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The Cultural Highlights Of 2018

As 2018 rounds up, we look back on the year in culture - from the stirring speeches to the films and television that had everyone talking.

The Awards Season

The red carpet turned black this year, as awards season attendees rallied to support the Time's Up and Me Too movements following the accusations against Harvey Weinstein and others at the end of 2017. Time and again, the stars stepped out to shine a light on the treatment of women and issues of sexual harassment and abuse in the industry
In addition to the black dress code, the Golden Globes in January also saw eight of Hollywood's best-known actresses invite an activist as their guest for the evening - from Emma Watson, who was accompanied by Marai Larasi, executive director of Imkaan, “the only UK-based, second-tier women’s organisation dedicated to addressing violence against black minoritised women and girls”, to Meryl Streep, who was joined by Ai-jen Poo, the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

But it wasn't only on the red carpet that the movement was prevalent. Many of the acceptance speeches made referenced the long overdue changes that are being striven for. At the Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey received a standing ovation (and sparked #Oprah2020 to go viral) for a stirring speech on equality, while at the Oscars Frances McDormand began her Best Actress acceptance with "I’ve got some things to say" before ensuring that everybody watching knew the meaning of the words "inclusion rider".

The Wedding

It was the wedding of the year, when former actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in May and the newlyweds became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The sun shone, the congregation was star-studded, and the bride wore Givenchy (followed by Stella McCartney).

The Films

It's been a brilliant year on the big screen. There were comebacks (Mary Poppins made her return to Cherry Tree Lane), superheroes as we should have seen them before (Black Panther), a more-interesting-than-most heist (Steve McQueen's all-female Widows), positive representation (teen rom-com Love, Simon charmed us all), and a star was reborn as Lady Gaga took the lead in Bradley Cooper's remake of the Hollywood classic.

The Television

With many major series in a hiatus year (The Crown, Game Of Thrones), it was a few fresh dramas that ruled the small screen - particularly in the autumn months. Jodie Comer's brilliant turn as sleek and lethal hit woman Villanelle in Phoebe Waller Bridge's Killing Eve, opposite Sandra Oh's Golden Globe-nominated Eve, got everyone talking. And it wasn't the only drama to do so, political thriller Bodyguard provided old-school style water-cooler chat, while Black Earth Rising won plaudits for its excellent cast and plot. The performances in A Very English Scandal were also impressive, with Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw playing Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott.

The Theatre

Broadway and the West End exchanged two of their finest this year, with Hamilton storming the London stage and Harry Potter And The Cursed Childopening in New York. 2018 also saw the beginning of Kwame Kwei-Armah's position at The Young Vic, which opened with a musical adaptation of Twelfth Night and continued with Letitia Wright starring in Danai Gurira's The Convert. Elsewhere, successful transfers came from Robert Icke's adaptation of Mary Stuart, starring Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams, and The Jungle, about the Calais migrant camp, at the Playhouse Theatre.

The Music

Women ruled on the music front this year. As well as gracing the world with her On the Run II tour and album with Jay Z, Beyoncé headlined Coachella in April, having had to pull out of her performance in 2017 due to her pregnancy. Also on the album front, drops from Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae, Cardi B, Robyn and Christine and The Queens were of stellar note.

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