This week offers a spectacular array of entertainment options across the United Kingdom, from long-awaited cinematic conclusions to the opening of major art exhibitions. Whether you're planning a night out or a cosy evening in, our guide ensures you won't miss the highlights.
Cinema Highlights For Your Diary
The cinematic event of the week is undoubtedly the release of Wicked: For Good, the concluding part of the Broadway musical's big-screen adaptation. The film continues the Wizard of Oz-inspired story, following the exiled "Wicked Witch" Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and the popular Glinda, brought to life by pop superstar Ariana Grande. Audiences can finally judge whether splitting the story was an artistic masterstroke or a commercial decision.
Other notable releases include The Thing With Feathers, a poignant adaptation of Max Porter's novel featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as a grieving father, with David Thewlis providing the voice of a mysterious crow. The Ice Tower stars Marion Cotillard in a meta-tale about an actor playing the Snow Queen, while the unexpectedly brutal Sisu: Road to Revenge sees its indestructible hero take on the Red Army.
Unmissable Art and Stage Productions
Art lovers are in for a treat as Tate Britain prepares for a monumental showdown. Turner and Constable opens on 27 November, pitting the two titans of British landscape painting against each other, culminating the 250th birthday celebrations of JMW Turner.
Meanwhile, the Wallace Collection hosts one of the most provocative masterpieces ever created, Caravaggio’s Cupid, from 26 November. In Margate, a major survey of Bridget Riley opens at the Turner Contemporary, celebrating one of Britain's most visionary abstract painters.
On stage, Jazz Emu brings his uniquely awkward musical comedy to London's Soho Theatre from 25 November, and the Unicorn Theatre presents a playful family show, How Does Santa Go Down The Chimney?, running until 3 January.
Streaming and At-Home Entertainment
The streaming event of the year arrives as Stranger Things begins its final chapter on Netflix from 26 November. The first four episodes of the fifth and final season promise to start unravelling the show's enduring mysteries, including the truth behind Will Byers' original kidnapping.
BBC drama takes a powerful turn with Prisoner 951 on 23 November, chronicling the harrowing six-year ordeal of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, starring Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes. For documentary fans, Poison Water on BBC Two exposes the cover-up of Britain's worst mass poisoning event in Cornwall.
Music releases bring exciting returns, with Ella Eyre showcasing a new soulful direction on her album Everything, in Time, and hip-hop legends De La Soul releasing Cabin in the Sky, featuring posthumous vocals from Trugoy the Dove. In gaming, the iconic Bubble Bobble dragons return in a new roguelike adventure, Sugar Dungeons, on 27 November.
