences for many black people growing up in majority white environments.
Me and Travis bump into each other in the street in Peckham, both with our maps open, looking for the way to the studio. A queer, non-binary performance artist and activist who's been making waves on the scene in recent years, Travis really shot into the public spotlight after calling out Topshop for transphobic abuse in one of their changing rooms in November 2017.
"Yeah," you lie through your teeth. "Definitely, sounds great." We've all been there. Once again you're having an out-of-body experience as you watch yourself say the dreaded "yes" in response to a request that you have (or had) no intention of fulfilling. Why did I say that?
Micha Frazer-Carroll talks to Penguin-published poet Yrsa Daley-Ward about life, strife and storytelling. While her Instagram poetry brims with optimism her debut poetry collection, her debut book tackled a complicated journey with regards to sexuality, mental health and her highly religious upbringing.
Banning pupils from using mobile phones ignores the benefits of support online, former university welfare officer Micha Frazer-Carroll
The demographic of the People's Vote march was notably different to other demos I have been on recently. The march saw between 300,000 to a million turn out (depending on who you speak to) and watching the marchers gather, I had a flashback to three months ago, when people flocked to the Home Office protest for the Stansted 15.
Opinion
A Cambridge University academic has said she will no longer teach at one of its colleges because, she says, its porters have mistreated her. Dr Priyamvada Gopal said the King's College porters treat her differently because of her race, and that ethnic minority students have also been discriminated against.
Culture Art Features As executives retain their comfortable salaries and annual bonuses, London's biggest arts centres continue with their brutal lay-offs of staff. It's a scene that our columnist Micha Frazer-Carroll is all too familiar with Friday 04 September 2020 15:10 W hen Southbank management announced, amid the most brutal round of lay-offs in the organisation's history, that the mammoth arts centre was rebranding as a "start-up", they faced a lot of raised eyebrows.
Culture TV & Radio Features From 'I May Destroy You' to 'Sex Education', depictions of therapy onscreen range from daft to downright immoral. Our new arts columnist Micha Frazer-Carroll won't take it lying down Friday 24 July 2020 12:50 A t the emotional climax of I May Destroy You 's ninth episode, I came across a distraction that I couldn't stop thinking about.
For the first time in my four years at university, it's starting to feel like campus racism is being noticed more widely than by the students who experience it. I'm writing in the wake of "Punish a Muslim Day", a concept that feels dystopian but one about which students at my university rightly felt it necessary to circulate an open letter expressing their concern.
There's no excuse for Danny Baker's professed ignorance of the history of black people being compared to animals, says Micha Frazer-Carroll, opinions editor at gal-dem magazine
Voices We are told to Be Kind™ and Reach Out™ about our problems, rather than address the systemic root causes Why have conversations around mental health become so watered down that they barely mean anything anymore? This is something I've been pondering for a while.
Photography via Yiggie9 / Wikimedia Commons Last night, for the first time in years, all of my friends were reading the exact same thing. Caroline Calloway, an American Cambridge graduate with nearly 800,000 Instagram followers and a more recent reputation as a master scammer, was the subject of a newly published essay by her former best friend and ghostwriter, Natalie Beech.
So students don't feel as though they get good value for money at university? The survey results released by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) last week are hardly surprising. Getting our "money's worth" is impossible when there's no simple way to calculate exactly what we pay for.
The vast, echoey, wooden chamber of the Oxford Union Debating Society is no stranger to institutional racism. Its historical record has seen the presidency of Boris Johnson, of Jacob Rees-Mogg's dad, and the hosting of speakers like Katie Hopkins, Nick Griffin and Marine Le Pen.
"That's got to be some kind of joke", I said, through nervous gritted teeth. In my job at gal-dem, a magazine created by women and non-binary people of colour, I'm used to poring through outrageous news stories about racism and homophobia every day. But this story seemed implausible.
In 2014, Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote a blog post titled "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race". In 2017, after finding virality, that blog post became a book of the same name. Last week, it topped the UK bestseller list, making her the first black Brit ever to occupy the position.
When I think about the late capitalist hellscape we spent our formative years absorbing, one smash hit song stands out - and the hook goes: I want to be a billionaire, so freakin' bad . This week, we found out Jay-Z beat Bruno Mars to the punch, stacking up a billion dollars in his extensive fortune.
The newsroom I work in looks nothing like any other in the country. Unlike 94 per cent of journalists in the UK, every staff member at gal-dem is a person of colour. With our ethos centred on changing the landscape of journalism in the UK and beyond, we've been fortunate to win, and be nominated for, a number of awards.
