Dr Kate Maltby
@katemaltby.bsky.social
weekly at the i newspaper (news column)
monthly at Prospect & at The Stage (on theatre)
often at FT & Observer (books, culture)
also Deputy Chair, Index on Censorship; Co-Chair, Critics' Circle (Drama); Senior Research Associate, Jesus College, Cambridge
monthly at Prospect & at The Stage (on theatre)
often at FT & Observer (books, culture)
also Deputy Chair, Index on Censorship; Co-Chair, Critics' Circle (Drama); Senior Research Associate, Jesus College, Cambridge
Conquest’s Second Law tells us to treat any bureaucracy as if controlled by a cabal of its enemies. I know it’s supposed to be a joke, but if you were a hostile nation trying to inflame British streets, this is exactly what you’d dream of doing.
BREAKING: An asylum seeker hotel resident who sparked nationwide protests after sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl has been released from jail accidentally
Epping migrant hotel sex attacker is freed by mistake sparking police manhunt
Hadush Kebatu was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre to be deported but was freed by mistake
inews.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Conquest’s Second Law tells us to treat any bureaucracy as if controlled by a cabal of its enemies. I know it’s supposed to be a joke, but if you were a hostile nation trying to inflame British streets, this is exactly what you’d dream of doing.
“So this is how a celestial series ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper.”
The final part of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust is out today. A real honour to write about it for @ftweekend.com: a real disappointment to the soul to come to this conclusion.
www.ft.com/content/cb18...
The final part of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust is out today. A real honour to write about it for @ftweekend.com: a real disappointment to the soul to come to this conclusion.
www.ft.com/content/cb18...
Philip Pullman’s The Rose Field — the Book of Dust series ends with a quest for the source of imagination
The final part of a second trilogy by the author of ‘His Dark Materials’ follows an adult Lyra in her alternate world of daemons and angels
www.ft.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:44 PM
“So this is how a celestial series ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper.”
The final part of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust is out today. A real honour to write about it for @ftweekend.com: a real disappointment to the soul to come to this conclusion.
www.ft.com/content/cb18...
The final part of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust is out today. A real honour to write about it for @ftweekend.com: a real disappointment to the soul to come to this conclusion.
www.ft.com/content/cb18...
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
You don’t actually have to both sides this. The Jewish community in the UK is not the Israeli government. You can just condemn the murder of two British Jews killed in their place of worship and you don’t have to say a single other thing.
October 2, 2025 at 11:36 AM
You don’t actually have to both sides this. The Jewish community in the UK is not the Israeli government. You can just condemn the murder of two British Jews killed in their place of worship and you don’t have to say a single other thing.
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
Kneecap trades on the disapproval of its institutional elders, writes @katemaltby.bsky.social
➡️ Read more: inews.co.uk/opinion/knee...
➡️ Read more: inews.co.uk/opinion/knee...
April 30, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Kneecap trades on the disapproval of its institutional elders, writes @katemaltby.bsky.social
➡️ Read more: inews.co.uk/opinion/knee...
➡️ Read more: inews.co.uk/opinion/knee...
Today's column in @theipaper.com.
Catholicism teaches that you can't opt out of a vocation, so the papacy is for life. But questions will haunt the coming conclave about whether Popes can or should retire. What does that mean for Rome's wider attitudes to life & death?
inews.co.uk/opinion/pope...
Catholicism teaches that you can't opt out of a vocation, so the papacy is for life. But questions will haunt the coming conclave about whether Popes can or should retire. What does that mean for Rome's wider attitudes to life & death?
inews.co.uk/opinion/pope...
Pope Francis' death brings a difficult issue to the fore for the conclave
There will be mumblings about the need to elect a Pope young enough to postpone awkward questions
inews.co.uk
April 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Today's column in @theipaper.com.
Catholicism teaches that you can't opt out of a vocation, so the papacy is for life. But questions will haunt the coming conclave about whether Popes can or should retire. What does that mean for Rome's wider attitudes to life & death?
inews.co.uk/opinion/pope...
