Uh, media exposure, that is. Prostitutes are, like, all over the place this week. First, a prostitution ring takes down the Sheriff of Wall Street. Then the BBC kicks off its newest musical talent competition, I’d Do Anything, in which contestants compete for the chance to play Nancy, hooker with a heart of gold, in a West End revival of the musical Oliver! Londonist cites the two examples and declares it a cultural phenomenon.......

We like to think we have a broad range of cultural interests at Londonist. In a day, we can bring you news of a new electro-pop retro psychedelia band playing Camden, a Korean theatre company performing a German play to tango music, an art exhibition that involves bringing your own art and dance performances full of writhing nude, geriatric bodies. So it gave us no end of pleasure to hear of two news items......

We're very excited. After years of overdosing on the American cop/detective/legal thriller franchises it looks like we're finally getting our own. Law and Order's crossing the pond. Of course, we'd prefer CSI but beggars can't be choosers. We love The Bill but its East End beat patrol and trademark frontline grit put it at the other end of the entertainment scale to L&O which deals with the more cerebral end of arrest and trial,......

It’s almost Christmas! Over the Christmas holidays, we’ll be here every day recommending the best of what’s on television. We’ll do the hard work, slogging through the TV listings, and let you sit back with a nice hot drink and a mince pie. Enjoy! On TV, Londonist likes: Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 17:50-19:15 and 21:25-22:10) While we haven’t been keeping up with the excitement of this year’s dancing fun, we know lots of you......

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......

Residents of Stoke Newington, you should be proud. Local proprietor Kirit Ved is flying the Stokey flag all the way up in Birmingham where, at a glittering ceremony, he has just been named Independent Newsagent of the Year 2007. VED News, on Church Street in N16, was singled out by the judges for its impressive range of newspapers and magazines from around the globe. Reflecting Hackney's polyglot populace, Mr. Ved stocks titles from the......

Dick Maxwell, who retired last year as the NFL Senior Director of Broadcasting after almost thirty years with American Football's governing body was Wednesday night's guest lecturer in the seminar series organised for students of the MSc in Sports Management and the Business of Football at Birkbeck, University of London. Nowadays an NFL consultant in the areas of television and instant replay, Mr Maxwell kindly fielded a few questions for us after his well-received......

23. The Woman In Black This week’s feature on London’s darker side is more of a review, simply because last week, Saturday 13th October, myself and my cousin ventured to see The Woman In Black stage show at the Fortune Theatre, on Russell Street in Covent Garden. For those of you who are not familiar with this chilling ghost story, it is an adaptation of Susan Hill’s fine book and has been running in......

Pause for thought for the day. Has Russell T Davis been hanging out in Cookham church yard, scene of Stanley Spencer's resurrection painting? Gravestones commemorating the family of Blood and Dalek Sec not pictured.......

Reality TV has found a new audience with the broadcast of a splendid new show, Model Mosque. Shown on the Islam Channel, the programme sees mosques from around the UK (of which there are 1,500 official ones) going head to head to be awarded the title of Mosque with the mostest and to receive £35,000 worth of consultancy. Viewers vote by text on the weekly knockout rounds - the final is on 25th November. Londonist......

Channel 4 is 25 years old in November hence the glorious retro branding and Richard Whiteley era-Countdown appearing on TV. Famous for bringing close-ups of willies, tits and countless controversial things into the living rooms of thousands, it's rightfully celebrating a quarter-century of good reasons to stay in on Friday nights and legendary water-cooler moments. A special off-screen marker of 25 years of success is unveiled today outside the TV station's headquarters. A towering......

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......

This weekend column is brought to you by the founders of Niceties Tokens, Liz and Pete of Team Nice. 20. Kids Today I discovered this conversation on Fridaycities – the London social network site (if you want to join it you might need this code: pfpxc3ogqu5). They were discussing why people think that so many kids are stabbing each other. A few different points were made about this, one being that knife crime and......

