David Hockney is one of Britain’s best known and most popular artists (a retrospective at Tate Britain in 2017 attracted a record half million visitors). His brightly coloured pop art in many media is instantly recognisable. Since 2018, he’s been living in Normandy and was inspired by the Bayeux tapestry to produce a narrative cycle … Continue reading “Digital Seasons with David Hockney”
The instant that the queen died, her eldest son and heir, Charles, became Britain’s new monarch. Charles had been first in line to the throne for 70 years since the accession of his mother and was the longest-serving Prince of Wales. Prince William now replaces Charles as heir to the throne, followed by his three … Continue reading “The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King!”
26 September is the day the EU celebrates all the many languages spoken in Europe and around the world. They have lots of suggested activities to get your pupils enthusiasm flowing for languages. You can find out 20 fascinating facts about languages on this poster, and 20 MORE facts on this new one for 2022. … Continue reading “Celebrating Languages”
On 1952 London’s West End, Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap, is a hit. Hollywood comes knocking at the stage door. But plans for a movie version of this smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after the film’s Hollywood director is murdered. Reality The Mousetrap occupies a special place in the work of Agatha Christie. … Continue reading “See How They Run: A Whodunit Within a Whodunit”
On 8 September, the British Royal Family announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. Britain’s longest reigning monarch had been on the throne for 70 years, which had been marked this summer by Platinum Jubilee celebrations. She was immediately succeeded by her son Charles, who will be known as King … Continue reading “The End of an Era”
Boris Johnson learned who would replace him as British Prime Minister on 5 September: Liz Truss. The change came after Mr Johnson admitted he had lost the faith of his own cabinet and MPs and the Conservative Party held a two-month long election to choose a new leader. It may seem surprising that Britain can … Continue reading “Bye-bye Boris”
Since 1994, the Prix Bayeux has been awarded annually to war correspondents. The event also organises a schools’ project: Regard des jeunes de 15 ans. 3ème classes from France or abroad can vote for one of 20 press photos they feel best symbolises the world today. Votes close on 29 September. The Prix Bayeux was … Continue reading “Pupils Vote on Press Photography”
As a standalone activity or an introduction to our resource on the centenary of the BBC, this cleverly edited video provides the BBC’s answer to the question, “What is public-service broadcasting?” Or simply an introduction to the variety of programming that it has pioneered. If you show pupils the video on the Indy 100 news … Continue reading “This is Our BBC Video”
The British Broadcasting Corporation is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022, just as it faces the biggest threat to its existence. The Conservative government has announced the end of the licence fee paid by British residents to access the BBC for 2027. Without the licence fee, the BBC’s future as a public-service broadcaster, not dependent … Continue reading “Happy 100th Birthday to the BBC!”
Festival America is usually a bi-annual celebration of the literature of the Americas in Vincennes (94). After two years of COVID cancellations, the festival is finally having its 10th edition celebrating 20 years from 22 to 25 September. The festival attracts large numbers of authors: 61 this year, mainly from the U.S. but also from … Continue reading “Festival America is Back!”