While nobody seriously thinks viral confrontations are going to halt the rise of the far-right, these incidents are a reflection of how we're all feeling: fed up. For the second time on his campaign trail, Tommy Robinson has been milkshake-d.
I've never been very good with change. On all my birthdays my mum likes to drag up the story about how I cried when I turned five because I wanted to stay four forever and, honestly, I still relate.
Austerity wasn't the beginning of the rampant systemic inequality that faces communities of colour in this country. By the 2007 financial crash, households made up of people of colour already saw a 44 per cent poverty rate - twice that of their white neighbours. So when the 2010 Conservative-Lib Dem coalition embarked on the violent...
Over 20 years since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the report's findings remain true: the UK police are institutionally racist. Here, writer Micha Frazer-Carroll explains why the fight for justice is nowhere near over. Over 20 years since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the report's findings remain true: the UK police are institutionally racist.
"Funny tinge", "coloured woman", and now... "people of talent"? The past year has featured a number of discussions about race and terminology. As 2019 comes to a close, Boris Johnson has made a late entry on his campaign trail with a "blunder" that left both Channel 4 viewers and subtitlers equally confused.
Two months in, and conversations around race in 2019 have already made me tired, enraged, and well, confused. Yesterday, within half a day of a new political group being set up, one of its seven members, Angela Smith, had to issue an apology following a "race row" sparked live on air.
When I was a kid, there was only one exception to my family's 'no TV in the morning' rule, and that was BBC Breakfast. The news didn't enthral me, but there was one bit I found strangely entertaining: on green padded seats in wood-panelled rooms, posh politicians shouted and heckled at each other.
Spike Lee has built his career on asking audiences what it means to Do The Right Thing. So, his swift exit from the Oscars auditorium on Sunday evening after Green Book was announced as Best Picture made his intended statement all the more clear: the Academy did not.
The world is full of tick boxes, particularly in our social lives. We want answers and RSVPs, and we want them now. From the cult of the 'yes man' to the 'it's okay to say no' revolution - as celebrated in countless lifestyle columns - it sometimes feels like we're caught in a tug-of-war between definitives.
Photography via Anders Hellberg / Wikimedia Commons After a powerful and emotional speech at the climate summit in New York, climate activist Greta Thunberg's profile is bigger than ever, as if that were even possible.
"Gay rights", they said. I was scrolling in the deep in Grammys and BAFTAs Twitter coverage when the video, the length of a third of a Vine, popped up, with a couple thousand likes. It was The Favourite stars Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz, spliced together in the two-second clip, on camera, saying the two simple words for a fan who had asked them to.
Is the mainstream media biased? At first, the question can feel both uselessly broad and overwhelmingly subjective - how would we even measure it? Answering it also isn't helped by the arbitrary nature of the shifting 'centre'. But a glimpse at research on public opinion, as well as clear examples of platforms giving airtime for...
We've just emerged from a week-long storm surrounding a of journalist and Strictly winner Stacey Dooley that many people of colour described as perpetuating white saviourism. This debate isn't new, and I'm sure this won't be the last time it rears its head, but what did surprise me was a near-obsessive focus on intent that cropped up from Dooley's defendants.
Last week, a conversation we see splashed across front pages and threaded out on Twitter every year was rehashed again. David Lammy publicly criticised Oxbridge for low admission rates for black students, and dishonest reporting. To any black student at Oxbridge like myself, this doesn't seem newsworthy, it's a fact negotiate with every day.
On Tuesday, images emerged on Theresa May's Twitter of the prime minister, at a podium, speaking down to a sea of black faces. Alongside, a shot of a group of young black people, most appearing to be in their late teens and early twenties, stood outside Number 10 clutching booklets brandished with the title "future leaders".
Beyonc é is pregnant with twins, and black Twitter is on fire. But, just days ago, many of us were out on the streets protesting Trump ' s newly introduced immigration bans. At a glance, this seems like a bit of a juxtaposition - perhaps testament to how distractible our collective consciousness is in the face of what is, essentially, celebrity gossip.
"Same sex couples and single parents can successfully raise a child...but I believe paternal AND maternal love are like vitamins and minerals to humanity. No matter where you get that paternal and maternal love. MY purpose is to give paternal love."
When you're a writer covering someone else's work, the more guidance the artist can give you, the better. But when Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond tweeted a piece of simple advice in November, it marked a revelation. "To all the writers newly covering Pyer Moss, thank you and welcome," the Haitian-American designer wrote.
