Arts

A white van man has paid tribute to the late Professor Stephen Hawking by drawing a picture of him on the back of his muddy flower delivery vehicle. Ricky Minns, 42, who goes by the name Ruddy Muddy, spruces up vans in need of a wash by drawing works of art with his fingers. And after hearing of the death of one of the world's most famous physicists this morning (wed), it seemed only fitting that he was immortalised in...

It's a literal 'crucifixion in space' inside the Sir Christopher Wren church

A major new production of Strangers on a Train is now running in theatres across the UK, with a week-long stint in Richmond, London this week. The gripping thriller is based on the taught psychological drama by the celebrated writer Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr Ripley), immortalized by Alfred Hitchcock’s Academy Award-winning film. Playing at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 24th February, the show picks up with a fateful encounter between two men in the dining carriage of a train crossing...

A musical adaption of George Bizet's Carmen has started a run at Union Theatre. The production will showcase Bizet’s unforgettable tunes re-conceived as musical theatre, stirringly bringing to life the story of a dangerous, seductive Spanish heroine recklessly playing with her fate and that of her lovers at a time of civil unrest and political uncertainty. Described as an "easily accessible, invigoratingly fresh look" at one the "most familiar, beloved and popular operas ever written", the show tells the story of...

Old certainties die and new ones rise as sure as the sun. Stories with their truths embellished are told to maintain a sense of control, even as the sheep farming family in Simon Longman’s sparse piece realises that their fate might be out of their hands. As two sisters, Becky and Anna, eek out a living hustling ewes on hills that seem far away at the top of all England, a stranger, Guy, as gentle as the sisters are rough...

A British photographer spent two weeks befriending huge ‘Dalmatian Pelicans’ to get these incredible close-up pictures of the pre-historic looking birds. Sean Weekly, 28, snapped the “charismatic” troupe of the largest members of the pelican family in a pristine lake surrounded by the stunning snow-capped mountains. Mr Weekly, from Sittingbourne, Kent, braved freezing temperatures on a boat every morning to take these beautiful shots of the birds soaring above Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece. He would take close-up shots of...

The legendary artist known as Banksy is believed to have been caught on video just hours after his latest graffiti creation appeared on the side of a bridge. Footage has emerged of what looks to be the elusive artist acting shifty while sporting a baseball cap and sunglasses to shield his identity. Banksy took responsibility for a piece of art slapped to the side of the disused Scott Street Bridge in Hull, East Yorks., on Friday (Jan 26). But it...

A 1,300-year-old gold cross which was found buried with the body of an aristocratic Anglo-Saxon teenager is to go on display for the first time. The Trumpington Cross, made of gold and garnet, was discovered on the skeleton of a female between the ages of 14 and 18 who was laid to rest in an extremely rare ‘bed burial’ ceremony. Only a handful of Anglo-Saxon bed burials - in which the deceased person is buried in the ground, lying on...

There are few bands that can claim they truly rivalled the dominance of the Beatles in the 1960s, but like the proverbial 'boxer', Simon and Garfunkel certainly stood toe to toe with them. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's relationship is a fascinating story that is straddled across a fascinating era in history. The duo met in elementary school in Queens, New York, in 1953, and went on to become one of the biggest folk rock acts ever. They won 10 Grammy Awards, had one...