Six great reads: flight attendant confessions, culture wars and Sam Neill’s final interview

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days The great New Zealand actor’s death was announced earlier this week and our writers, including Peter Bradshaw, have paid tribute to the much-loved star. Neill’s last interview was a Q&A with Guardian readers hosted by Rich Pelley, in which he talked about working with Robin Williams, changing his name and whether he would have turned down Bond. Lewd propositions, drunken tirades, groping, grumbling and grubby behaviour – cabin crew have to experience it all, at altitude. In this piece they opened up to Zoe Williams about the horrors they’ve seen from passengers and colleagues. We now live in an age of endless culture wars, but it wasn’t always the case. In this interview David Smith spoke to Isaac Butler, author of a new book that traces how an ascendant religious right pivoted from the cold war in the late 1980s to wage a domestic battle over contemporary art. On Monday, Burnham will become the latest resident at 10 Downing Street. In this profile, north of England editor Josh Halliday told the story of how Burnham was reshaped and repowered by his stint as mayor

Jul 18, 2026 → Jul 18, 2026