The University's Equality & Diversity Strategy opens with a quote from former Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz: "The University's diversity plays a key role in sustaining its academic excellence." While Borysiewicz was invested in equality as Vice-Chancellor, his statement also points towards more problematic elements of the university's approach to diversity, in that it must be advantageous to be permitted.
This month, it emerged that black students at Cambridge are less likely to get Firsts than their white peers, while not one student who identified as 'Black Caribbean' scooped the top grade. While discussions springing from stats like this are commonly centred on educational background, there are other stories to be told by the figures.
Tea, pet-a-puppy days, and a freshers' week confettied with condoms and lube sachets galore. These might be a few of the first things that come to mind when students think of welfare in Cambridge. For many, welfare officers and their activities exemplify wholesome, soft-and-cuddly aspects of the college community.
By Micha Frazer-Carroll CN: Depression, anxiety, exercise, alcohol, hallucinations, doctors "But is there a difference, when we discuss 'mental illness', and when we talk about 'mental health problems'?" I stared at my supervisor blankly. There are lots of reasons why I love studying Psychology - being forced to have conversations like this is one of them.
Next month, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee, and other black actors and filmmakers will boycott the Oscars in protest of this year's startling all-white acting nominees list.
It's Week Five. Most of you will have a host of existing connotations attached to this phrase. Much student speculation, debate, and campaigning has surrounded the notion that the infamous 'Week Five Blues' is a damaging, institutionalised euphemism that acknowledges and condones the pervasiveness of mental health problems at Cambridge.
There's no doubt that the media are somewhat obsessed with student activism, with Oxford and Cambridge stealing a lot of headlines.
Published: Wednesday 23rd March 2016 9:06PM 'eff your beauty standards. Last month, for the first time in my entire life, I discovered a sustainable hair routine that produced results that didn't make me want to cry or tear my hair out due to frustration. In fact, I sort of liked the look of it.
Features
Bristol University students and representatives have spoken up about the student mental health crisis and the state of provisions at the university. While student activists continue to push for better support, there are things we can do on the ground to support our friends who are struggling.
Deep fakes, influencers, viral fashion - we live in a world unrecognisable from the one we stood in ten years ago. As a chaotic decade comes to a close, we're speaking to the people who helped shape the last ten years and analysing the cultural shifts that have defined them.
Since its outbreak, an unexpected side-effect of Covid-19 has been the discrimination and prejudice faced by ethnic groups - particularly east-Asian people - across the world. But how do we combat this stigma and xenophobia during a pandemic? By addressing the issue, thinking beyond yourself and engaging in mutual aid
In addition to the outbreak of a global pandemic and the enforcement of international lockdown, something strange is happening across the world. When the sky falls dark and we switch out our lights to go to sleep, something odd is taking hold - not of our bodies, but our minds.
If the outbreak of a global pandemic didn't feel frightening enough, the announcement that the UK will now be operating under what looks a bit like a police state feels like a grim final confirmation that we are living in some form of Orwellian science fiction. Can we turn the dystopia down a notch?
Boris Johnson, the former Foreign Secretary, has been ordered to apologise for his remarks towards women who wear the burqa in the Telegraph on Monday. In his column, which was described as a "calculated attack" by MP Naz Shah, he referred to Muslim women as looking like "letterboxes" and "bank robbers".
When is black women's work going to start being taken seriously? Yesterday the BBC landed in hot water when Yomi Adegoke, co-author of Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl's Bible tweeted out a picture of the broadcasting company's ad campaign on women in sport alongside herself and Elizabeth Uviebinené's release, where she spotted a few...tiny...similarities...
The actor on Time's Up, trying to save a stabbing victim and the joy of jigsaws
When Jon Snow, tired after a week of reporting, looked deep into the camera's lens at a pro-Brexit march and said, "I have never seen so many white people in one place", something about the remark spoke to my soul.
If you have a Twitter account, phone or internet connection, you'll know by now that Danny Baker said something very racist. Yesterday evening, a racist image cursed our feeds - Danny tweeted out a black and white picture of a small chimpanzee dressed up in a suit, sandwiched between two "parents", with the caption "Royal baby leaves hospital".
More than a third of teenagers and young adults have self-harmed at some point in their lives, with many still baring physical scars on their bodies - in addition to the emotional ones - later in life.
Michaela Yearwood-Dan, 26, and Mary Evans 57, are black British artists of different generations, but are united in their exploration of race and culture. Michaela's vibrant, floral romantic paintings call on her Caribbean heritage; Evans' striking cut-out silhouettes reflect images of brutal moments in history.