Catholicism teaches that you can't opt out of a vocation, so the papacy is for life. But questions will haunt the coming conclave about whether Popes can or should retire. What does that mean for Rome's wider attitudes to life & death?
inews.co.uk/opinion/pope...
As many of you know, this weekend marked the last edition of the old Observer as a publication of the Scott Trust.
It was a honour to have a column in the final edition, on Medea, Snow White, and the inevitable witchiness of wicked stepmothers.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It was a honour to have a column in the final edition, on Medea, Snow White, and the inevitable witchiness of wicked stepmothers.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Stepmothers, relax, you’ll always be wicked but true love is worth it | Kate Maltby
Two new surveys confirm that women who take on children from an earlier marriage will almost always be seen as witches
www.theguardian.com
April 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
As many of you know, this weekend marked the last edition of the old Observer as a publication of the Scott Trust.
It was a honour to have a column in the final edition, on Medea, Snow White, and the inevitable witchiness of wicked stepmothers.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It was a honour to have a column in the final edition, on Medea, Snow White, and the inevitable witchiness of wicked stepmothers.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the boiler and the electrics will blow on the Easter weekend.
April 18, 2025 at 11:47 AM
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the boiler and the electrics will blow on the Easter weekend.
The United States of America in 2025, everybody.
CPJ has issued a safety advisory for journalists traveling to or entering the US:
cpj.org/2025/04/cpj-...
cpj.org/2025/04/cpj-...
CPJ issues safety advisory for journalists traveling to the United States - Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists today released a safety advisory covering a wide range of digital, physical, and legal tips aimed at journalists and media workers who plan to visit the United Sta...
cpj.org
April 17, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The United States of America in 2025, everybody.
Latest column for The Stage:
Broadway critics can be a vital counterpoint to West End groupthink.
(Or why Jesse Green was right about Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray.)
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/over...
Broadway critics can be a vital counterpoint to West End groupthink.
(Or why Jesse Green was right about Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray.)
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/over...
Kate Maltby on Broadway transfers and the value of outside perspectives
Broadway's frosty reception to some West End hits is not simply down to a "lack of taste", says Kate Maltby, with foreign critiques offering a useful corrective
www.thestage.co.uk
April 17, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Latest column for The Stage:
Broadway critics can be a vital counterpoint to West End groupthink.
(Or why Jesse Green was right about Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray.)
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/over...
Broadway critics can be a vital counterpoint to West End groupthink.
(Or why Jesse Green was right about Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray.)
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/over...
This week’s column @theipaper.com (which I actually wrote last week.) A painful piece to write and not done lightly.
inews.co.uk/opinion/isra...
inews.co.uk/opinion/isra...
Israel has become impossible for me to defend
Day by day, its claims to function as an open and liberal democracy ring more hollow
liveapp.inews.co.uk
April 15, 2025 at 4:38 PM
This week’s column @theipaper.com (which I actually wrote last week.) A painful piece to write and not done lightly.
inews.co.uk/opinion/isra...
inews.co.uk/opinion/isra...
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
Hungarian lawmakers are voting today on a constitutional amendment that would ban #Pride and legally recognise only two sexes, among other measures. We condemn this as a blatant violation of human rights in #Hungary:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Hungary poised to adopt constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ gatherings
The controversial amendment also recognises only two sexes, providing a basis for denying other gender identities
www.theguardian.com
April 14, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Hungarian lawmakers are voting today on a constitutional amendment that would ban #Pride and legally recognise only two sexes, among other measures. We condemn this as a blatant violation of human rights in #Hungary:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
New research shows the growing problem of censorship in school libraries, following my @indexoncensorship.org investigation.
This problem isn’t going away. Currently, there’s no requirement for schools to even have libraries, let alone policies to support librarians.
This problem isn’t going away. Currently, there’s no requirement for schools to even have libraries, let alone policies to support librarians.
Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads
Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads
Anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in requests to take books off shelves, particularly LGBTQ+ titles
Requests to remove books from library shelves are on the rise in the UK, as the influence of pressure groups behind book bans in the US crosses the Atlantic, according to those working in the sector.
