National Gallery: Guided Tours & Talks ★★★★★ FREE


The National Gallery is one of the big ten for tourists and an oasis for locals. There's nothing nicer than to stop in the National Gallery on a gloomy day and soak up a bit of culture. In the summer, we tend to leave it to the tourists, but there are some great free lectures that can lure us in and always repay the investment on time that could have been spent in the sun. The Lunch Time talks are terrific introductions to exhibitions or interesting looks at specific  artists or paintings. The Ten Minute talks offer a quick insight into  a particular work. The free tours will make sure you get the most from your visit.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:

Daily Tours (60 mins) -
Mon - Fri:  2 pm - 3 pm

Lunch Time Talks (45 mins) 
Usually Mon & Wed: 1 pm, sometimes other days 

Ten Minute Talks (10 mins)
Mon - Fri: 4 pm - 4:10 pm

Trafalgar Square
Nearest tube: Charing Cross Road
Map & Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, UK

Most Popular

Les Liaisons Dangereuses ★★★ National Theatre | Mar 21 - Jun 6, 2026

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Spoilt, rich people whose sole occupation is scheming to destroy the lives of the naïve and gullible. No, this is not a dramatised version of the Epstein files. Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ eighteenth-century epistolary novel, depicting amoral aristocrats on the brink of the French Revolution, has inspired many incarnations, yet it continues to shock and, at times, to delight. Christopher Hampton’s stage adaptation, first presented in 1985, streamlines the narrative, focusing on the rivalry and tangled emotional connection between the two master manipulators: the Marquise de Merteuil, played by Lesley Manville, and the Vicomte de Valmont, portrayed by Aidan Turner. Together they engage in a vicious game, with Valmont attempting to seduce both the innocent Cécile de Volanges and the devout Madame de Tourvel. It is wickedly entertaining material, and it proves just as intriguing in this context as it does in the well-known teen film, Cruel Intentions . There are, however, some issues with...
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St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

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Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
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Éireann by A Taste of Ireland ★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | August 28 - 31, 2025

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Éireann by A Taste of Ireland has some five-star moments, but the show's concept is too broad and unfocused. The result is a bit of a hotchpotch. Mythic and political references are thrown in, and there is even a contrived and rather superfluous hurling sequence. There is no clear narrative arc or any perspective, and the show fails to provide much meaningful insight into Ireland, its history and its culture. The strength of this production is its Irish dancing, and while the synchronisation in the group work is not always perfect, the general quality and athleticism are superb.The solos of Gavin Shevlin are beautifully executed, and the troupe is at its best during the step dance sequences. The balletic and modern dance interludes are less successful, and some of the lifts and floor work seem laboured. Despite some issues with the sound system, the musical moments provided by Aaron O'Grady, Eamonn O'Sullivan and Megan McGinley are strong. Unfortunately on the night we att...
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Lost Origin, Hoxton Docks ★★★★★ | Nov 21 - Dec 4, 2021

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So, there's this evil distributor of forbidden goods on the dark web and we've got to stop him! Lost Origin is a novel experience for a group of friends or a family outing. Working together, teams of six sneak into a warehouse and take on what appears to be the daunting challenge of catching the bad guy, but it turns out there may be darker forces at work – perhaps, a supernatural element to this quest. It's all a fun-filled change from the usual movie night or pub get-together. Lost Origin offers a great mixture of interactive role playing and an enhanced virtual reality experience known as mixed and augmented reality that is utterly captivating. The Magic Leap One device completely lived up to its billing and provided an unforgettable opportunity to savour the wonders of this new technology. For us, it was also nice that this aspect of the experience was allowed to delight and enthral, without being lessened by any attempts to shock or horrify participants with jumpscar...
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ABBA Voyage ★★★★★ ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Extended Run

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When great music from the past meets mind boggling technology from the future, the result is ABBA Voyage . This is a concert like no other. In a purpose built arena designed specifically for the show, massive high resolution LED screens, advanced lighting, and surround sound are used to create a fully immersive ABBA concert experience. Although the group’s last appearance in London was at Wembley Arena in 1979, they return technologically in this extraordinary production. These are not holograms or AI generated performances. This is a meticulously animated concert based on real performances by the band themselves. To achieve this effect, the group came together and re-performed their music using motion capture technology. They partnered with top visual effects experts to digitally recreate their younger selves. While the show includes a live band and backup singers, the Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid seen on stage appear every bit as real as their original counterparts. One quick...
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Power of Sail – A Moral Thriller ★★★★ Menier Chocolate Factory | Mar 20 - May 12, 2024

