Hamish MacBain

<p>Hugh Grant in Notting Hill</p>
Film

The best films set in London, from Notting Hill to Blow Up

The capital’s cobbled back streets, historic buildings and exquisite parks have long attracted the world’s best filmmakers

21 May 2024
<p>Who wants to be a London Mayor?</p>
Podcasts

Who Wants to be a London Mayor?

Hosted by ES Magazine’s deputy editor, Hamish MacBain.

15 Apr 2024
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Fashion

Cult 1960s Kings Road fashion boutique Granny Takes a Trip relaunches

Granny Takes A Trip, the epicentre of Swinging London, is being reinvented in unexpected ways — we go inside the new Hackney HQ

10 Apr 2024
<p>Actor Jack O'Connell at BAFTA in London</p>
Film

Jack O’Connell defends Back to Black over ‘sanitised’ claims

Actor Jack O’Connell talks to Hamish MacBain about his portrayal of the late, legendary singer’s former husband Blake Fielder-Civil in the new biopic

9 Apr 2024
<p>Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black</p>
Film

Back to Black: the Amy Winehouse biopic was so bad I gasped in horror

Beyond the moral problems, this take on the life of the tragic London singer is a poor, poor piece of filmmaking

9 Apr 2024
<p>Dev Patel in Monkey Man</p>
Film

Monkey Man: Dev Patel goes John Wick in this full-throttle debut

The fight scenes are visceral, in-your-face affairs that play out like ballets with endlessly gruesome deaths

4 Apr 2024
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Film

Mother’s Instinct: Hathaway and Chastain can't save this slight film

There are plenty of secrets hidden away behind these suburban curtains, but it all feels dashed off and underexplored

29 Mar 2024
<p>Deuce Williams (Nicholas Pinnock) and Dante Williams (Levi Brown)</p>
TV

This Town on BBC One: rarely have I seen a trailer so misleading

Despite the exciting trailer, protagonist Dante actually spends most of his time moping around Birmingham

28 Mar 2024
<p>Amor Towles on set with Ewan McGregor</p>
Lifestyle

A Gentleman In Moscow author Amor Towles on bringing his book to TV

How does it feel to see your much-loved, multimillion-selling baby be reimagined as a prestige TV series? Amor Towles is about to find out

27 Mar 2024
<p>Bill Murray and Paul Rudd in "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" </p>
Film

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review – a ghostbusted flush

The original film was awash with oddball comic genius. This is not

21 Mar 2024
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Film

Monster review: subtle, smart and beautiful

This deals with very modern themes in a far more real way than many of its Western counterparts

15 Mar 2024
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Film

BAFTA Awards 2024: the big winners, the surprises, and the shock snubs

Predictably, it was a sweep for Oppenheimer and Poor Things, while Barbie went home empty-handed

19 Feb 2024
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Film

Bob Marley: One Love: no redemption song for this clichéd airbrushing

This highly sanitised version of events removes all complexity and depth from the reggae icon’s life

17 Feb 2024
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Film

Madame Web ☆☆☆☆☆: we have reached the superhero nadir

You come out of this feeling sorry for everyone involved

16 Feb 2024
<p>Bryan Johnson has dedicated his life to pioneering longevity research </p>
Wellness

Bryan Johnson: meet the man who is ageing backwards

The multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has made himself a guinea pig for pioneering longevity research. He talks to Hamish MacBain about how he escaped a life of depression to lead the way in biohacking

15 Feb 2024
<p>A scene from Occupied City</p>
Film

Occupied City: Steve McQueen's epic is important but hard-going

With a mammoth runtime, this boundary pushing and highly original new film raises plenty of important questions – but how many people will stick around until the end?

13 Feb 2024
<p>...and it was right there in front of us all along</p>
TV

Rejoice! 2024 is the year terrestrial TV takes over from streaming

Notice how everything you’re watching - and more importantly, talking about watching - is on BBC or ITV?

11 Feb 2024
<p>Vicky McClure as Lana Washington</p>
TV

Trigger Point Season 2: this is a promisingly nailbiting start

Vicky McClure is one of our most watchable actors; hopefully this new series will allow us to care about someone else too

29 Jan 2024
<p>Saltburn</p>
Film

I hated Saltburn. But it should have been nominated at the Oscars

The Academy Awards are not rewarding the kind of films we're actually talking about (even if we don't like them)

23 Jan 2024
<p>Emun Elliot as Don Logan in Sexy Beast</p>
TV

Sexy Beast review: will please no one – least of all fans of the film

This series looks at the backstory to the 2000 cult film but it lacks imagination

22 Jan 2024