Sam Neill's Final Interview
The death of the great New Zealand actor Sam Neill was announced earlier this week, prompting tributes from writers including Peter Bradshaw. His last interview, a Q&A with Guardian readers hosted by Rich Pelley, covered working with Robin Williams, changing his name, and whether he would have turned down the role of James Bond.
The Secret Lives of Flight Attendants
Cabin crew endure lewd propositions, drunken tirades, groping, grumbling, and grubby behaviour at altitude. In a piece by Zoe Williams, flight attendants opened up about the horrors they have seen from passengers and colleagues, noting that British passengers always drink like they have never drunk before.
The Tortured History of America's Culture Wars
We now live in an age of endless culture wars, but it was not always the case. David Smith interviewed Isaac Butler, author of a new book tracing how an ascendant religious right pivoted from the cold war in the late 1980s to wage a domestic battle over contemporary art. Butler said people are picking the dumbest fights.
Andy Burnham's Manchester Years
On Monday, Andy Burnham will become the latest resident at 10 Downing Street. North of England editor Josh Halliday told the story of how Burnham was reshaped and repowered by his stint as mayor of Greater Manchester. In an earlier piece, Daniel Boffey traced Burnham's early years, from an impostor at Cambridge to a young star of New Labour.
Life Among the Garbage Mountains of Jakarta
In Jakarta, Michael Neilson travelled to the city's largest landfill, Bantar Gebang, to find an economy supporting thousands of waste pickers who make a living from the trash mountains. These people now face imminent uncertainty as the government looks to close the site. One picker remarked, the trash does not stop.
The Dacre Dynasty: Radicalising Britain's Rightwing Press
At the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre broke new ground in selling readers an angry rightwing perspective. Today, most of Fleet Street is run by his disciples. Andy Beckett explored how one man's worldview has come to dominate so many of Britain's newspapers.