In 2017, Tiffany Haddish, the breakout star of Girls Trip, told the Guardian that she has never wanted to "steal the show". "I'm not a thief. Where I come from, you don't call someone that." This week, Haddish is going to practise what she preaches, handing the mic over to six comedians she thinks deserve our time.
Videographer Ivan Berrios gets the inside scoop on some of pop culture's biggest moments
"I know it's common to have ups and downs...but the downs were really low. So low that I couldn't see myself coming out of them." Jade*, a 23-year-old medic at Kings College London, developed anxiety in her second year of university after she experienced emotional abuse.
What colour are dark-skinned people's palms? If you don't know the answer, you might be in the same boat as the staff over at BECCA, the most recent brand to be accused of racial insensitivity in its advertising. Over the weekend, the Australian cosmetics company came under fire on social media for a bemusing cover-up.
Growing up in the UK, I didn't see or read a lot about British Caribbeans. As a kid, w e only studied the West Indies once in my 14 years at school - and I remember going to the cinema to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, but feeling disappointed and misled when I didn't spot many people who looked like me in it at all.
L'Etranger Books and Tea is a great little treehouse-style refuge from the heat of the day. The city's first licensed bookshop, it was founded in 2001 by Québecois filmmaker Isabel Dréan and her partner Simon Côté, and has a lovely, laid-back vibe.
She's handed in her notice - the gig is up. On 7 June Theresa May will step down as Tory party leader, with a gaggle of MPs and cabinet ministers happy to see her go. Commentators have long speculated that Theresa May might not just be a bad politician, but in fact, the worst prime minister the country has ever seen.
A quick, simple, sustainable style. Like so many other black girls, hair has always been a highly emotional and personal subject for me. My early teenage years were characterized by countless hours of straightening, searing, blow-drying, and sobbing in front of the mirror; snapped hair bands and combs; and tens upon hundreds of "miracle products" rinsed down the drain.
Black History Month is associated with heroes such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, and perhaps Harriet Tubman. But all of these names are American heroes from the 20th century. What about the people who are making black history today, particularly in the UK?
Milkshakes are delicious. Dense, rich, and lacking transparency, sometimes they remind us a bit of Tory politicians. So, completely unrelated to recent news events, we started thinking about the MPs currently circling around the Tory leadership, and reimagined them as milkshakes. That's right, shakes for everyone.
Recovery is different for everyone where mental illness and addiction are concerned, but there are still many common misconceptions and stigmas that surround relapse. Yesterday, Demi Lovato debunked some of them when she released her first statement since being admitted to hospital following a and suspected drug overdose.
For kids, the smell of candles and the taste of a sweet fluffy sponge can be the cherry on top of a good birthday. But all over the UK, many families find it difficult to provide birthday cakes for their children, whether it's due to lack of funds, health issues, or temporary living conditions.
Positive News is a quality independent publication which brings us 'Constructive Journalism' in the form of good news, progress, possibility and solutions. Issue #102 is titled 'Together, we will thrive'..
David Holmes is too busy to take every project that comes his way - there are only so many hours in the day after all. But when the first episode of 'Killing Eve' landed in his inbox, he knew he couldn't pass it up.
Have you ever felt like someone is pushing you? Let's say your friend really wants to go to a party, but you'd much rather have a night in. The friend doesn't want to go alone, and is guilting you into coming, even though you've made it clear that you don't want to.
Tips and tricks for calming your nerves and engaging your audience. Public speaking never came naturally to me. I'm shy, I generally avoid large groups, and I have struggled with anxiety my entire life.
The other day, I experienced a textbook case of rumination. Browsing my local bookshop, I stumbled upon an awesome coloring book that I just had to buy. I was in a great mood. Nothing could bring me down. And then it happened.
I am very much opposed to racism, misogyny, fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination. I don't like constructs that deny my or other people's humanity, and that put lives at risk. For this reason, I've dedicated lots of time to fighting prejudice in my writing and activism.
Shared interests aren't the be-all and end-all of a friendship. "Just because she likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soulmate." As the credits rolled and I left the movie theatre after seeing (500) Days of Summer for the first time, this was the one line I couldn't stop thinking about.
The first issue of the new academic year!
Exam term can be busy, and stressful. Sometimes simply keeping yourself afloat can feel hard, let alone looking after others. Issues of time, distance, and isolation encouraged by the Cambridge setup can make it hard to know how and when your friends need support.
By Micha Frazer-Carroll CN: Bulimia, bipolar, drugs, alcoholism, stigma Janet Ford, a 36-year-old artist living in Vancouver, documents her experience with bulimia and bipolar through art. Having stumbled across her recent comic-style series, in Instagram's much-utilised #100Days format, I caught up with her on her work.
