Plus, the must-see flicks at this year’s BFI London Film Festival
Time Out No. #14 | Wed 30 September 2020 | Issue No. #2597
Can you talk your way past an AI border guard?
Amid all the upheaval of this year, the world’s refugee crisis has carried on, unrelenting. So the Imperial War Museum’s new ‘Refugees’ season is timely and vital. A mix of artefacts, stories, films and artworks, it charts a century of displacement, from WWI to Syria, including footage of the Moria camp on Lesbos, partly destroyed by a fire earlier this month. It’s not all heartbreaking stuff: you can try and get past an AI border guard based on the ‘emotional consistency’ of your face (our writer predictably failed). A great and necessary show, go see it.
Fingers on buzzers
Which famous London building has ventilators on its roof to expel the smell of horses it has never contained?
More from our delightful website
Lockdown rules for the next few months
Things to do this weekend
Best walks near London
Great art shows in town
Stuff for you to do this weekend
Brunchtime!
Concerned about the new 10pm cut-off interfering with your hours of waking drinking? No problem, that’s why they invented BRUNCH, a legit excuse to neck sparkling wine at 11am while lining your stomach with a poached egg and some berries. (Germans don’t bother with this, they just serve prosecco at breakfast.) Okay, it’s also a nice, sociable thing to do, so check out our round-up of London’s best brunches, and you can get your muzzy head down well before the
curfew bell tolls.
The best of the rest:
Spooktastic Confused by art? Scared of public transport? You should definitely avoid this great show in Brixton from Andy Holden, which involves a ghost train. Everyone else, hop aboard! It’s a cartoony trip-and-a-half.

Amplifier Poet and playwright Inua Ellams talks about growing up in London, and the genesis of his excellent current production ‘An Evening with an Immigrant’.

Post-Colonialism Wallow in the bohemian mire of Soho’s notorious Colony Room Club, drinking haunt of Francis Bacon, sundry YBAs and people charitably known as ‘characters’ (rude drunks), at this ace-looking reminiscy-package.

Check out our full list of the best events, updated every day
Do you have a minute?
2020: it’s seen a fair few twists, turns and ropey hairstyles. As we grow closer to the end of it all (the year, we mean!), it’s a great time to take stock. In particular, we want to know what going out feels like for you. Did you Eat Out to Help Out or are you never leaving the house again? Either way, tell us all about it and you'll have a chance to win a £50 Amazon voucher!!
Screen treats
They’ve just added Steve McQueen’s 1980-set London film ‘Lovers Rock’ to the line-up of this year’s BFI London Film Festival. We’ve seen it, and we’ve given it the big five-star treatment, saying ‘It’s a film of sounds, feelings and textures. The tunes will lodge in your brain, and you’ll leave blinking into the light like you were right there yourself.’ So you might want to see it. And check out the rest of the LFF bill.
London news that you can use
Carb coma at yours
Extra Italian joint Gloria has added a new delivery service, Napoli Gang
Speak for yourself
The monologue is having its moment on the socially distanced stage
Pas de deux,
Rodney
The Royal Ballet is making its return to the live arena, and not a moment too soon
Kebab and chips for a quid
Read this far? Your reward is: Pittabun’s reopening offer, today (Sep 24) only
Feelgood links to ease the pain
Rwanda’s gorilla-naming ceremony (2pm BST today!)
Visit Rwanda

A trailer for the V&A’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ VR head-messer
It's Nice That

Fantastic (and very old) photos of St Paul’s from the air
imgur

Freddie Mercury’s secretive former Kensington home
Atlas Obscura