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The bon mot that academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small has various attributions, and its history of apparently being "borrowed" is not without some irony. Set in the context of a debate about free speech, Paul Grellong has written a piece that is less a moral thriller and more of a satire. It is really about the pettiness and lack of principle involved in navigating one's way through the choppy seas of academia. The play doesn't really do much to advance the debate about finding the line between hate speech and free speech, but it is a clinical dissection of the mendacity and petty ambition that infects the environment of those who are supposedly charged with exploring and refining that important distinction. Apparently under the rubric of free speech, Harvard professor Charles Nichols (Julian Ovenden) has invited a well-known white supremacist to participate in a panel at the university. The students are outraged and the dean is ...
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Avenue Q ★★★★ Shaftesbury Theatre | Mar 20 - Aug 29, 2026

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Avenue Q first arrived on Broadway in 2003 and, the following year, won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Now, twenty years after its London debut, it returns in a lightly updated production that retains the joy and warmth of the original. While some audience members will no longer know who Gary Coleman is, this Sesame-Street-for-adults show has lost none of its relevance. Its themes of underemployment, self-acceptance, mutual respect and the search for connection feel just as timely now as they did then. Sharp satire is wrapped in the velvet glove of a puppet-show-for-grown-ups and delivered with wit and affection rather than accusation. Songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “It Sucks to Be Me” continue to land well, presenting uncomfortable truths in a disarmingly approachable way. “The Internet is for Porn!” still earns knowing laughter, while “If You Were Gay” remains both funny and unexpectedly touching. The staging and...
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Indian Ink ★★★★★ Hampstead Theatre | Dec 3, 2025 - Jan 31, 2026

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This first-rate production of Tom Stoppard’s palimpsestic masterpiece is simply a must-see. When the English poet Flora Crewe travels to India, she sits for a portrait by the Indian painter Nirad Das. Both that portrait and this play reflect the complex melding of cultures that emerged from the British presence in India. Exploring different approaches to art and the presentation of the artist, the drama also exposes the intricate and often fraught political relationship between the two countries whose histories became so deeply intertwined. Flora’s meeting with the Indian painter hints at the complicated dynamic between a dying imperial vision and its colonial subject, while also questioning the epistemological frameworks through which we seek to understand the past. Many years later, Crewe's American biographer meets with her sister Mrs Swan as he attempts to reconstruct that Indian encounter. Both that actual experience and the artistic impression of Crewe created by Das stand in...
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White Christmas ★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Nov 27, 2024 - Jan 25, 2025

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It's official! Christmas is here. With a traditional buffet meal and their always enjoyable holiday show, The Mill at Sonning has kicked off the season! White Christmas with its satisfyingly predictable story is all about the music and the dancing, and Director Jonathan O'Boyle does a brilliant job of taking a small stage and capturing the essence of a big film musical. The tale of two GIs who, following the war, become a famous double act, and who then team up with a pair of singing sisters to put on a show which will save the Vermont inn owned by their former commander, is as sweet as maple syrup. It certainly takes us back to a simpler, more optimistic time in America, and there's not a hint of irony anywhere. In this iteration of the classic, the cast dance up a storm with some terrific choreography from Gary Lloyd, and celebrate Irving Berlin's great song classics such as "White Christmas," "Blue Skies" and "Count Your Blessings." The...
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The Rivals ★★★ Orange Tree Theatre | Until January 24, 2026

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This latest version of The Rivals is one part Richard Brinsley Sheridan and his eighteenth-century social satire, one part P. G. Wodehouse and the Roaring Twenties, plus a dash of topical humour such as references to the television series Survivor . It is not a mocktail that will be to everyone's taste, but it is clearly a labour of love for director Tom Littler. This attempt to reimagine Sheridan’s comedy of manners and modernise its references frequently succeeds, yet it also produces some awkward moments. Elements such as the anachronism of a duel set in the 1920s or the unnecessary aside about nudity in a bathroom scene are jarring and forced. Indeed, too often, the drive to provoke laughter at any cost appears to dominate the production, resulting in moments that feel strained and tonally uneven. This approach undermines the original and intelligent concept of relocating Sheridan’s play to a period whose literature was often similarly dismissed as superficial but which was al...
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The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings