Pandora
Is it just me, or are politicians getting younger all the time?
Published: 30 December 2005
* The Liberal Democrat Party is clearly taking the threat posed by the youthful Conservative leader David Cameron very seriously indeed.
Adonis in 'conflict of interest' row over Islington academy
Published: 29 December 2005
* When Tony Blair rejected his local Islington state school and opted to send his children to the Catholic London Oratory in west London instead, it garnered him some unfortunate press.
Prince gets CCTV to take on hoodies in his model village
Published: 28 December 2005
* Prince Charles has provided many a solution to the problems facing modern society, but sometimes even our future King is required to lie down in the face of the jackboot march of progress.
Kapoor steps into Ofili's shoes at scandal-hit Tate Gallery
Published: 27 December 2005
With a whiff of scandal still lingering behind its Victorian portico, Tate Britain has at last found a trustee to replace Christopher Ofili, the "elephant dung" artist behind one of the biggest rows in its 100-year history.
Pandora's Quotes of the year
Published: 26 December 2005
Chelsea owner Abramovich looks at another sports club
Published: 23 December 2005
Every time Roman Abramovich approaches a "for sale" sign, the rumour mill churns out excited reports that he's adding to his property portfolio.
Seal-loving MP calls for a cull of 'narcissistic' colleagues
Published: 22 December 2005
It's been at least a month since the last decent slanging match between Old and New Labour, so thank goodness for the frayed temper of Nicholas Palmer, the Blairite MP for Broxtowe.
A song and a dance: Straw's sister in cathedral controversy
Published: 21 December 2005
* Try as he might, Jack Straw doesn't always succeed in bringing happiness to distant corners of the globe. Fascinating, then, to discover that the Foreign Secretary's knack of upsetting the locals runs in the family.
Now it can be revealed: the truth about Nelson and Tiddles
Published: 20 December 2005
After a lifetime of trying, Stephen Fry has at last managed to make an enduring personal contribution to the annals of British history.
Shawcross has Paxo in his sights over Iraq 'show trial'
Published: 19 December 2005
When literary heavyweights go to war, people get hurt. So it's with some trepidation that I bring you a dispute involving two of Britain's foremost men of letters: William Shawcross and Jeremy Paxman.
Cowell considers suing BBC over tone-deaf reality show
Published: 16 December 2005
* Simon Cowell's lawyers are back in business, a week after they brokered a peace deal to prevent fellow pop svengali Simon Fuller from taking him to court in a copyright dispute.
The Tories' Miss Wales fails the Welsh test (with honours)
Published: 15 December 2005
* If David Cameron wants to encourage more women to get involved with Tory politics, he needs to ensure that the current crop of front-bench females does him justice in public.
Hooked on Hamza: Bradshaw joins Hutton in cleric's 'hood
Published: 14 December 2005
* Once upon a time, New Labour's leading lights lived in the cappuccino heartland of Islington; these days, they congregate around the west London home of the Islamic militant Abu Hamza.
Hunted down: the truth about Cameron's racy pursuits
Published: 13 December 2005
David Cameron's time at Eton, not to mention his royal ancestry, have done little to dent his popular appeal; but can his modernising reputation survive the revelation that he's a fully paid-up member of the Green Welly brigade?
Eurocrats lose their cover under insurance group's roof
Published: 12 December 2005
As Brussels played proud host to the American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, at the end of last week, Peter Mandelson and his fellow European commissioners were fighting behind the scenes to keep one of their own offices.
'Pooh' purists kick up a stink at Disney's modern rewrite
Published: 09 December 2005
It's the Battle of Pooh Corner. Seven years after Disney acquired the rights to Winnie the Pooh from AA Milne's former club, The Garrick, it stands accused of betraying his literary legacy.
Phillips seems uninspired by the prospect of meeting with Lammy
Published: 08 December 2005
There are signs of a widening diplomatic rift between Britain's first black Culture minister, David Lammy, and Trevor Phillips, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality, who recently declared: "Multiculturalism is dead".
Life imitates art as 'King Kong' star meets jealous gorilla
Published: 07 December 2005
The actor Andy Serkis, who plays King Kong, in the new blockbuster film, has come within a whisker of being mauled by a real-life great ape.
Barbican makes adventurous choice for its first panto
Published: 06 December 2005
There was a time when serious "luvvies" would turn their noses up at panto, but now - thanks to the likes of Ian McKellen, Simon Callow, and Richard Wilson - it's become the trendiest genre in Theatreland.
Harrelson versus Depp in battle of the smoking ban
Published: 05 December 2005
Having divided the House of Commons, the debate over smoking in public is causing friction between some of the biggest "names" in Hollywood.
When the Prince of Wales met the prince of wails
Published: 02 December 2005
* One is the pot-smoking "face" of 1960s counter-culture, the other Her Majesty the Queen's eldest son and heir. Now it turns out that Prince Charles is making an effort to cosy up to the veteran singer Bob Dylan.
Defeated Oona steers clear of rematch with Galloway
Published: 01 December 2005
* The Battle of Bethnal Green, between George Galloway and Oona King, at the general election was the most ferocious political punch-up in recent times.
Will Poliakoff turn drama into a crisis for the Beeb?
Published: 30 November 2005
* Stephen Poliakoff, one of our greatest living screenwriters, is the subject of an intriguing tug-of-war battle between the BBC and Channel 4.
BBC chief holds peace talks in Jerusalem with Ariel Sharon
Published: 29 November 2005
The BBC is often accused of an anti-Israeli bias in its coverage of the Middle East, and recently censured reporter Barbara Plett for saying she "started to cry" when Yasser Arafat left Palestine shortly before his death.
Some princely offerings that Bush is unlikely to flog on eBay
Published: 28 November 2005
The day Prince Charles met George Bush at the White House this was billed as a great moments in Anglo-American diplomatic history.
