here is an old meme of a wonky coat hook, its “fists” raised, with the caption “drunk octopus wants to fight” and, increasingly, when I read yet another story in which historical institutions are attacked for talking about history, this is the image that comes to mind. Put ’em up, facts. Let’s take this outside. After Richard Deverell, the head of Kew Gardens, had to fend off critics accusing him of “preposterous posturing” for acknowledging Kew’s roots in colonialism and changing display boards to give more information on the history of its collections, and after the head of the National Trust, Hilary McGrady, had to defend what she called “telling really interesting stories about our properties”, which includes information about how the slave trade funded the building of some of those properties, now Jane Austen’s House Museum in Hampshire has been forced to issue a statement explaining that its plans to “refresh the displays and decorations” did not amount to “woke madness” or even “revisionism”, of which it had been accused. “We will not, and have never had any intention to, interrogate Jane Austen, her characters or her readers for drinking tea,” the museum said, in a statement that sounded more baffled than exasperated. In the words of Cher Horowitz from the film Clueless – Emma, as imagined by 1990s Hollywood – “Ugh. As if!” As if the problem is historical accuracy concerning the time in which Austen, an author about whom very little is actually known, lived and wrote. As if providing more information about an era, information that, as Jane Austen’s House wearily pointed out, already exists in the public domain and has not been dredged up with the specific intention of “cancelling” Austen, is anything other than adding another layer to another “really interesting story”. As if anyone wants to cancel Jane Austen, as if the intentions behind this are anything other than cynical and deliberately obtuse. As if, as if, as if. In other Austen news, Netflix has announced an adaptation of Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson, and directed by Carrie Cracknell, who is moving from theatre directing to her feature film debut. There is another Persuasion in the works, starring Succession’s Sarah Snook, and this is a good time to argue that, while it may not be the flashiest Austen novel, Persuasion is the best. If you don’t agree, then drunken octopus will fight you. Put ’em up. Let’s take this outside. Annie Mac: the life and soul of her Radio 1 party Even now, after decades of listening to it, line-up changes at Radio 1 leave me feeling a little unsettled, in the same way that I do when a favoured brand of chocolate tweaks its recipe or a faithful moisturiser is discontinued. But I felt genuine surprise when Annie Mac announced that she would be leaving Radio 1 in September after 17 years. She said that with her debut novel out soon she wanted more time to write fiction, make podcasts and see her children. “I also love the idea of leaving the party (and make no mistake, working at Radio 1 does feel like a party) with a huge smile on my face, while I’m still having the most fun I can,” she added. It has been noted by many that radio has been a perfect medium during the tougher months of this pandemic, that its blend of familiarity and intimacy has been particularly comforting during uncomfortable times. Throughout her tenure at Radio 1, Mac captured that sense that you were listening to a friend with really good taste in music, giving recommendations you could trust, as if you knew her. (That easy intimacy forms the backbone of her podcast, Changes, which memorably gave Kelis the opportunity to air her thoughts on men running the world – worth a listen, if you haven’t heard it already.) Mac also resisted genre snobbery, while the eclecticism of her playlists was magical. Clara Amfo will take over her Future Sounds show, an excellent choice, but I have loved being at Annie Mac’s party. It always felt like everyone was invited. Tom Kerridge: a veggie fish finger, please Marcus Rashford’s inspirational fight against child hunger and food poverty continues apace, as the footballer teams up with chef Tom Kerridge to launch @FullTimeMeals on Instagram. The weekly videos will offer recipes and cooking tutorials aimed at helping families make easy and “pocket-friendly” meals. One will be the ultimate fish finger sandwich, a coup for the humble fish finger’s PR, which may have taken a, ahem, battering after the Netflix anti-fish film Seaspiracy. As a vegetarian who likes the taste of meat, fish fingers are the one food I miss. You can get decent sausage and bacon substitutes, but there is no good non-fish fish finger and I have tried many. The risk is that these kinds of initiatives might come across as preachy and therefore ineffective, but this feels different. It is coming from experience – Rashford and Kerridge spent last week talking about how their teenage years informed the idea of teaching people to cook without gadgets or expensive ingredients, and without feeling too intimidated to begin, because everyone has to start somewhere. If they’ve got any ideas for a veggie fish finger, I’m all ears. Rebecca Nicholson is an Observer columnist