(Actually, they’re not. We’re feeling all pretentious this morning and wish to demonstrate our superior education in the Classics.) Turns out the 2012 Olympic venue for canoe slalom, Spitalbrook in Hertfordshire, is tainted with muck. Heavy pollution has forced the Olympic Delivery Authority to seek a new location six miles further south. The proposed move has yet to be approved by the International Olympic Committee. We think shifting the event to cleaner waters is......

This weekend column is brought to you by the founders of Niceties Tokens, Liz and Pete of Team Nice. 18. Social Revolution? When I was a kid, television was dominated by the game show, like The Price Is Right or Bulls Eye. I think the appeal was through empathy of that elated feeling of winning something great… Bully’s special prize. Then our society changed. Reality television took over, we became more interested in how......

It's entirely in the nature of ducks that they can fly under the radar, but only in fairy tales do kings arrive unannounced. Nevertheless, even those who would count themselves fans of ice hockey may be surprised to learn that the O2 Arena this weekend hosts not just one, but two clashes between a pair of North American professional teams. And not just a pre-season slapabout, mind you. These are the opening fixtures of......

A circus skills face-off of super-sequinned proportions is hitting Hackney this Thursday in Circus Showdown, Hackney Empire. This first Television may have reached saturation point with the now very tired competition format - the squealing, the shrieking, the entirely fabricated tension as the irritating, deluded, talentless contestants wait for the results of the already fixed results of the totally bogus phone-in votes from the audience. The world of live performance is yet to turn......

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......

19. Freakish Falls! During the August of 1920 in Woodford, stones poured from the sky for three consecutive days without explanation. Four years later at Eltham, Plumstead, Woolwich and Shooters Hill a great ice storm battered the area, despite the afternoon being the hottest for two years! The hailstones were the size of eggs, and some jagged in nature, measuring five-inches which fell from the sky, cutting residents who ran for cover. In January......

Gorillas have been getting a rather good press of late in London. The Gorilla Kingdom at London Zoo, which opened in March, has seen huge numbers of visitors trudging up Regent's Park way to gawp at resident lowland gorillas Bobby, Zaire and Effie swing about their new home. Meanwhile, a television ad featuring a sullen simian being sparked into life by the crashing drum break of Phil Collins 'In The Air Tonight' has become......

London, a melting pot of immigrant cultures and strange beasts. Amongst other things of course. But none of this is anything new. Way back in October 1958 a bear arrived on a lifeboat from Darkest Peru with a suitcase full of marmalade sandwiches. Luckily he was discovered on the concourse of Paddington station by the remarkable Brown family (possibly related to our glorious leader, we're not sure) and went to live with them at......

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......

In the UK, Joe Rogan is probably best known for playing Joe Garrelli in the sitcom NewsRadio, as a presenter on the American reality show Fear Factor, and as a commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. What us Londoners may not be aware of is that Joe is also a prolific stand-up comedian, gigging regularly to huge audiences around America for over fifteen years. He mixes traditional stand-up with political satire, a dissection of......

….you’re just pootling along the high street, minding your (or everybody else’s, if you’re a Londonist) business, when what do you espy? A piano. Just perched there on the pavement. You rub your eyes, and make a vow to cut back a bit on the old Lambrusco/JD/what you will. It cannot be. Ah, you think, it’s a practical joke: there’s a hidden camera somewhere…. Well, this slightly Python-esque scene is likely to be played......

A day after possibly the strongest entry for the most risible right-wing attempt at 'humour' since Jim Davidson was allowed near prime time television, Boris Johnson emerged from his summer holidays (it's silly season all year round for him really) and set out his stall for taking on Ken Livingstone next May. And what a stall it is. Thrill to his delight at being able to buy mango juice in newsagents! Listen to his boast......

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......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 3rd September 1878: Passenger steamer Princess Alice collides with cargo ship Bywell Castle on the Thames near Woolwich Pier. All of the 700 passengers of the Princess Alice are either thrown into the heavily polluted river or trapped below the decks of the sinking vessel. Fewer than 100 passengers survive. Tuesday – 4th September 1899: Moorfields Eye Hospital (known at the time as the Royal London Ophthalmic......