Arts

On Burns Night this Sunday – and 235 years after Tam O'Shanter was published in 1791 – Scots everywhere may well be treated to a masterwork with a unique, universal appeal.

Charlie Chaplin's silent comedy, City Lights, is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made – and its final moments are key to its reputation.

Once dismissed as a failed postmodern utopia, the Sicilian town of Gibellina is being transformed as Italy's first Capital of Contemporary Art – and inviting travellers to see it anew.

From big-name authors Colson Whitehead, George Saunders and Maggie O'Farrell to debuts and non-fiction, these are the titles you'll want to add to your reading pile this year.

In 2025, personal stories proved popular and powerful – but several controversies raised questions about the future of the memoir genre.

Dozens of mysterious structures across the Northern Hemisphere – some nearly 5,000 years old – align precisely to frame the rising and setting Sun on midwinter's shortest day.

From a "richly atmospheric" novella to a "virtuosic" debut – this is the very best fiction of the year, as chosen by BBC journalists.