‘I still enjoy looking for discomfort in the faces of the overeducated’

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( August 12, 2023 [View in browser](   I remain in disbelief that Stuart Broad hasn’t been announced[for this year’s Strictly.]( Surely that was why he hung up his headband after the Ashes? Anyway, never mind – the [line-up for the class of Strictly 2023 has been trickling out this week](, and it looks like it could be a very interesting series. Angela Rippon is set to become the show’s oldest contestant at 79, while Sherlock star Amanda Abbington is provoking a stir already due to some of her previous tweets. Ellie Harrison wrote about [why Strictly fans are threatening to boycott the show](, and why Abbington’s career has seldom been free from controversy. Earlier this week[I reviewed Red, White and Royal Blue](, which is a so-so adaptation of a beloved BookTok novel. It’s basically Harry and Meghan the movie, but gay. The Sussexes are, in fact, getting into the movie game themselves: it was confirmed this week that they’ve bought the film rights to Carley Fortune’s romance novel Meet Me at the Lake. [Katie Rosseinsky investigated what might have drawn the couple to the book](, including some poignant real life parallels. Taylor Sakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine in ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ (Jonathan Prime/Prime Video) The Premier League season is back this weekend, and that means you can once again sit in front of Sky’s Soccer Saturday when you’re a bit tired and hungover. There’s [a new face in the hot seat this time round](, with ex-Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas stepping into the shoes of Jeff Stelling. Martin Chilton has a [brilliant profile]( on why he’s the right guy for the gig. (I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my standing in the Indy’s fantasy football league throughout the season.) Also this week: Alice Saville reviewed the National Theatre’s excellent revival of [Lucy Prebble’s The Effect](. The [BBC drama Wolf](left Louis Chilton howling for all the wrong reasons. Ed Power explored how rock stars have [made ageing cool](. And, as the Edinburgh Fringe gets going in earnest, don’t miss [Isobel Lewis’s excellent feature]( on whether the festival – or, more specifically, the artists who perform there – can really survive the current economic tailwinds. Jessie [@jessiecath](   What to do this weekend Books | [Wifedom by Anna Funder]( This audaciously brilliant new book from Stasiland author Anna Funder is hard to define. It's part-biography, part-literary excavation, uncovering the life of Eileen O'Shaughnessy, first wife of George Orwell. Don't miss Robert McCrum's wonderful review tomorrow. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   TV | [Soccer Saturday]( The Premier League is back this weekend, and with it the telly institution that is Sky's Soccer Saturday. Now that the legendary Jeff Stelling has left the show after 25 years – honestly, unbelievable Jeff – there's a new host in town. Martin Chilton has the lowdown on the [new face of the show](, former Blue Peter presenter[Simon Thomas](. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Film | [Red, White and Royal Blue]( [Red, White & Royal Blue]( – like many BookTok faves from Emily Henry to Ali Hazelwood – has a strong whiff of Mills and Boon. We see splayed fingers, hands in hair, and rutting intercut with some shots of a robust polo match. It’s romantic, rather than pure filth. I’m sure this will be a huge smash – clips are already going viral on TikTok. I just wish it was as good as the hype. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor   Theatre | [The Effect]( Lucy Prebble’s 2012 play]( – revived at the [National Theatre]( in a flashy Jamie Lloyd production – perceptively shows that when it comes to mental health, we’re all still fumbling around in the dark, like medieval physicians who’ve dropped their tallow candles. Alice Saville | Theatre critic [@RaddingtonB](   Music | [Volcano by Jungle]( There’s so much deliciously analogue texture to cherish here – all bakelite, mahogany, coconut shells and bougainvillea, with woodwind you could drink and percussion you could tuck behind your ear. It’s 2023’s [hippest release](. Get up, get down, kick back to it. Helen Brown | Music critic     [The Saturday Interview – Grayson Perry]( [Oscars image]( Grayson Perry at his 'Smash Hits' exhibition (Nick Mailer / ‘Our Town’ courtesy the artist, Paragon | Contemporary Editions Ltd and Victoria Miro) Grayson Perry is one of the most popular artists in the country, but he made a name for himself by being transgressive. As he opens the biggest show of his career so far in Scotland, [Perry sat down with our art critic Mark Hudson](to talk about everything from pottery to class to popularity. Perry’s ‘Smash Hits’ exhibition covers the full gamut of 40 years of his work (Nick Mailer) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… Success hasn’t dented Perry’s readiness to take a swing at whatever gets his goat. And at a time when even modestly successful artists surround themselves with protective networks of dealers, assistants and studio managers, Perry – arguably Britain’s most famous and popular artist – seems startlingly open and available. He answers the door to his studio himself, makes the coffee – “It’s instant, is that OK?” – and within moments we’re chatting away as though we’ve known each other for years. The studio is a surprisingly small, garage-like space, and Perry’s manner of dress is by his standards modest: pink T-shirt and brilliantly coloured dungarees. (The pattern proves on close inspection to depict female genitalia rather than flowers as I initially thought, but what do you expect?) “There’s a lot of art around that feels like student work,” he says. “Like it hasn’t occurred to the artist that anyone else might have thought that climate change is a bad thing.” With cancel culture making us all ever more desperate not to offend, Perry’s frankness is refreshing, whether he’s dismissing “upper middle intellectuals who are dead from the neck downwards” or young climate-conscious artists who are already “behind the times, mate”. [Read the full interview here](   Weekend Shelf-Care Weekend Shelf-Care Pip Finkemeyer There has been much debate over the rise of "sad girls" in literature. This debut novel from Australian author Pip Finekmeyer turns the trope on its head, as a writer trying to write her own sad girl novel tries to avoid becoming a sad girl herself. A book I recently read and loved is… Veronica by Mary Gaitskill. The voice has a straightforwardness and a familiarity to it which I adore. It’s like your most honest and loved old friend has just sat down with you at the table to tell you a wicked story. My three fantasy literary dinner party guests would be… Donna Tartt, Zadie Smith and Elena Ferrante. Of course I would want to respect Elena’s wishes to retain her anonymity, so ideally she would appear via a human surrogate who is her eyes and ears, much like the character of Larry Middleman in Arrested Development. But I’d let her take the lead on logistics. Not finishing books: my stance is… Patience is a virtue. If you don’t possess much of it (like me) don’t waste it on a book that’s not binding you to it somehow, on something uninteresting. Save your patience for being nice to uninteresting people (people have feelings, books don’t). My writing routine is… I wake up. I make coffee. I walk the dog. I try to be in a state of phonelessness. I listen to the same music I was listening to last time I wrote, to remind me what the hell I’m doing. I write until I need to eat something or stare vacantly out the window, ideally both at the same time. 'Sad Girl Novel' is out now in hardback Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   [INDYBEST]( / [BEST BUYS]( [12 best changing robe for camping, outdoor watersports and beach days]( These [insulated, waterproof coats]( keep you warm and dry (and bang on trend). 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