Going out: Cinema Gladiator II Out now It’s tough to get lightning to strike twice, and the first Gladiator film is one of the jewels in director Ridley Scott’s crown. Still, with the likes of Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington slipping into the sandals, togas and bum-skimming tunics, at the very least this is an eye-catchingly cast trip to Rome. Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point Out now Writer-director Tyler Taormina follows up Ham on Rye with a fable of festive family bonding, as an ensemble cast including Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Maria Dizzia, Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg gather to portray four generations of the Balsano family coming together at Christmas in their home in Long Island. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Out now A mix of jazz and protest, Johan Grimonprez’s film is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 60s, when singer Abbey Lincoln and drummer Max Roach crashed the UN Security Council to draw attention to the murder of the PM Patrice Lumumba. Art of Action Cinemas nationwide to New Year’s Eve Hang on to your hats, or better yet grab your hats at the last minute from under a rapidly descending stone wall: this major new season from the BFI celebrates action choreography as a key part of the art of cinema. Films range from cult classics to more obscure choices, with more than 50 venues across the UK hosting events and screenings. Catherine Bray Going out: Gigs Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 18 to 24 November; starts Brighton Six-time Grammy winner and sometime actor and sometime actor Isbell brings his backing band the 400 Unit to the UK in support of last year’s slowly unfurling Weathervanes album. Full of brow-beaten rock and windswept, monochrome emotions, it should go down a treat on cold winter nights. Michael Cragg Zhu 19 to 22 November; tour starts Manchester Best known in the UK for his tactile 2014 Top Three hit Faded, US electronic producer-singer Zhu has steadily expanded his sound, taking in dark dance-pop and ragged R&B. Expect it all on this short UK tour. MC Mark Wigglesworth Lighthouse, Poole, 20 November; Beacon, Bristol, 21 November Kirill Karabits will be a hard act to follow as the Bournemouth Symphony’s principal conductor, but the orchestra has done well in securing Mark Wigglesworth as his replacement. The British conductor won’t really hit his stride until next season, but he’slaunching his tenure this week with Walton’s First Symphony, alongside Wagner and Ravel. Andrew Clements London jazz festival Various venues, London, to 24 November The second week of the EFG London jazz festival brings another raft of international stars, including perpetual one-off Django Bates at the Vortex (16 November); subtle US vocal star Gretchen Parlato (18 November); exciting Cuban global-jazz virtuoso Roberto Fonseca (20 and 21 November); and improv hip-hop maestro Robert Glasper (18 and 21 November). John Fordham Going out: Art The 80s Tate Britain, London, 21 November to 5 May Thatcher! Riots! It’s coming like a ghost town at Tate Britain as this exhibition revisits what it describes as “one of the UK’s most critical decades” – though surely the 1940s, the 1640s or for that matter the 1060s could qualify? See for yourself through photos of social change, including works by Grace Lau, Maud Sulter and Paul Trevor. Stitched! Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, to 18 January National Trust for Scotland collaborates on this exhibition about the often overlooked but richly beautiful history of textile art. Embroidered fabrics from Scottish stately homes tell an alternative story of the nation’s visual culture from 1720 to 1920. You’ll never look at a tea cosy the same way again. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael Royal Academy, London, to 16 February Time travel to Florence circa 1504 when the Renaissance reached its height. Michelangelo unveils David, Leonardo da Vinci starts the Mona Lisa, they are both tasked to paint murals, and young Raphael has a ringside seat. Some of the greatest drawings you will ever see let you into their thoughts. Chila Kumari Singh Burman Compton Verney, Warwickshire, to 26 January Colourful pop art that illuminates the front of Compton Verney with neons and shakes up its classical interior with collages and assemblages. Born in Liverpool and self-described as a “Punjabi Liverpudlian”, Chila Kumari Singh Burman evokes the dances and tuk-tuks of the Punjab and portrays life in the UK. Jonathan Jones Going out: Stage George Lewis 16 November to 28 June; tour starts Peterborough There are an awful lot of people on social media making jokes about parenting young children, but few do it as delightfully and hilariously as Lewis. The Stockport standup was a jobbing comedy writer pre Insta-success; now he’s parlaying his online clout into an extensive live tour. Rachel Aroesti The Importance of Being Earnest National Theatre, London, 21 November to 25 January Off the back of Stoppard’s The Real Thing in the West End and Macbeth’s transfer from the Donmar, Max Webster directs a starry cast for Oscar Wilde’s raucous classic. With a