Published: Monday 27th July 2015 7:00AM Sometimes its not as simple as stepping on a plane and seeing the famous landmarks... So, summer's here and many of us are packing up and jetting across the world for holiday fun. But how does the travelling experience differ for black women?
Last month, HuffPost UK announced that we were running an arts and photography competition for Black History Month in collaboration with IPG Mediabrands, looking at what black culture means to artists across the UK.
Valentine's day can be heteronormative. Too often celebrating love can be seen as synonymous with celebrating gender norms, 'traditional' relationships, and loads of other restrictive ideas of what love should look like. It can also be super commercial.
I tried to bypass sloppy firsts and skip straight to emotional maturity. It was like a light switch had been turned on. The night of Emily's* party, the first Friday of the ninth grade, was the night that everybody suddenly started making out with each other.
Published: Thursday 11th February 2016 10:09AM Formation was groundbreaking, but where do we go from here? The release of Beyoncé's Formation was without a doubt one of the greatest political pop culture moments of the year so far. Throwing the internet into temporary mayhem, its messages surrounding police brutality, black power and radical self-love made an important statement.
Published: Friday 30th October 2015 6:14AM The black heroines we can imitate on the 31st October or any time there's a party... Halloween is finally upon us and if, like me, you've left it until the day before the big night to scrape together a costume, you're in luck.
Published: Wednesday 24th June 2015 7:00AM Why does the colour of success always have to be white? At times, I've felt like someone like me could never succeed. Living as a mixed race girl in the UK, my teenage years were bombarded by images and ideals of white success, talent and beauty.
What was the last genuinely kind thing you did for someone? Sometimes it's easy to forget that making someone else's day better, or helping improve their quality of life, can be the matter of a small gesture. Kindness Café, a new pop-up launched by Gosh Food, is encouraging you to do just that.
I was partially raised by the media. Movies and television had a profound effect on me as a teenager. Like your average awkward, gangly thirteen-year-old, consuming stories on the screen and skimming for enchanting and eye-catching female protagonists became a standard pastime.
Published: Monday 1st February 2016 6:48AM We'll have the Jerk ribs, with a side of colonial slaw and culturally appropriated sweet plantain... There are so many things that I want the thousands of white people who have visited Caribbean restaurant chains in the past year or so to know.
"At 18 I wanted a house by 23. At 23 I wanted to have yearly earnings of nearly a million by 25." Familiar with FOMOMG? No, I wasn't either, until model, brand founder, and Instagram influencer Leomie Anderson used the acronym - which stands for "Fear Of Missing Out On My Goals" - in a candid Instagram post about inadequacy and imposter syndrome.
Edited this shortened version of a 'dab' for the Guardian's Instagram.
Edited this shortened version of Anders Hammer and Rania Mustafa Ali's documentary with the producer.
These nostalgia-filled objects will make you smile. Jumbo Instant Collage Kit One of my favorite things to do is make collages, but it can be difficult to find that perfect picture/pattern/texture to use without digging through a billion old magazines. But BEHOLD! This collage kit is the solution to such crafting conundrums. It comes in a big (JUMBO!)
In a fascinating interview, young photographer Hanna Stephens spoke to AYLY about her experiences as a photographer, the problems she faces herself when trying to represent her mixed English and Japanese identity and how mobile photography is challenging neocolonial representations of the world. The interview was conducted by our creative writing editor, Micha Frazer-Carroll.
Lidos popped up all over Britain in the 1930s, but as the heatwave roars on and we think about our wellness, lidos make a great choice for a summer day out this year. We picked seven of our favourite lidos from around the UK that are worth taking a paddle at this summer.
Previews and reviews
None of us can be Beyoncé. I was more aware of this than ever in the run up to Homecoming, when Netflix's Facebook account posted the following comment below a teaser vid: "Reminder: if you aren't that fussed about Beyoncé there is no obligation to watch this.
The interconnected stories of a group of black British women raise timeless questions about feminism and race
"I think about you all the time. I think about what you're doing and who you're doing it with. I think about what you eat before you work...what shampoo you use." On first hearing, the words from the trailer of ' Killing Eve ' sound like they might either be said to a lover or partner, or perhaps, on the flipside, something darker, and more twisted.
Warning: spoilers ahead
' Atypical ', a Netflix original about an autistic 18-year-old navigating his social world, is back for a second run, and is majorly switching things up for the main characters this time around. Season one saw our protagonist, Sam, making his first foray into the world of romance, and both him and his neurotypical (non-autistic) sister exercising their independence as they edge closer to adulthood.