Although “the situation here is nowhere [near] as bad, censorship does happen and there are some deeply worrying examples of library professionals losing their jobs and being trolled online for standing up for intellectual freedom on behalf of their users”, said Louis Coiffait-Gunn, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip). Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
April 14, 2025 at 9:12 AM
New research shows the growing problem of censorship in school libraries, following my @indexoncensorship.org investigation.
This problem isn’t going away. Currently, there’s no requirement for schools to even have libraries, let alone policies to support librarians.
This problem isn’t going away. Currently, there’s no requirement for schools to even have libraries, let alone policies to support librarians.
In case you’re listening to the BBC Today Programme on Radio 4, I’ll be on at about 8.45 to talk about… Katy Perry going into space with Jeff Bezos’ fiancée. (And why it may not be exactly a feminist achievement.)
April 14, 2025 at 7:23 AM
In case you’re listening to the BBC Today Programme on Radio 4, I’ll be on at about 8.45 to talk about… Katy Perry going into space with Jeff Bezos’ fiancée. (And why it may not be exactly a feminist achievement.)
From a couple of weeks ago…
Is DEAR ENGLAND the decade’s most overrated play?
Read @katemaltby.bsky.social’s critique of James Graham’s ultra-acclaimed football drama: www.prospectmagazine...
Read @katemaltby.bsky.social’s critique of James Graham’s ultra-acclaimed football drama: www.prospectmagazine...
Dear England, go away
The decade’s hit play is also one of its most overrated. An updated version only makes it worse
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
April 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
From a couple of weeks ago…
“The question of who controls the soundscape at any collective experience is a question about who has power; who feels untouchable.”
(Chicken Jockey!)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
(Chicken Jockey!)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There’s a place for audience participation, but ‘chicken jockey’ chaos takes it too far | Kate Maltby
Barrages of popcorn and even live poultry are featuring at screenings of A Minecraft Movie
www.theguardian.com
April 13, 2025 at 1:28 PM
“The question of who controls the soundscape at any collective experience is a question about who has power; who feels untouchable.”
(Chicken Jockey!)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
(Chicken Jockey!)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
On Sam Mendes’ Beatles, ‘participatory culture’, and the rash of premature fan responses. Late to post, but here’s yesterday’s column for The Observer.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...
April 7, 2025 at 5:51 PM
On Sam Mendes’ Beatles, ‘participatory culture’, and the rash of premature fan responses. Late to post, but here’s yesterday’s column for The Observer.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...
"JD Vance's free speech hypocrisy is a threat to Starmer - and the UK"
This week's column at the i
inews.co.uk/opinion/jd-v...
This week's column at the i
inews.co.uk/opinion/jd-v...
JD Vance's free speech hypocrisy is a threat to Starmer - and the UK
Starmer should have the guts to call out this unacceptable treatment of an ally
inews.co.uk
April 2, 2025 at 3:33 PM
"JD Vance's free speech hypocrisy is a threat to Starmer - and the UK"
This week's column at the i
inews.co.uk/opinion/jd-v...
This week's column at the i
inews.co.uk/opinion/jd-v...
"What we have in common with each other, and with every other human being who has set foot on these islands, is no more and no less than our experience of place."
Latest column: on stamps, selkies, and a patriotism based on place, not race.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Latest column: on stamps, selkies, and a patriotism based on place, not race.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Let Britain’s magical, mythical creatures inspire a patriotism untainted by politics | Kate Maltby
A new set of Royal Mail stamps on regional folklore reminds us of our deep roots to the land
www.theguardian.com
March 30, 2025 at 6:52 PM
"What we have in common with each other, and with every other human being who has set foot on these islands, is no more and no less than our experience of place."
Latest column: on stamps, selkies, and a patriotism based on place, not race.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Latest column: on stamps, selkies, and a patriotism based on place, not race.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I also have a column @thestage.co.uk on Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center & the ethical questions it raises for UK producers.
Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables is sticking with an upcoming run at the Kennedy Centre. But where will UK artists draw the line?
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/how-...
Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables is sticking with an upcoming run at the Kennedy Centre. But where will UK artists draw the line?
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/how-...