dream team including Ncuti Gatwa, Sharon D Clarke and Hugh Skinner, it’s bound to be a hoot. Kate Wyver Michael Morpurgo’s Pinocchio Watermill theatre, Newbury, to 5 January A watering can transforms into a wild boar as puppet designer Marc Parrett brings the creatures of Pinocchio to life using objects that might be found around Geppetto’s workshop. Butterflies flutter, weasels wobble, and a curious cricket causes mischief in Michael Morpurgo’s adaptation of this joyful family classic. KW Akram Khan: Gigenis Sadler’s Wells, London, 20 to 24 November Ace dancer Khan returns to the stage with a cherrypicked ensemble of Indian classical dancers and musicians in this new piece. Like much of Khan’s work, Gigenis takes on huge philosophical themes –time, tradition, myth and collective memory – – but it relishes in the emotional and spiritual power of dance and music. Lyndsey Winship Staying in: Streaming Dune: Prophecy Sky Atlantic & Now, 18 December, 9pm Hot on the heels of House of the Dragon comes another big-budget prequel. Dune: Prophecy is set 10,000 years before the 2021 film – a time, apparently, when everyone spoke with a UK accent – and traces the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Emily Watson, Mark Strong and Olivia Williams star. My Brilliant Friend Sky Atlantic & Now, 20 November, 9pm The last instalment of the TV adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s exquisite Neapolitan Quartet finally arrives on UK screens. Fans of the books will already know there is devastation in store: The Story of The Lost Child chronicles unspeakable grief alongside the ultimate dissolution of Elena and Lila’s intense friendship. After the Party Channel 4, Wednesday, 9pm At the heart of this compelling Kiwi drama is a horrifying unknown. Penny (Robyn Malcolm) is convinced she saw her husband, Phil (Peter Mullan) behaving inappropriately with an inebriated teenager. He denied it and left for his native Scotland. Five years on, he’s back to see his daughter – with Penny seemingly the only person still certain of his guilt. Boybands Forever BBC iPlayer & BBC Two, 9.15pm, Saturday Co-produced by Louis Theroux, this three-part documentary about the highs and lows of pop idolatry at the turn of the millennium has taken on a grim new significance after the death of Liam Payne. Prepare for a nostalgia trip that doesn’t gloss over the disappointments and pain of boyband fame. RA Staying in: Games Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Out 19 November; PC, Xbox An absolute feat of technology, this flight sim maps the entire world for you to fly over, not just in commercial planes but in every other imaginable aircraft, from agricultural planes to gyrocopters, firefighting helicopters to private jets. Lego Horizon Adventures Out now; PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch The Lego crossover that nobody asked for, but it’s pretty good anyway, especially for kids who are too young to play through Aloy’s proper adventures. Sony’s robo-dinosaur action game looks adorable in colourful brick form. Keza MacDonald Staying in: Albums Flo – Access All Areas Out now Brit-winning girl group Flo have taken their time to perfect the old-school R&B flavours on this debut album. While their biggest hit so far, 2023’s Missy Elliott-assisted Fly Girl, is oddly absent, cheeky single Walk Like This and the harmony-laden Caught Up perfectly showcase their style. Linkin Park – From Zero Out now Seven years after the death of their lead singer, Chester Bennington, enduring US rockers Linkin Park return with a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, and this 11-track album. Lead single The Emptiness Machine sets the tone: tactile beats, chunky guitars and the kind of throat-lacerating chorus perfect for arenas. 070 Shake – Petrichor Out now Since the release of 2022’s You Can’t Kill Me, singer and rapper Danielle Balbuena has worked with the likes of Raye, Rahim Redcar and Kanye. This follow-up continues Balbuena’s love of genre-hopping, as showcased on the scuzzy 60s doo-wop of the single Winter Baby. Gwen Stefani – Bouquet Out now After reuniting with No Doubt for this summer’s Coachella festival, Gwen Stefani goes solo yet again for this belated follow-up to 2017’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Ditching the ska and hip-hop flavours of her recent one-off singles, Bouquet revels in 70s MOR and sleek yacht rock, as showcased on the single Somebody Else’s. MC Staying in: Brain food Lost Notes: Groupies Podcast This raucous new series tells the story of the groupies who were at the centre of the hedonistic 70s LA rock scene. We hear from women who had Mick Jagger and many more in their thrall. Toldinstone YouTube Historian Garrett Ryan’s YouTube channel is fascinatingly niche, detailing the ways in which ancient Roman and Greek cities were built and operated. Highlights include explorations into Roman concrete, obscure methods of waste management and more. Bread & Roses Apple TV+, from 22 November Three Afghani women living under Taliban rule are the focus of this moving film by director and activist Sahra Mani. From exile to enforced home seclusion and activism, we witness their struggle for equal rights. Ammar Kalia