Vanessa Thorpe

London

News and Feature Writer at The Guardian

News and Feature Writer at The Observer

Writer and Photographer at Freelance

News and feature writer on arts and media for The Observer and The Guardian

Articles

The literary battle against AI is on: ‘Real words from real people are so much better’

6 days ago | observer.co.uk | Vanessa Thorpe

The lights are low and the embers in the grate are glowing; it must be time for a good story. What about this one from Clementine Barchester-King, one of the hottest new authors of the summer? Her debut novel, The Weft of Nettles, is set in a decaying Suffolk rectory where twin sisters, Honoria and Dido, have seen out seven decades of hard winters.
Tom Cruise rocks La Croisette – but the real mission is to stop Trump’s movie tariffs | The Observer

3 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Vanessa Thorpe

A huge sign spells out “Cannes” next to the castle tower above the city. It is a nod to the famous Hollywood sign, and on inspection, after a climb in afternoon heat, its flimsy lettering is made out of some sort of spun material. Dreams, perhaps? A walk along the narrow castle ramparts with the day-trippers means stepping quickly out of the way of a woman alarmed by the sudden sound of a tolling bell.
Review: Cecil’s Beaton’s garden party

3 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Vanessa Thorpe

A new exhibition reveals how the fashion photographer's stage outfits, which mesmerised the West End for half a century, were inspired by his perennials When winter retreated, the ageing Cecil Beaton liked to watch the first snowdrops appearing in his Wiltshire garden, just as he once watched over the wilder antics of his many summer houseguests.
Can we get our Turners back? British plea to the US raiders of our lost art

4 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Vanessa Thorpe

Smoke and fire pour from the bank of the Tyne as coal is hauled on to boats bound for London on a gleaming moonlit evening. You might think of it as the Geordie Turner. It’s the sort of painting Newcastle could build an entire gallery around, but it’s a work of art a long way from home, long lost to a collection in the US.
From a celebrity special to a ‘spine-tingling’ Prom, how did The Traitors take over TV?

1 month ago | observer.co.uk | Vanessa Thorpe

As filming starts for a much-anticipated celeb spin-off, the hit’s status as a national institution seems all but assured Fans of The Traitors, known as The Faithful, may have to engage in some on-brand duplicity to get hold of tickets to a BBC Prom in July devoted to the hit reality show, after the concert was announced last week. The “spine-tingling celebration of musical treachery” was, however, rather overshadowed by the leak of the roster of names taking part in a special celebrity series.
trauma of Weinstein’s unknown British victims is revealed

1 month ago | msn.com | Vanessa Thorpe

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‘I want to talk about it honestly’: trauma of Weinstein’s unknown British victims is revealed

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Vanessa Thorpe

Harvey Weinstein’s key accusers were famous – from Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow to Lupita Nyong’o and Ashley Judd. These Hollywood film stars spoke out against the ex-studio boss’s abusive behaviour in 2017, fuelling the international #MeToo movement. But Weinstein’s crimes and bullying practices had a direct and lasting impact on many more, including unknown names who worked with him in London.
TikTok trend for ‘Dubai chocolate’ causes international shortage of pistachios

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Vanessa Thorpe

Product promotion on TikTok is now powerful enough to influence the vast agricultural economies of the US and Iran – at least when it comes to the consumption of high-end confectionery. A chocolate bar stuffed with a creamy green pistachio filling has become incredibly popular after a series of video clips shared on the social media site.
Decline of drama at school prompts UK training drive for backstage work

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Vanessa Thorpe

The decline of drama as a school subject has had a serious knock-on effect on the live entertainment business. While it is harder now for a budding star to imagine a stage career, the more immediate impact is on theatres’ skills and craft departments. The problem is a top priority for Indhu Rubasingham, two weeks into her high-profile job as artistic director at National Theatre.
Toby Jones’s next campaign? Misinformation, and a huge immersive theatre show

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Vanessa Thorpe

Hidden from view inside a south London warehouse, a new underground movement will be fighting the international blight of misinformation this summer. The huge immersive event – half theatrical show, half social campaign – is to involve some of Britain’s leading acting talent, including Toby Jones and Meera Syal, and has been put together by a theatre company led by a woman who learned about misinformation the hard way, at the Georgian television station Imedi.