How many queer interracial couples have you seen on stage, or on screen? What are the narratives we have to work from - if any? Next week, SCENE , a play that grapples with race, gender, queerness, art, and love, will make it's London debut.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there's a deficit in Swedish furniture stores' hot takes on social media practises. Ikea has finally broken this silence, calling upon us to stop taking pictures of our food using our dearest role models: the landed gentry of 17th-century Europe.
It's back. The new series of 'The Apprentice' kicked off with a twist by starting out on the island of Malta with the classic 'collect nine items' task, which presented both teams with a number of hurdles, including a significant language barrier.
Former Countdown host Jeff Stelling isn't going to worry Rachel Riley and co with this bog-standard quizzer. People who aren't very good at answering general knowledge questions have chosen to be contestants anyway; Stelling hurls medium-to-easy teasers at them that begin or end with a given letter.
The question setters for tonight's episode have the opportunity to uncork pub quiz classic: the middle name of Harry S Truman. The contestant specialising in the life of the 33rd president of the United States will probably have seen that one coming, however.
Inhuman Condition Inhuman Condition This polished Canadian webseries offers the sort of brooding sci-fi that wouldn't be out of place on a bigger budget show. Set in a world where supernatural beings including werewolves and zombies roam freely but are treated as outcasts, it's the job of therapist Dr Kessler (Torri Higginson of Stargate: Atlantis fame) to make sure that they stay safe.
As we draw towards the end of term in a place that often feels steeped in misogyny, if you need somewhere to channel your feminist rage, Right Place Wrong Time is a viable outlet.
Many of those who entered the Playroom last night to catch the Impronauts' Valentine's production, Improv Actually, may have done so hesitantly. Improv, seemingly by its very nature, is hit and miss. People struggle with the genre due to its sometimes self-parodying focus around energy, spontaneity and chaos.
Widely considered to be one of the most influential artists of the millennium thus far, Beyoncé is no stranger to surprising fans. But Lemonade's release provided a double blow of shock value - not only was it surprise album, breaking a media silence that lasted almost three years, but it also revealed a more personal, vulnerable Beyoncé, that fans had never been exposed to with such rawness, and so unapologetically.
First taking to the stage in 2009, the themes of race relations, 'political correctness' and gentrification in Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park seem as relevant as ever in 2016. Cambridge Arts' Theatre's current production stylishly serves its audience food for thought, however it seems as if more creativity, thought and character development could have gone into the piece.
'New pressure on University divestment' in our fifth issue of term. | Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu's millions of monthly readers.
'New pressure on University divestment' in our fifth issue of term. | Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu's millions of monthly readers.
Two TV shows and a podcast about the mysteries of life. TV Show: Easy (Netflix Originals) Neatly packaged as a series of eight half-hour episodes, Netflix original is a portrait of sex, love, and romance in 2016. Each installment focuses on different characters, ultimately creating a spectrum of the joys and struggles we navigate in everyday relationships.
Mermaids, a science podcast, and more media to devour this weekend. Classic Movie: Mermaids (1990) Thanks to the Netflix series Stranger Things , the 1990s coming-of-age queen, Winona Ryder, is once again gracing our screens. Since she pretty much narrated my early teens, it's making me all nostalgic, so my rec this week is one of her first movies, Mermaids.
Recommended reading about identity, family, and wisdom. Shade Magazine Shade Magazine is a ongoing collaborative project featuring emerging artists of color from all mediums, most notably photography, music, and film. Artists of color are usually silenced, ignored, or misrepresented in the art world.
News and Factual
This week, in what most outlets would call a "race row", BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty was subject to an upheld complaint by BBC, bringing the broadcaster under serious scrutiny. Saying that Donald Trump's use of the phrase "go home" was "embedded in racism", and that she was "furious" he had used it, the company line is that Naga broke the BBC's impartiality policy.
King's College London is alleged to have blocked access to campus for students considered to be a "security threat" today, in light of a visit to the university by the Queen. In a statement seen by gal-dem, student group Justice For Cleaners has claimed the ban affected access to "all campuses, libraries and cafes", and prevented students "from attending exams, work shifts, classes and assessed presentations".
A petition demanding an independent inquiry into islamophobia in political parties has gained more than 30,000 signatures in just two days. It comes in the wake of outrage at Boris Johnson for comparing Muslim women who wear the burka to "letter boxes" and "bank robbers".
