It’s here. The final month of 2022. We did it guys, we made it to the final stretch. But as with any good race, this is when things get really tasty. So keep up your stamina, there are plenty of fun things happening in London to see you through to 2023. 

[snaps twice]
For the goths among us, Christmas can be a tricky time. What with the twinkling fairy lights, sickeningly sweet songs and joyous present giving (vom). But this year those darkened souls can retreat into their lair and make mischief with Miss Wednesday Addams – queen of the goths! Streaming on Netflix now, Tim Burton’s new series Wednesday brings the classic character out of her slumber for a fresh ride.

Starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday – in full moody teenage persona – the series also sees Catherine Zeta-Jones take on Morticia Addams, Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and OG Wednesday Christina Ricci return as a herbology teacher at the Nevermore Academy where our titular protagonist is sent having been booted out of her previous school for castrating a boy with piranhas.

Wednesday is streaming on Netflix now.

Important, vital, captivating
In 2017 New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor published a report exposing decades of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, acting as a catalyst for the #MeToo movement. Fast forward five years and the story has been immortalised by German filmmaker Mari Schrader in She Said, starring Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan. Leading actors of their generation, the pair delicately portray what was a harrowing time for women in Hollywood as the reality of the landscape they lived in was brought to light.

Speaking to Ethan Hawke inside this year’s HERO Winter Annual, Kazan discusses her role and muses on the shifting landscape of Hollywood – read the conversation here.

She Said is out in cinemas now. 

Next gen art
Guts Gallery’s latest exhibition Buffer is spotlighting the next vanguard of artists. Comprised solely of work from recent graduates across the UK, the aim of the showcase is to provide space for creative dialogue to flourish among the next generation. A total of eight artists complete the gallery’s line-up: Joseph Mobolaji Aina, Mattia Guarnera-MacCarthy, Caroline Jackson, Sophie Lourdes Knight, Emily Kraus, Emma Stone-Johnson, Shaqúelle Whyte and Georg Wilson. Before heading down to visit, four of the incredible artists gave us an insight into their creative practices – check it out and then impress your date at the gallery with all that sexy knowledge.

Buffer runs at Guts Gallery until 8th December, more info here.

Shakespeare, revisited
The first National Theatre production of Othello to be helmed by a Black director has arrived and it’s good. Shakespeare’s racially charged tragedy has been reworked thousands of times, each adaptation subverting and redefining meaning, and Clint Dyer’s production is continuing this discourse. Starring Giles Terera in the title role, Rosy McEwen as the ill-fated Desdemona and Paul Hilton as literature’s most famous antagonist Iago, Dyer executes a brand-new vision for one of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedies.

Othello will run at the National Theatre until 10th January 2023, more info here.

Shop til you drop
We don’t need to tell you Christmas is creeping around the corner, but if you’re stuck for some present ideas it may be worth a trip to Pexmas – Peckham’s annual festive market. Back for a weekend stint in Copeland Gallery, over 100 stalls of small and independent businesses have been enlisted to supply endless inspo for your stocking fillers and that nightmare work secret Santa gift (I like shoes btw, guys). There’s also a food market with copious amounts of mulled wine on tap so you can get a bit merry and spend all your rent money on DIY zines (worth it).

Pexmas will run until 4th December at 133 Copeland Road, SE15 3SN, more info here.

Wanna get inside my clothes? 😉
British designer Matty Bovan has been crafting innovative knitwear since the start of his career, graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2015 and founding his eponymous label soon after. Having opened just a few days ago, Bovan’s latest endeavour has taken over NOW Gallery in the form of an immersive installation that’s actually a massive, ceiling-height hand-knitted jumper titled Ribbons. Inviting visitors to step inside the tent-like garment, once inside they will be greeted by an experimental film documenting the making of the jumper. The designer says of his latest multi-sensory creation; “Ribbons is my most personal project to date, a world built in my truest vision.”

Ribbons will be on display at NOW Gallery until 5th March 2023, more info here. 

Feed me! 
Roaming supper club Retan has taken up residency in the likes of Peckham Cellars, Legare, Crispin and The Great Gun Social since 2021. Now, the duo behind the concept, sommelier Cameron Dewar and chef Josh Dallaway are in the midst of their longest residency to date at Louie Louie in SE17. While popping up over the city and trialling many cuisines of their guests, a French-inspired menu has become Retan’s go-to. You can expect dishes such as cauliflower velouté, Lincolnshire red beef tartare and chalk stream trout with celeriac and scarvita cabbage. Most importantly, a devilishly rich chocolate crèmeux is on hand to finish – it’s the start of December, so calories don’t count anymore – truth.

Louie Louie is located at 347 Walworth Rd, SE17 2AL, more info on Retan’s residency here.