Issue 1318

Upright and down under
Best known in the UK for his comedy, Tim Minchin’s talents run to writing Matilda the Musical and starring in TV series, including Upright, a darkly funny tale that smoothed a difficult return to his Australian homeland. Katherine Smyrk gets some face time with him.

Lights in the dark
A look back at some of the people, paintings and projects that have brightened our pages over the last year, while two of our contributors put things into a sobering perspective.

Steam into the new decade
The author of a book detailing the fascinating history of the Settle to Carlisle railway tells Roger Ratcliffe that after years of uncertainty, the 73-mile long line has a secure future.

Plus
Big Issue North's Freedom of Information requests show the number of arrests of immigrants by police forces across the north, albums of the decade, theatre to look forward to, highlights of the year's Letter to my Younger Self features, crossword, Sudoku and more.