Kate Maltby on why Donald Trump’s attack on the arts will soon create problems for UK producers
The Kennedy Center controversy has so far been largely confined to America, says Kate Matlby, but this is soon going to give UK producers a dilemma
www.thestage.co.uk
March 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I also have a column @thestage.co.uk on Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center & the ethical questions it raises for UK producers.
Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables is sticking with an upcoming run at the Kennedy Centre. But where will UK artists draw the line?
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/how-...
Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables is sticking with an upcoming run at the Kennedy Centre. But where will UK artists draw the line?
www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/how-...
The arrest of the Mark Lowen, BBC's Turkey correspondent, reminds me that I probably should get around to posting here my column from a couple of days ago on Turkey's protest movement; what it has in common with unrest across the Balkans, and how Trump has undermined it.
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
Trump's fascist disdain for civil liberties is spreading across Europe
There is a fundamental obstacle to the democratic movement in Europe
inews.co.uk
March 27, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The arrest of the Mark Lowen, BBC's Turkey correspondent, reminds me that I probably should get around to posting here my column from a couple of days ago on Turkey's protest movement; what it has in common with unrest across the Balkans, and how Trump has undermined it.
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
In light of Pete Hegseth's security breach, here again is the piece I wrote on US Election Day 2024.
Right from the top, the most basic danger of any Trump Presidency for allies like Britain was always going be the threat MAGA's chaos poses to our own national security.
inews.co.uk/opinion/amer...
Right from the top, the most basic danger of any Trump Presidency for allies like Britain was always going be the threat MAGA's chaos poses to our own national security.
inews.co.uk/opinion/amer...
America's future is our future – we just don't get to choose it
When historians of emotion look back on this year, at least in British history, they will highlight 'powerlessness' as the emotion of our age
inews.co.uk
March 24, 2025 at 6:25 PM
In light of Pete Hegseth's security breach, here again is the piece I wrote on US Election Day 2024.
Right from the top, the most basic danger of any Trump Presidency for allies like Britain was always going be the threat MAGA's chaos poses to our own national security.
inews.co.uk/opinion/amer...
Right from the top, the most basic danger of any Trump Presidency for allies like Britain was always going be the threat MAGA's chaos poses to our own national security.
inews.co.uk/opinion/amer...
This week in the Observer: an excellent excuse to write about Clueless:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Do we really want Clueless updated to reflect our dark, digital age? Ugh! As if! | Kate Maltby
Thirty years after the film, the musical version makes no excuses for being a nostalgia-fest
www.theguardian.com
March 23, 2025 at 1:19 PM
This week in the Observer: an excellent excuse to write about Clueless:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
Very worrying news coming out of the #US where a French scientist was blocked from entering the country after authorities found messages criticising President #Trump on his phone: www.newsweek.com/french-scien... 1/3
Scientist banned from entering US over opinions about Trump—Minister
Border agents reportedly found comments criticizing Trump on the researcher's phone.
www.newsweek.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Very worrying news coming out of the #US where a French scientist was blocked from entering the country after authorities found messages criticising President #Trump on his phone: www.newsweek.com/french-scien... 1/3
Reposted by Dr Kate Maltby
Opinion | The most dangerous noises for Musk are coming from his new best mate
🖋️ @katemaltby.bsky.social
🔗 inews.co.uk/opinion/tesl...
🖋️ @katemaltby.bsky.social
🔗 inews.co.uk/opinion/tesl...
March 20, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Opinion | The most dangerous noises for Musk are coming from his new best mate
🖋️ @katemaltby.bsky.social
🔗 inews.co.uk/opinion/tesl...
🖋️ @katemaltby.bsky.social
🔗 inews.co.uk/opinion/tesl...
Back in the Observer with a column on the latest twist in our culture of obsessive consumer reviewing:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Mind your manners, diners, restaurants are turning the tables on grumpy reviewers | Kate Maltby
The post-dinner rant is all of a piece with our fetish for feedback, but isn’t it all a bit morally cheap?
www.theguardian.com
March 16, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Back in the Observer with a column on the latest twist in our culture of obsessive consumer reviewing:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...