For many of us, the idea of Knights will always be intrinsically linked to Monty Python and The Holy Grail. All those moments and dire rhymes in song ("We are Knights of the Round Table and we dance whenever we are able"; Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot; the Killer Bunny; "It's only a flesh wound" etc) make up a film of unparalleled importance in British comedy. Which now means that the mere mention of British......

73. A Gaggle Of Ghosts: Part Three London's dark history is littered with tales of eerie mysteries, and not many places harbour such weirdness as Hampton Court Palace, the most haunted royal residence in the capital. Stretching for over sixty acres, this beautiful structure, and its grounds, have been shared with the public since 1838, and many of these visitors I'm sure are very unaware of the spectres which reside within the vast hallways,......

Not much to whinge about here apart from a migraine and hazy memories of the most stultifying Sunday evening you've had in awhile, but no matter -- it's a 4-day workweek, which means nothing if not carefree magic. Rest your pretty little head this evening, and revel in the knowledge that this week, only four mornings will begin with slapping the alarm clock's backside. Monday: It's August Bank Holiday, which since 1966 has become......

We like ducks in strange places. We also like ducks where they should be; in our ponds and on our rivers. On 31 August, though, Old Man Thames is going to be inundated with a quarter of a million ducks. No, not a Hitchcock avian nightmare (although they will be blue, which is totally wrong) but, yes, one of those world record attempt stunts that just happens to be raising cash for a whole......

For many of us ice-skating is a terrifying experience, bringing back memories of clinging to the edge of the rink, cold feet and humiliating wipeouts. We all know it's never as serene an experience as the Christmas cards make out, but there’s a veritable plethora of skating experiences to be had across London this snowy (hopefully) season. There are rinks with a touch of class at Somerset House (21 Nov - 17 Jan) or......

Hooray! It's nearly Halloween! Jack-o-lanterns a plenty, scary masks and annoying trick or treaters who get hyped up on way too many e-numbers (and probably a few cans of cider nowadays). Still, there's so much stuff going on this year, you'd be a fool to stay inside hiding under your sofa this 31st October. It just wouldn't be Halloween without the Rocky Horror Show. So Everyman Cinema snapped up this spooky treat. Dress up,......

We have to admit when we first saw this advertised we didn't have much of an idea what to expect. Henry VIII certainly knew how to cut it with the ladies, but we reckoned that a re-enactment of His Majesty's finest chat-up lines was unlikely, particularly in the middle of a river. It turns out that the Tudor Pull is run by the Thames Traditional Rowing Association and features crews of six oarsmen rowing......

2. London’s Phantom Hounds Phantom black dogs, or ‘hellhounds’ as folklorists like to call them, are, despite the haziness of legend, manifest the world over. Across the United Kingdom such canid apparitions have been given many names – Striker, Padfoot, Roy Dog, Guytrash, and the most well known being Black Shuck. Most of these fiery eyed beasts appear to haunt rural or at least semi-rural areas, so you might think that London would be excluded......

Last week's feature on the Bushy Park Time Trial, a 5km fun run which takes place each Saturday at 9am, went up so late on Friday night you barely had chance to dig out your kit before getting a good night's rest in preparation, so we thought we'd bring it to your attention one more time. The event is always open to anybody, whatever their standard, and you can simply turn up on the......

If we couldn't persuade you to go for a cycle to Brixton last weekend, maybe we can get you to go for a run this Saturday at 9am in Teddington? You wouldn't be alone, you know. Last time out 292 people took part in the Bushy Park Time Trial, a 5km (3.1 mile) weekly run open to anybody, whatever their standard, who'd simply like to turn up on the day and take part. Last......

A relative of a youth arrested in Kennington during the last round of anti-terror raids has contacted the IPCC to complain about the way his family were treated by the police officers. There are reports circulating today warning that, due to legal action brought by builders Multiplex, Wembley may not be ready until 2010. A new permanent memorial, unveiled at the Tower of London this week, commemorates those executed there. It also marks the......

Remember Lewis Pugh - the guy who's swimming the length of the Thames in the name of environmental awareness? Well, he's certainly managed to get one person to 'go green' - himself. Pugh was hospitalized after suffering vomiting spells, and was diagnosed with an ear infection and sinus problems that his support team attribute to river water. That diagnosis must have taken all their skill and judgment. The hospitalisation was over a week ago.......

Michael Day, who heads up the Historic Royal Palaces charity (that's the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Kew Palace) has spoken out about the 'steep drop' in tourism since July 7. We've heard a lot about this since the summer but Today's Times reports Day as saying that the effect of the attacks "on visitor numbers and turnover had been far more severe than had been......

Weirdly enough there's two articles in today's papers about how Britain is "in the grip" of an ice skating craze. In the Independent Jonathan Brown and Lucy Phillips are reporting on the "ice phenomenon" by conjuring up images from literary masterpieces such as Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, ("the author uses the love-struck Levin's prowess as a skater as a metaphor for passion as he vainly attempts to woo Kitty at Moscow's Zoological Gardens,") and Tom's......

OK, so The Tower of London might not make it as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World but it's still a pretty impressive building, and it's nice to see that Historic Royal Palaces (who run the Tower along with Hampton Court, Kensington Palace etc) are still coming up with some new ideas for the old place. The latest project is a memorial for the Tower's 'site of exectuion'. The 'site of......