My first culture dispatch of 2026 includes movies (Hamnet), tv docs (Katseye), theatre (Ballet Shoes), podcasts (The Birth Keepers), and tons of journalism (on procrastination, anti-AI defiance, the rise of ‘the patho influencer’, the toxic wife trope & more); Plus a jaw-dropping interview with former popstar Kerry Katona, 2025’s words of the year, my new favourite YouTube playlist to work to, a feel good tv series to banish the January blues, self-help authors on their favourite self-help, and travel notes on our magical Christmas adventure to Cape Town.