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Part Marxist thriller, part supernatural romance, and taking in foul-mouthed monks and drama with the in-laws along the way, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s directorial debut is an oddball treat. On the Sea Out now Made mostly outside the traditional funding mechanisms for UK film, this independent second feature from Helen Walsh is a lovely, graceful depiction of repression and queer desire in a Welsh mussel-harvesting community. Barry Ward gives a fine performance as the married man who finds himself drawn to a younger itinerant worker (Lorne MacFadyen). Aardman Retrospective Cinemas nationwide In the run-up to the release of Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, look out for summer holiday rereleases of a plethora of Aardman classics in cinemas, including A Matter of Loaf and Death, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and the film that first introduced woolly hero Shaun, A Close Shave. Pinocchio Unstrung Out now Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield was also behind Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel. This new instalment in what the film-makers call The Twisted Childhood Universe features Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) as the voice of Jiminy Cricket. Catherine Bray Going out: Gigs View image in fullscreen Big country … Luke Combs goes next-level. Photograph: Dingena Mol/ANP/AFP/Getty Images Camp Bestival Lulworth Castle, nr Wareham, 30 July to 2 August Rob da Bank’s enduring family-friendly festival returns with its mix of kids’ activities – bee-keeping has been added this year, alongside skateboard ramp lessons and trampolining – and music from Bastille, Fatboy Slim, Self Esteem and more. Michael Cragg Elgar’s First Royal Albert Hall, London, 29 July The English composer’s magnificent Symphony No 1 gets top billing, but this concert also features the first major world premiere of the BBC Proms season. The World’s Wife by Brett Dean sets Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry and is performed by soprano Claire Booth and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth. Flora Willson Luke Combs Edinburgh, 25 July; London, 31 July to 2 August The US country music superstar, who scored a UK hit with his cover of Fast Car in 2023, steps up to stadiums. With six albums under his belt, including this year’s deeply personal The Way I Am, expect a setlist brimming with crowd-pleasing self-reflection. MC Edinburgh Jazz & Blues festival Various venues, 25 & 26 July This event consistently embraces international and Scottish artists. Its closing weekend includes folk-inflected sax-led quartet Harben Kay (25 July), Joni Mitchell-inspired singer Michelle Willis (25 July) and multi award-winning jazz/hip-hop sax star Soweto Kinch (26 July). John Fordham Going out: Art View image in fullscreen Back to bedlam … Richard Dadd’s Bacchanalian Scene, 1862. Photograph: Oliver Cowling & RodTidnam/Tate Images Richard Dadd Royal Academy of Arts, London, 25 July to 25 October Step into a world of fairies and folklore in Beyond Bedlam, a look at the work of the Victorian artist. He remained forgotten by history until the 1960s, when his life in Victorian asylums became a source of inspiration for countless artists. Michael Pinsky Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, 25 July to 4 October For The Final Bid, Pinksy has filled this gallery with secondhand chairs, all hung from the ceiling, which visitors are invited to bid on. Each bid drives the chair higher up towards the ceiling, in a strange capitalistic ballet about value and detritus. Clare Woods Pitzthanger Manor, London, 29 July to 8 November The exhibition, called Garden Without Seasons, sees meditative paintings and collages of the natural world in this Sir John Soane-designed country house, each work pushing the boundary between abstraction and figuration and asking viewers to slow down and contemplate. Susan Hughes MAC, Belfast, 30 July to 18 October This Belfast-based artist and fiddle player travelled around Ireland collecting stories about the mysteries, myths and collective power of traditional music. The result is this show filled with objects, songs and a stage for ad-hoc performances. Eddy Frankel Going out: Stage View image in fullscreen Dolly, pardon? … The World Is Full of Married Men. Photograph: Emmalisa Pauly The World Is Full of Married Men The Yard theatre, London, to 1 August The great Yard theatre opens its doors after a huge refurb. Its opening season includes a reimagined King Lear with Ian McKellen as well as this brilliantly bizarre adaptation of Jackie Collins’s racy novel, set amid a series of doll’s houses – and performed by dolls. Miriam Gillinson Mike Reiss 25 July to 6 August; tour starts London As part of The Simpsons’ original writing team – and co-showrunner during the programme’s early 1990s glory years – nobody is better placed to unpick the seminal cartoon’s ingenious comic tapestry than Reiss. This tour sees him spill all his Springfield-related secrets and take audience questions. Rachel Aroesti Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man Sheffield Lyceum , 25 July ; Sadler’s Wells, London, 28 July to 29 August One of Bourne’s steamiest dance shows is also one of his best dramas. Loosely based on Bizet’s Carmen, but transported to small-town 50s US, a gang of macho mechanics have their close-knit, closed-minded world interrupted when a stranger comes to town. Lust, betrayal, revenge, it’s all here. Lyndsey Winship Cherry Orchard The Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 29 August Helen