I'm eating veggie fajitas in Deptford Town Hall, with a group of students who look a bit like me. Most are also women and non-binary people of colour, barring one student's snoozing newborn, who's being passed around to a chorus of coos. Today marks day 47 of Goldsmiths students' occupation of the town hall, a key university building.
After 137 days in occupation, students of colour at Goldsmiths have won a long, gruelling fight against their university - marking what can only be described as a momentous achievement.
The family of a Windrush migrant who died while trying to prove his British citizenship have withdrawn from his inquest. Dexter Bristol, 57, collapsed in the street and died following the Windrush scandal, which saw British Caribbeans who had lived in the UK for decades deported, detained and denied access to benefits and healthcare, as they could not prove they were in the country legally.
To those simply catching clips of masked protesters and statues toppling, the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK may seem unclear. The issues protesters and supporters discuss are wide ranging: deaths in police custody, experiences within the criminal punishment system, Windrush, immigration policies, the curriculum, imperialist statues , the disproportionate number of Black people dying from coronavirus .
Dozens of friends of two schoolboys who face being deported from the UK joined them to hand in a petition aimed at halting the plans. Fearing their lives would be at risk if they were sent back to Pakistan, brothers Somer and Areeb Umeed Bakhsh, aged 15 and 13, hope to be granted asylum.
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more. Niellah Arboine is tired of being constantly reminded her life is at threat. "It's coming from so many directions right now.
The US Open has apologised to a French tennis player for sanctioning her after she briefly removed her top on the court. Alizé Cornet, the world number 31 player, had noticed that her top was on back-to-front after returning from a 10-minute heat break during a match at the championships in New York on Tuesday.
Sandi Toksvig, current host of the quiz show ' QI ' and co-founder of the Women's Equality Party, has said that women are edited out of television panel shows, and regularly face poor treatment. The 'Bake Off' host told the Radio Times: "There are panel shows that struggle to get women on, and that's because the women feel marginalised and stupid."
Keira Knightley has suggested that period dramas aren't taken seriously because they focus on women characters. "There's a negativity around them because predominantly they're female," the actress said at the Toronto Film Festival, according to the BBC. She also said she'd previously considered swearing off the genre, but was drawn back in by strong scripts.
Young people's mental health is of increasing interest and concern to researchers, policymakers, and families alike - but can treating teenagers' mental ill health also improve the wellbeing of their parents? New research suggests that it can.
As the prime minister began the second leg of a three-day trip across three countries in the African continent in a bid to bolster Britain's post-Brexit position, Twitter had some complaints. Users of the social network, including historian Mary Beard, took it upon themselves to impart a quick geography lesson upon news outlets who appeared to be struggling.
Lister, who completed the historic journey in 2005 by sucking and blowing on straws to control her boat, had reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a progressive neurological disorder. She went on to set a further record in 2014, crossing the Indian Ocean.
Hayley Williams, the lead vocalist of Paramore, has announced that the band will no longer be performing what's arguably one of their most famous songs, because of slut-shaming lyrics. "Once a whore, you're nothing more, I'm sorry that'll never change," is the line in the song that has drawn widespread criticism in recent years.
Almost half of lettings agents are reporting nervous landlords following Brexit, with 12% reporting asking rents have fallen over the past 10 days. In a report published on Monday, the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla) says last month's referendum vote has not rocked the rental market "yet", however, uncertainty over the future of Britain's role in Europe is making landlords jittery.
Ryan Gosling made one fan's dream come true when he visited a coffee shop in Toronto, following a bizarre and ambitious social media campaign to get him to drop in. The actor was planning to visit the city for its annual film festival when he became the centre of the campaign, which eventually persuaded him to grab a cup of joe with the owners.
A stand-up comedian whose show centres on his working class roots has won the funniest joke competition at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Adam Rowe, 26, netted 41 percent of the public vote in the contest, run by TV channel Dave.
Not achieving all you hoped for in your current job? There's that old phrase - if at first you don't succeed, try, try, a-gin. And now you can. This week, Bombay Sapphire and Inception Group have collaborated to make your happy hour dreams come true - they are now advertising for a global ambassador whose job it will be to jet around drinking gins from across the globe.
Serena Williams has spoken out about "postpartum emotions" she has experienced following the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia, describing challenges she has faced since becoming a mother 11 months ago. The 36-year-old tennis star shared an Instagram post on Monday with a candid caption about mood changes and how she learnt her feelings were "totally normal".
It has been revealed that the Prue Leith, one of the judges of the 'Great British Bake Off', doesn't even really like baking that much, and we're not really sure what to believe anymore. "I have a passion for eating cakes," she began - yes, we love it, relatable so far.
