It’s the week before Christmas, and like us, you’re probably panicking because you’ve still got loads of shopping to do. If you have a spare night when you’re not out at wild and crazy office Christmas parties or fighting the crowds on Oxford Street, here are a few suggestions to keep you entertained. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 17 December Dispatches: How Safe Are Your Christmas Toys? (Channel 4, 21:00-22:00) If you’re Christmas shopping......

With a month of holiday shopping, parties and general merriment in front of you, you’ll probably be in need of a few rest days. Here are a few things to keep you entertained if you fancy a night in. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 3 December How London Was Built (ITV2, 20:00-20:30) Who knew there were giant “seemingly unsupported” staircases in the Bank of England? Adam Hart-Davies shows us this very impressive sounding staircase......

Isn’t it too early for winter? You’ll risk hypothermia if you’re outside this week, so stay in and watch the telly. Isn’t that really the best option? On TV, Londonist likes: Tuesday, 20 November & Wednesday, 21 November The Eight Hundred Million Pound Railway Station (BBC2, 22:00-22:30) The next two parts of this series on the brand spanking new St. Pancras station look at the race to finish the station on time. Apparently, the......

It’s cold outside this week, so it seems like the best plan is to cozy up on the couch and watch some telly. Why would you want to risk frostbite? On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 12 November I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here (ITV1, 21:00-22:30) It’s off to the jungle yet again with Ant & Dec as they guide a new group of “celebs” through as many disgusting tasks as you’d......

Just a quick shout-out to announce an upcoming bloggers get-together. The event takes place on 27 November at the Camel and Artichoke, Waterloo. It’s following that simple yet winning formula: get some interesting people in a pub and have some beers. Londonist will be there. The group is still fairly small, but keen to grow into a regular social for all us hard-grafting denizens of e-Grub Street. It’s organised by Dan Bower of We Love......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Hummus Bros Soho Location 88 Wardour Street W1F 0TJ 020 7734 1311 11am-10pm (Monday-Wednesday) 11am-11pm (Thursday-Friday) 12pm-11pm (Saturday) 12pm-10pm (Sunday) Map Holborn Location 37-63 Southampton Row WC1B 4DA 020 7404 7079 11am-10pm (Monday-Friday) Map Expect to Pay: under £7 Rating: 4 out of 10 Londonist is all about restaurants honing in on one thing and doing it right: creampuffs......

After a brief hiatus, we’re back with lots of fun things to do this week from the comfort of your own home. Get cozy on the couch with a cup of tea, because there are lots of things to watch this week. On TV, Londonist likes: Tuesday, 16 October Britain's Biggest Storm (ITV1, 21:00-22:30) If your interest was piqued by this week’s Monday Miscellanea, you’ll want to catch this documentary on the 20th anniversary......

There's nothing like a good mug (and then someone at work nicking it), so we were rather excited to hear about Monopoly Mugs this morning (via the rather brilliant retro to go.) Based on the classic London edition of the game, New Rooms Online is selling a mug for selected spots on the map letting you pick between the likes of Park Lane, Fleet Street, Waterworks, Old Kent Road as well as a couple......

Anybody who's spent an afternoon walking around Upper Street, iBook in hand, trying to log on to Islington council's "Technology Mile" service may smirk, but a new report says Londoners are the most wifi-happy people on the planet. According to the Wi-Fi Hotspot Index, networks set up by the likes of BT and The Cloud in London account for one tenth of the UK's wireless usage, and just over 1% of the worldwide total......

Autumn is tussling with the tail end of summer. It's nearly time to start closing the curtains early, sticking the central heating on timer and making soups and stews. Bed socks on! Here’s your London related home based media entertainment for the week. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 24 September Withnail and I (C4, 01.30-03.25) Drink, drugs, debauchery and dirt in Camden Town. Need we say more. (Actually, just to confirm, that's 01.30 on......

Following last year's inaugural success, the BBC Electric Proms return for a 2nd year from 24 - 28 October. Tickets go on sale today at 12pm and, given the calibre of the lineup, are expected to be snapped up in no time. The posher version of the Camden Crawl, the musical Leccy lineup is spread across Koko, Roundhouse, Barfly, Dingwalls, the Jazz Cafe and the Electric Ballroom, with relevant musical films taking place in......

It might be September, but it’s looking like this week will be summery and gorgeous, which should let us all forget about a dismal August. However, if you don’t fancy nights in a beer garden in the warm weather, here are a few things to check out at home. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 10 September Dispatches: The Olympics Cash Machine (Channel 4, 20:00-21:00) Interested in learning how much the Olympics is really going......

It looks like summer might actually have arrived in London this week, but if you're determined to stay inside, here are a few things to help you bide the time. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 3 September – Wednesday, 5 September Dumped (Channel 4, 21:00-22:00) We’ve already told you about this interesting concept involving contestants living on a rubbish dump, and since you’re no doubt looking to fill the Big Brother void in your......

If, like us, you’re exhausted and skint after the bank holiday weekend and just not up to taking advantage of all the fun things London has to offer this week, here are a few things you can watch and listen to from the comfort of your front room. On TV, Londonist likes: Thursday, 30 August Robbie Coltrane: B-Road Britain (ITV1, 21:00-22:00) Robbie Coltrane takes to the roads and travels from London to Glasgow using......

