Croydon = Purgatory. Predictable gag-premise or an unusually profound statement? James Naylor went to watch Limbo to find out

It’s hard enough trying to review a film that’s not even half-finished. Only 12 minutes of Limbo exist so far (part of the purpose of the screening I attended was to raise awareness and find finance for a completed film) and those minutes are … Read More »

The wreckage from an explosion of class, sex, and history spills from this tense Swedish drama

Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls
Time from East Croydon    5 minutes 

Miss Julie sees an aristocratic daughter flaunt her social status over two of her servants one night in 1899. When her teasing leads to sex with the valet, the relationships between the characters – and the rules … Read More »

Too many people are sitting at home screaming at the news or getting het up on Twitter. Stand Up For Labour gives people a chance to have a laugh and see for themselves that they are not alone in opposition to the government

In 2010 I was just another comedian performing at all the worst comedy venues in London, working my way from 10 minutes … Read More »

Mark Thomas has made a career out of troublemaking. Now the comedian, activist, and iconoclast is bringing his new show to Croydon, in more ways than one. Tom Black had a chance to chew the fat with the man

Mark Thomas seems to be the man of the hour in an increasingly dissenting age. It was he, after all, who crowd-sourced a policy document … Read More »

UK Touring Theatre is bringing a new translation of Miss Julie to the Fairfield Halls this month. Tom Black had a chat with the cast about Strindberg, The Killing, and Croydon

The prospect of interviewing three experienced actors was somewhat intimidating. Would I get my words out in the right order? What would they think of my posture? Did I command the room with an … Read More »

Kake’s tour of London Road moves on to the kebab shop at number 17, which was previously a grocer, bookseller, fishmonger, and TV rental shop.

17 London Road is the home of the Croydon Kebab Centre. This informatively-named shop is one of the longer-standing businesses on this part of London Road; it’s been a purveyor of grilled meats since at least the mid-1970s, under the current name since the … Read More »

Anne Giles continues her crusade to show us that things weren’t necessarily better in the old days. This time, she takes us through the ever-improving array of restaurants in Croydon

Unlike its shops and public transport, Croydon’s restaurants have always been good. But it’s my experience that they’ve got better and better over the years. My memories of dining out in … Read More »

Exploring the East End of London on one of my street photography walkabouts I came across graffiti executed to the highest level. I decided this was something I was going to have to capture. I assumed this was something that was located only in the more obvious locations of Bethnal Green Road, Brick Lane, and the Great Eastern Street, but on further exploration of the myriad of back … Read More »

Self-made event director Christo Matthews takes us on a personal journey from his humble beginnings as a #Croydon twittersphere initiate to the overseer of next weekend’s Great Croydon Bake Off

My relationship with Croydon turned from casual to long-term about two years ago, when I discovered Croydon’s tumultuous micro-climate in the Twittersphere. It’s at this point that I start my story, as it’s the one event which has led … Read More »

Save the David Lean Cinema Campaign programmer Philip Howard has four more reasons to join the Spread Eagle’s art-house community

Once again, the Save The David Lean Cinema Campaign is pleased to present a film season at the Spread Eagle pub in Katherine Street. Before our March season, I wrote about the principles we follow when putting a season together. To recap, we try to show films … Read More »