Issue 1368

Jump into Christmas
From writing Covid guidelines into scripts to bringing installation experts over from China, event organisers have been ever more innovative this year as they try to offer some Xmas cheer. Susan Griffin pulls on her thermals and gets out there.

Would Pat mullet over?
His new autobiography puts Pat Sharp at the centre of some of the biggest cultural events of the 1980s and 199Os. Whatever the truth of his exploits, he wouldn’t have done it any differently, the DJ and presenter tells Gary Ryan.

Scrubs up well
Hughie is one of 12 vendors whose favourite recipes feature on our calendar this year.

Put a sock in it – for a good cause
Despite the hustle and bustle around Xmas shopping, it can still be ethical. The global pandemic has put a strain on sole traders, charities and the arts, with events being cancelled and shops and businesses closed for long periods of time. Katie Collier gives us a gift guide to inspire good choices.

Stall and resume
Nearly a year since the first reported cases of Covid-19 in the sprawling Chinese city of Wuhan, things are almost back to normal, reports Cate Cadell.

Mills town
Nicola Mills dispels the notion that opera is for posh people – and nowhere more so than in Todmorden, where she’s performing street concerts, as well as Xmas songs and carols. Christian Lisseman finds she does take requests.

Roy’s own
The adventures of working-class Liverpool characters, memorably brought to life by a spoken word artist. PJ Smith, otherwise known as Roy, tells Neil Tague how he began as a reluctant writer.