Tuesday's bread-themed 'Great British Bake Off' was stuffed with delicious drama. We saw a filling of tension as we prayed the naans would rise, a drizzling of tradition with glazed Chelsea buns, and a side of pride as Paul Hollywood dispensed another handshake.
A Yorkshire chippy has put itself firmly on the map after translating its menu to cater for the busloads of Chinese tourists who turn up every week to sample a great British staple. Scott's Fish and Chips, near York, welcomes about 100 tourists every week, according to manager Roxy Vasai.
A new song from Lorde, and more. Happy Friday! Get ready for the weekend with this edition of Daily Links... Lorde released a new song called "Liability" from her upcoming album Melodrama, which will be released on June 16. Read this poignant essay about existing in public space as a trans and disabled person.
Over the weekend, tensions ran high at the US Open finals, the annual tennis championship that has delivered all sorts of twists, turns, and controversies this year. But at the Novak Djokovic and Juan Martín del Potro matc on Sunday , an unexpected curveball came from the audience - what's that?
Rihanna's futuristic new video, Brexit updates, and more. Welcome to July! Let's get it started with this edition of Daily Links... Rihanna goes full-on Afro-futurist in the video for her new single, "Sledgehammer." The song is on the soundtrack for Star Trek Beyond, in theaters this month.
Amandla and Mars talk about creativity and representation. Plus: Animal rights, police brutality, & more. Happy Friday! Get into the weekend with this round of Daily Links... This conversation about art between artist Lorna Simpson and Art Hoe Collective members Amandla Stenberg and Mars is necessary and refreshing.
Rihanna receives a prestigious award. Plus: More on Moonlight. Hello! Start your morning with these Daily Links... Rihanna accepted Harvard's Humanitarian of the Year award, and that brought me a lot of joy. For MTV News, writer Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib breaks down the history of women's rap beef .
Rihanna tops the charts-and her own record. Plus: More of what we're reading this Thursday. Good morning! Get ready for Thursday with these Daily Links... Rihanna achieved a new personal record for top-five Hot 100 hits. With 22 top-five hits, she is only bested by four other musicians: The Beatles, Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson.
Updates on the terrorist attack in London. Start your Thursday morning with the latest edition of Daily Links... At least four deaths and multiple injuries have been confirmed in a terrorist attack on London's Westminster Bridge and the U.K. Parliament. Check out Myles Loftin's photography series, Hooded, which deconstructs public conceptions of black men in hoodies.
A look at one of Rihanna's biggest hits. Plus: Brexit is in motion, & more. Good morning! Say hello to Thursday with this edition of Daily Links... MTV News delves into the history behind Rihanna's massive hit, "Umbrella," for the song's 10th anniversary.
Didi Conn, aka pink-haired, bubblegum-blowing Frenchy from 'Grease', is coming to 'Dancing On Ice'. The 67-year-old actress is the 11th celebrity skater confirmed for the show's 2019 run, which will see 12 starlets taking to the ice with pro skaters before a panel of judges, presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, and of course, the nation.
Remaining charges were dropped in the Freddie Gray case. Another Thursday, another round of Daily Links... The remaining charges have been dropped against the police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. Dismissed as "slacktivism," the Ice Bucket Challenge funded a major ALS breakthrough . Online activism is both powerful and valid!
Politics in the U.K., race in the U.S., and tragedy in France. Morning, Rooks! Friday's round of Daily Links is here for you. Theresa May has become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom .
With all episodes available online, many of the 'Killing Eve' fandom have raced through the series and been left with a massive hole in their lives. But for anyone who's been reading up on Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the brains behind it, you'll have now realised she is also the creator and star of 'Fleabag' - the witty and hilarious comedy featuring the candid (and sometimes cringeworthy) antics of an angry, confused young woman.
A new street art series critiques consumption. Plus: Questions Muslims are tired of hearing, & more. Before the weekend: Here's a fresh batch of Daily Links! Parisian artist Lor-K turns abandoned mattresses into giant sculptures depicting food, as a metaphor for consumption and waste.
'The Apprentice' star Claude Littner has revealed he doesn't think he'd fare well as a contestant on the show himself. The business executive, who serves as an aide to Lord Sugar on the BBC business reality show, believes his pal would fire him "instantly" in one of the show's famous boardroom scenes.
Editing
I guest edited this takeover issue of the Guardian Weekend magazine. Featuring interviews with Michaela Coel and Gemma Chan, and pieces by Afua Hirsch, Dina Torkia and Simran Randhawa
A special series on the sexual health of women of colour and non-binary people of colour