Eurofile

The National's staging of Small Island shows a theatre that has now totally lost its way

Max Webster's production revels in warfare when his audiences are sick to death of it

As Russian forces pound his country’s cities, towns and villages, Serhiy Zhadan’s The Orphanage offers a poignant portrayal of what such an onslaught feels like, and a reminder that Ukraine has been living with conflict for years

With war under way, it is impossible to visit a new exhibition of Francis Bacon's work and not think about humans’ terrible vulnerability in the face of shot and shell

Few nations can boast a cultural figure so enmeshed with the very essence of their national identity as Taras Shevchenko, writes CHARLIE CONNELLY

PETER TRUDGILL explains how Catherine the Great’s ‘Greek Project’ led to the naming of Khersón

Ukrainian cuisine has not been recognised enough in the UK. There is no better time than now

The water shortage in Extremadura is becoming critical, writes PETER BARRON

Designed to produce ephemeral pop stars, Pop Idol produced some acts who have kicked against expectations

In a reclaimed tobacco warehouse in Umbria once used to squirrel away his favourite paintings, Alberto Burri’s work now reaches out to a wider audience

One of the best ways to understand the national psyche is to delve into its rich library of literature

A leading light of contemporary French cinema, Jacques Audiard is now trying to redefine the nouvelle vague aesthetic for a new century

News from across Europe you might have missed, including reality hitting Italian TV contestants and a surprising find in a mop bucket

The Promise has an excellent cast but the plot is subsumed by the standard demands of a detective show

Chelsea’s future is uncertain and manager Thomas Tuchel finds himself asked questions about war and morality instead of tactics and injuries

The Feeder frontman on reflecting the pandemic, the decline of guitar bands and avoiding TikTok

A turbulent time in British political history is delivered with composure, wit and a splash of humility

Even a cursory reading of the Russians would have explained to many in the West why Putin was going to invade Ukraine, says WILL SELF

CHARLIE CONNELLY on a charming and bewitchingly charismatic medical practitioner whose methods were declared hokum after long keeping the elite mesmerised

One region of England was still predominantly Welsh-speaking well into the 18th century – and its roots remain strong today

Shrove Tuesday has just flown past. Use the last of the batter mix cooking this

While some in sport suck up to Vladimir Putin, others are reacting correctly to the threat of the obliteration of life on our continent

Hannah Kent’s most ambitious historical novel yet is a queer love story about migration from claustrophobic convention

A chart star alongside the likes of Iggy Azalea and Justin Bieber, Karen Marie Ørsted, aka MØ, is now striking out on her own

Back in their homeland, state opposition meant they had to perform in secret. Now in exile, they are bringing their new play to London

Celebrating a lost modernist pioneer

A new romantic comedy series is warm and funny without undermining the seriousness beneath its central questions

Andrew Keates' Steve isn't quite funny or sad or clever enough to command an audience's attention

Nadim Naaman's adaptation of Khalil Gibran's novel Broken Wings is worth a lot more than the sum of its parts

A trip to the Ukrainian capital a decade ago left WILL SELF grappling with his ignorance

CHARLIE CONNELLY on a French cinema legend who always made something extraordinary out of the ordinary

Unpronounced letters in a word are often nothing to do with tradition, and merely the creation of snobbish scholars