The director worked with theatre colossus Tom Stoppard on two smash hits. Here, he remembers their heated rehearsals, the night they stayed up watching Jaws – and the last four cigarettes they smoked ...

The actor and writer tells Lotte Brundle about his latest Christmas ghost story, discovering Benedict Cumberbatch — and his consuming passions.

‘I told the producers I didn’t know how to do a song for a film – and added that, frankly, I didn’t fancy writing one called Back to the Future. They said, “No problem, just give us one of your songs”’

Rufus Sewell, Christine Baranski, Susan Wokoma, Toby Jones and Harriet Walter share their unforgettable encounters with a theatrical giant

Michael Bond’s beloved bear is the star of an eagerly anticipated new show at the Savoy theatre in London. Here is what the critics thought

State-of-the-art animatronics, imaginative staging, fabulous performances and some marvellous songs about marmalade make for an evening that will fill you with joy and melt your heart

The questing Czech-born playwright gave us plays that looked at an implausible arcadia, an impossible utopia and affecting notions of home

The great playwright had a 60-year career in the theatre and also wrote scripts for radio and the screen – here are some of his very best

The self-described ‘bounced Czech’ created cerebral works centred by a core of genuine emotion – and always understood the ways of our world

A theatrical sensation since the 1960s, whose dramas included Arcadia, The Real Thing and Leopoldstadt, Stoppard also had huge success as a screenwriter

Sultana skips Saturday’s proceeding in solidarity with delegates expelled over links to other parties

Josh Toussaint-Strauss digs into the long history behind the practice of skin lightening, and how the beauty industry has used messaging rooted in classism and colonialism to sell its products, as well as investigating what unregulated products are doing to the skin

John Le Carré’s seminal spy novel makes its way to the West End

The awards make a mighty return – with the winners crowned on an unconfirmed date early next year

John Le Carré’s classic Cold War novel is brought to the stage in thrillingly classic fashion

Experience of domestic violence is at the heart of why many women are driven to commit violent crimes

Some say Jeremy Corbyn is too non-committal for project to work, while others blame Zarah Sultana’s combative nature At an early meeting to set the path for what would become Your Party, participants quickly agreed on one thing: given the cliches about leftwingers forever falling out, at all costs they must avoid a descent into factionalism. Six months on and the Liverpool venue hosting this weekend’s inaugural Your Party conference has been warned to expect potential disruption, including stage invasions by disgruntled members representing particular wings. Extra security guards have been hired. Continue reading...

Daniel Craig is joined by a sparkling array of talent including O’Connor, Glenn Close and Josh Brolin in this latest murder mystery with a religious undercurrent

Will AI take all our jobs? Prevent all crimes from being committed? Or finally develop skills beyond that of a trainee copywriter? Here are television’s finest depictions of our imminent future…