Wonderful, wizard wifi. It keeps the Crackberry addicts happy, the laptop lovers mobile and coffee shops full of latte-quaffing surfers. We've marked out where to find free wifi around town and want to see more little flags on the map so even more of you can enjoy internet access wherever you may end up. However, there seems to be a gossamer-thin line between free and stolen which was crossed just this week - and......

Walking, iPods and London trivia are the holy trinity as far as Londonist is concerned. The three have now reached a state of conjoined perfection in Soundmap. Sites offering guided walks via media players are two a penny. We reviewed a whole troupe of them last year. Some are well written but lack production, others are polished but empty. Soundmap gets everything right. The three walks currently on the site cover Soho, Camden and......

It's summer! Shouldn't you be outside enjoying the sunshine? That is, assuming we actually get any. If you don't fancy making the most of the weather, here are a few choices for a night in. On TV, Londonist likes: Tuesday, 21 August Secret Life of the Motorway (BBC4, 21:00-22:00) What screams "summer holidays" more than being stuck on the motorway on your way to or from somewhere fabulous? You'll be sure to love this......

Last week we reported on Walk Score, a tool for people who want to take positive steps towards greener living. This week, something for our more pessimistic readers: Flood Maps. Another twist on Google Maps, look up where you live or where you’re thinking of moving to, type in the amount you predict sea levels will rise, and find out whether you’re going to end up underwater. Projecting sea level rise is problematic. A......

If all your mates are off on holiday and work is unbearably dull and hot then here's some home entertainment to get you through the mid-August slump. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 13 August Panorama (BBC1, 20:30) If you're avoiding Dawkins on Channel 4 (and we've no idea why you would but it's not about London so we're not going to make a fuss about it but it's on at 20.00 and we could......

You've seen those adverts for a well known building society, right? – the ones with the annoying chap explaining that it ‘doesn’t work like that’. Change the building society for the Ordnance Survey (our national mapping agency) and make Google the customer for a farce that has made London the laughing stock of the mapping world. Fly around Google Earth and you will see 3D models of cities around the world, but fly into......

If you’re looking for a new place to live, and want to live more greenly at the same time, Londonist has discovered the perfect tool to help you: Walk Score. A cunning twist on Google Maps, give it a postcode and it’ll calculate how many useful things, such as shops, restaurants, cinemas, schools and parks, are within a mile of your house. Meaning you can use your car less, get fitter, save money and......

Now it’s properly August there’s not much coming up on the tellybox. However, if you really can’t be arsed to get out there and catch some cheap London, Camden Fringe or Shoreditch Festival then you could keep your London head in check by paying attention to the following: On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 6 August Super Vets (BBC1, 19:30-20:00) Terrible title but a nice opportunity to catch a behind the scenes look at London......

It looks like summer might actually have arrived in London this week, but if you're determined to stay inside, here are a few things to help you bide the time. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 30 July The Tower (BBC1, 22:35-11:25) After the disputes last week about whether or not the Pepys Estate was being represented fairly in this 8 part documentary, this is your chance to form your own opinion. In episode 6,......

Londonist loves Facebook, and we knew we weren't alone. The rest of London seems to agree with us. Last week, London beat out Toronto for the top geographic network on the hugely popular social networking site. According to the Guardian, as of Friday there were 790,615 members in the London Network. By our reckoning, today there are 819,908 London members, compared with 708,268 in Toronto, the next most popular network. The jump of 29,293......

If you're not too busy reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows or attending fabulous Londonist quizzes this week, here are are a few things to keep you occupied on a quiet night in. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 23 July The Tower (BBC1, 22:35-11:25) It's episode 5 of this 8 part series, and it's all about the romance on the estate. Kelley and Wayne tie the knot with a large part of the......

As always, there are a million things to do in London this week. If you fancy a night in though, here are a few things to keep you occupied. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 16 July Building Britain (BBC1, 19:30-20:00) The first in the series, Peter Ackroyd's back to take us through the changes in London's skyline and how money and power are influencing how our city will look. Olympic Backlash: Tonight (ITV1, 20:00-20:30)......

Nothing’s more mashable than the Periodic Table. It’s the ultimate nerd icon and eminently adaptable for other purposes. A Periodic Table of the Internet is currently doing the rounds, bringing the concept into the 21st Century. A genius idea. Not least because all the smaller sites on the Table are sure to blog about it, thus perpetuating its longevity. And now it’s our turn. Look, there we are. Bottom right corner. Propping up such......

There are a million things to do in London this week, but if you fancy a night in, here are a few things to keep you occupied. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 9 July Britain’s Next Top Model (Living, 21:00-22:00) After the dramatic first episode that saw all the girls get in a screaming match on their first night in their posh London house, we can't wait to see what the wannabe models will......

We are the people who live in London. Some of us are born here and some of us will die here. Some of us have been here forever and some came here yesterday. Some of us will stay forever, like it or not. We have been those people for nearly 2000 years and our consciousness has shaped our environment from our gardens to Parliament, from our market stalls to the London Eye. The way......

There are a million things to do in London this week, but if you fancy a night in, here are a few things to keep you occupied. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 2 July - Friday, 6 July Wimbledon Today (BBC2, 20:00-21:00) Chances are, your workplace won’t let you watch Wimbledon during the day, so here’s your chance to catch up all week. Watch and see how many ways they can come up with......