Hunt, Bill Pullman and Kenneth Branagh star in Chekhov’s exquisite final play. The new version has been written by Laura Wade (Posh, Rivals) whose work always manages to be brilliantly entertaining but shot through with real darkness and political bite. MG skip past newsletter promotion Free newsletter | Weekly Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. Preview latest Enter your email Sign up after newsletter promotion View image in fullscreen Staying in: Streaming View image in fullscreen Making a killing … Scoot McNairy and Emmy Rossum in Furious. Photograph: Sarah Shatz/Disney Furious Disney+, 27 July Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl, Dying for Sex) helms this thriller about an FBI agent whose first case happens to feature that rarest of beasts: a female serial killer. Emmy Rossum – who also came up with the show’s concept – stars as the detective who finds empathy for a devilish criminal. The Rapture iPlayer & BBC One, 26 July, 9pm Adapted by the performance artist Bryony Kimmings from Liz Jensen’s novel, this drama centres on a forensic psychologist treating a teenage girl with the ability to predict catastrophic events. If that doesn’t sound stressful enough, the whole thing takes place in a heatwave. Ruth Madeley, Iwan Rheon and Ruth Jones star. Ghosts Australia iPlayer & BBC Three, 25 July , 10.30pm Most British comedies get lost in translation when franchised abroad, but this wildly original format is the exception. Following US, French, Greek and German versions, this Aussie spin sees a young couple haunted by an aerobics instructor, a biker, a gold rush miner and a socialite. Gomorrah: The Origins Now & Sky Atlantic, 28 July , 9pm Roberto Saviano’s acclaimed Italian mafia drama was described as a darker alternative to The Sopranos when it aired a decade ago. This similarly gritty prequel returns to the mean streets of 1970s Naples to recount the origin story of Camorra boss Pietro Savastano. RA Staying in: Games View image in fullscreen Chief concern … Halo: Campaign Evolved. Photograph: Microsoft Halo: Campaign Evolved PC, Xbox, out 28 July A quarter-century on from the first Halo, the game has been revitalised with new visuals and the original voice actors re-recorded. No competitive multiplayer but you can play cooperatively with one local friend on console, or up to three online. Mistfall Hunter PC, PS5, Xbox, out 29 July Time to learn some new terminology, Gyldhunter. This dark fantasy PvPvE (player-v-player-v-environment) extraction ARPG (action role-playing game) has you (and optional friends) perfecting your weapon stances and combos to kill monsters in an ever-shifting battlefield beneath the Gyldenmist. Gyld luck! Jordan Erica Webber Staying in: Albums View image in fullscreen Welcome to the Junglist … Nia Archives. Photograph: Iris Luz Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist Out now The Brit-nominated “darling of jungle” follows up 2024’s Top 20 debut Silence Is Loud. Co-produced by her alongside James Ford (Arctic Monkeys) and Ethan P Flynn (FKA twigs), songs such as Boys in Blue expand on her sonic palette, pushing towards 90s electronica and indie. Baby Queen – I Hope You Don’t Remember Me Out now Inspired by a whirlwind relationship that ended with a ghosting, South Africa-born, London-based alt-pop star Bella Latham returns with a second album that channels emotional turbulence into galloping synthpop on Feel Something, and something far knottier on the frantic Word Vomit. The Strokes – Reality Awaits Out now Having pulled off a surprising creative and commercial rebirth on 2020’s The New Abnormal, the Strokes return with this seventh album. Produced once again by bearded Zen master Rick Rubin, confounding recent single Going Shopping continues frontman Julian Casablancas’s obsession with Auto-Tune. Charli xcx – Music, Fashion, Film Out now Despite a recent pivot to acting, Charli returns with her second album of 2026. The follow-up to February’s excellent Wuthering Heights soundtrack dials up the guitars – see snarky lead single Rock Music – while keeping Brat’s potent mix of hedonism and existential dread. MC Staying in: Brain food Armchair Explorer Podcast Just in time for the summer holidays, this beloved travel documentary series features deep dives into global cultures and dream itineraries. Highlights include a road trip through Australia’s Northern Territory and a safari in Botswana wilderness. 60 Second Docs Instagram Packing engrossing narrative and fascinating detail into one-minute shorts, this Instagram page is a treasure trove of bite-size curios. Topics range from spoon-playing musical maestros to the art of clay “hug pots” and green-screen tattoos. James Turrell: Master of Light BBC World Service, 28 July , 4.32am American artist James Turrell’s Skyspaces are large installations that play with natural light. For this edition of In the Studio, Julian May meets Turrell in Denmark as he prepares one of his most ambitious ones to date. Ammar Kalia Explore more on these topics Culture Going out, staying in Dance Theatre Television Art Games features Share Reuse this content Most viewed Most viewed Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email About us Help Complaints & corrections Contact us Tip us off SecureDrop Privacy policy Cookie policy Tax strategy Terms & conditions All topics All writers Newsletters Digital newspaper archive Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads TikTok YouTube Advertise with us Search UK jobs Tips Accessibility settings Work with us Back to top © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)
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