FEARLESS, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM ON CULTURE, POLITICS AND TECH

LATEST

Iran is forced to choose between the shah and the ayatollah. But we reject both

Jan 13, 2026

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8 min read

Iran is forced to choose between the shah and the ayatollah. But we reject both

As far as we know, there are more protestors in danger on the streets than ever, writes UK-based Iranian filmmaker Elahe Esmaili. This wave of unrest could herald a new revolution for my country – if we can be truly free to create our own future

'The word terrorism is used to remove empathy': Natasha Walter on how language dehumanises the Palestine Action hunger strikers

Jan 9, 2026

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6 min read

'The word terrorism is used to remove empathy': Natasha Walter on how language dehumanises the Palestine Action hunger strikers

Heba Muraisi has never been charged, tried or convicted of terrorism. But she and the other hunger strikers have been stripped of humanity in the way they have been labelled by the government. The damage is evident in how ordinary people react to them

Natasha Walter

Jan 13, 2026

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8 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

Great culture to check out this week – from a striking new album from Dry Cleaning to the devastating true story of a child killed in Gaza - all recommended by our team of editors and writers

Jan 9, 2026

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8 min read

Stewart Lee: Nakedly imperialist oil wars just aren’t what they used to be

Call me nostalgic, but didn’t the US used to have a cover story for invading South American countries – or at least have a president who could remember what it was?

Jan 13, 2026

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5 min read

Skate secrets: how I fell in love with hit drama Heated Rivalry before I ever saw it on TV

The steamy gay ice hockey drama has become a global sensation – in part because chronically online people like me have been watching edits and memes about it for months, writes Michaela Makusha

Jan 8, 2026

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9 min read

Trump in plain sight: how a new US security document has changed the world

The crises over Venezuela and Greenland are not accidental – they are part of the White House’s stated vision for a new world order run by the ‘great powers’, writes analyst and former diplomat Arthur Snell

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POLITICS & INVESTIGATIONS

If Keir Starmer's digital ID is the question, Tony Blair is the answer

Dec 9, 2025

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9 min read

If Keir Starmer's digital ID is the question, Tony Blair is the answer

The government's wildly unpopular new policy is backed by Britain’s wildly unpopular former PM. It’s also a techno-authoritarian’s wet dream, argues Carole Cadwalladr

Reform UK and Russian bribes: a Nathan Gill timeline

Nov 21, 2025

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26 min read

Reform UK and Russian bribes: a Nathan Gill timeline

As Reform’s former leader in Wales is sentenced to ten and a half years for taking bribes from a pro-Russian actor, here's a chronology of his actions and the wider context of Putin, Ukraine and Brexit

An absent MP. A Russian traitor in Reform. I go to Clacton in search of Nigel Farage

Nov 18, 2025

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7 min read

An absent MP. A Russian traitor in Reform. I go to Clacton in search of Nigel Farage

On the trail of the elusive Reform leader, John Sweeney films a report in his struggling constituency – where even the prospect of Putin undermining British politics doesn’t raise many eyebrows

‘What will Jesus say?’ Tony Blair, Big Tech and the Israel connection

Sep 30, 2025

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17 min read

‘What will Jesus say?’ Tony Blair, Big Tech and the Israel connection

As Trump announces the former British PM as his choice to help govern Gaza, Carole Cadwalladr investigates the opaque workings of Blair's institute, its funding from friends of Israel's government – including billionaire Larry Ellison – and an emerging rightwing media takeover of the global information space

CULTURE

Jan 9, 2026

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6 min read

Review of the Week: Hamnet

Chloé Zhao’s Bard drama with its powerhouse lead performance from Jessie Buckley is hotly tipped for success. But is it just a deluxe version of Shakespeare in Love? writes Ellen E Jones

Ellen E Jones

‘At 18 I was outside theatres begging for money.’ Actor Denise Gough on poverty, Palestine and homemaking

Jan 6, 2026

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9 min read

‘At 18 I was outside theatres begging for money.’ Actor Denise Gough on poverty, Palestine and homemaking

About to open in the stage version of the western High Noon, opposite Billy Crudup, and in the film of H Is for Hawk, the star of Andor answers the Nerve Q&A

Jude Rogers

Jan 9, 2026

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7 min read

The Recommender: Ali Smith

The multi-award-winning, Booker-shortlisted novelist picks her current cultural favourites

THE WEEKEND DISH

Jan 9, 2026

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5 min read

Amber Guinness’s spinach and ricotta malfatti in broth

The cook and author shares one of her mother’s signature dishes – a Tuscan classic featuring deliciously light dumplings in a warming broth for cold winter nights

Jan 2, 2026

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5 min read

Rebecca Ghim’s bibimbap bowl

The chef and kimchi producer shares a vegan Korean dish that offers a colourful antidote to Christmas excess

The Ginger Pig’s stilton, walnut and bacon tart

Dec 19, 2025

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5 min read

The Ginger Pig’s stilton, walnut and bacon tart

A super-easy party piece from the much-loved butcher’s latest cookbook

Dec 12, 2025

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6 min read

Ben Lippett’s udon with ginger prawn bisque

The chef turned food writer, aka @dinnerbyben, shares his updated take on a classic shellfish soup

FEARLESS, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM ON CULTURE, POLITICS AND TECH

LATEST

Iran is forced to choose between the shah and the ayatollah. But we reject both

'The word terrorism is used to remove empathy': Natasha Walter on how language dehumanises the Palestine Action hunger strikers

The Nerve Hotlist

Stewart Lee: Nakedly imperialist oil wars just aren’t what they used to be

Skate secrets: how I fell in love with hit drama Heated Rivalry before I ever saw it on TV

Trump in plain sight: how a new US security document has changed the world

SUBSCRIBE TO STAY UP TO DATE AND SUPPORT THE NERVE

Free

£0

Monthlymember

£6.95

Annualmember

£68

Foundermember

£250

POLITICS & INVESTIGATIONS

If Keir Starmer's digital ID is the question, Tony Blair is the answer

Reform UK and Russian bribes: a Nathan Gill timeline

An absent MP. A Russian traitor in Reform. I go to Clacton in search of Nigel Farage

‘What will Jesus say?’ Tony Blair, Big Tech and the Israel connection

CULTURE

Review of the Week: Hamnet

‘At 18 I was outside theatres begging for money.’ Actor Denise Gough on poverty, Palestine and homemaking

The Recommender: Ali Smith

THE WEEKEND DISH

Amber Guinness’s spinach and ricotta malfatti in broth

Rebecca Ghim’s bibimbap bowl

The Ginger Pig’s stilton, walnut and bacon tart

Ben Lippett’s udon with ginger prawn bisque

Monthly
member

Annual
member

Founder
member