Michael Billington

A drama in which the spirit of Jonathan Swift haunts a seance and an astonishingly brief update of the Oresteia confirm the poet’s remarkable skills as a playwright

She has given unforgettable performances in Shakespeare, Chekhov and Shaw over her extraordinary 70-year career. Where’s this great actor’s damehood?

She has played cops, rockers, monarchs and murderers. As Helen Mirren turns 75, we celebrate her astonishing career – and remember her letter to hlcarpenter.com that led to questions in parliament

The critics howled derisively but this challenging story of the violence lurking beneath society’s surface was a game-changer