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Things to do

Things to do in London: January edition

By Lucy Brooks on 22/12/2016

Beat the January blues with an invigorating selection of London events and adventures. Or at least make sure nights are spent watching the best films and TV shows

Musical magic: La La Land film

Does cinema come any more delightfully escapist than Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in a romantic musical? La La Land is a glorious extravaganza that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. It's every bit as feelgood as the trailer promises and exactly what your January needs.

WHEN

13 Jan 2017 – 10 Mar 2017, Event times vary

WHERE

Various Locations

Lucian Freud 'Woman with Arm Tattoo' 1996, etching, 70.0 x 92.0 cm

Graphic Works: Bacon and Freud

One was a hard-drinking nihilist whose grotesque paintings plumbed the depths of spiritual torment - The other was in love with flesh. This January, you can see the work of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud side by side, when Bacon and Freud: Graphic Works comes to Mayfair.

WHEN

18 Jan 2017 – 24 Feb 2017, Monday - Friday: 10am - 5.30pm Saturday: 10am - 4.00pm

WHERE

Marlborough Graphics
6 Albemarle Street, London , W1S 4BY

Hard-hitting drama: Us/Them, National Theatre

Brussels Theatre Company BRONKs explore the way children cope with extreme situations in a play for young audiences based on the 2004 Beslan school siege. This frank, unflinching new play comes to the National Theatre after causing a stir at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

WHEN

16 Jan 2017 – 18 Feb 2017, Performance times TBC

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Fresh fine dining: Mere, Fitzrovia

Monica Galetti, best known for her no-nonsense judging on BBC2’s Masterchef: The Professionals and her role as former senior sous chef at Le Gavroche, is finally opening her own restaurant. Mere brings fuss-free fine dining to Fitzrovia.

WHEN

01 Jan 2017 – 01 Jan 2020, TBC

WHERE

74 Charlotte Street
W1T 4QJ

Chiswick House, Magical Lantern Festival

Magical Lantern Festival, Chiswick House

Lights are not just for Christmas. It's in dark January when we need sparkly cheer most of all. Back again for 2017, the Magical Lantern Festival has vast, glittering lanterns and brightly illuminated creatures that light up the night's sky and the rolling gardens of Chiswick House.

WHEN

19 Jan 2017 – 26 Feb 2017, 5:00 PM – 8:45 PM

WHERE

Chiswick House
Chiswick House , Chiswick , W4 2RP

More than Marcel Marceau: London International Mime Festival

Bringing to town 17 international companies, the 40th London International Mime Festival will embrace circus-theatre, mask, physical theatre, cutting edge juggling and puppetry. And with 120 performances spread all over London, from orthodox venues such as the Peacock Theatre and the Barbican to newcomers such as Shoreditch Town Hall, there will be something within easy reach of everyone.

WHEN

09 Jan 2017 – 04 Feb 2017, Times vary check with Festival Site

WHERE

Peacock Theatre
Portugal Street, London, WC2A 2HT

Physicist Stephen Hawking in zero gravity

A Brief History of Time: Stephen Hawking talk

In 1963, aged 21, Hawking contracted motor neurone disease and was given two years to live. This year, on the eve of his 75th birthday, is an unmissable chance to see the world's most famous physicist speak – forgive our morbidity – before it's too late.

WHEN

On 16 Jan 2017, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

WHERE

Royal Festival Hall
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Netflix 2017

Eight episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events are set to be released this January on Netflix, and yet already it is being tooted as one of the likely stand-out TV shows of 2017. It's the perfect excuse to hibernate!

WHEN

On 13 Jan 2017, Times to be decided

WHERE

UK Netflix

Emilia Fox play: Sex With Strangers, Hampstead Theatre

One night stand: Sex With Strangers, Hampstead Theatre

‘Look, I’m giving you another chance to show the world how talented you are. Take it. It’s worth the risk’. The UK premiere of Sex With Strangers stars Emilia Fox as a writer who finds herself snowed in at a small B&B with a sex blogger for company.

WHEN

27 Jan 2017 – 04 Mar 2017, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WHERE

Hampstead Theatre
Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London, NW3 3EU

Choose life again: Trainspotting 2

'Choose life. Choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and hope that someone somewhere cares... Choose reality TV, slut-shaming, revenge porn, zero-hour contracts...'. Yes, that's an updated version of the sardonic dropout mantra from the original Trainspotting (1996). Danny Boyle's era-defining adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel is getting a sequel in which life (should you choose it) is still terrible, and addiction to powerful Class-A drugs is still a tempting solution.

WHEN

27 Jan 2017 – 27 Mar 2017, Times vary