Things To Do In London: Thursday 5 March 2015

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London Trivia

Lunch hours are precious. We all know that. Last year, we got so frustrated by the intricacies, queues and endless decisions to be made on a lunch break that we ended up trying to resolve the unsolved mysteries of the London lunch break.

Things To Do

Fashion on the Ration opens at Imperial War Museum.

FAITH AND ART:How relevant is religion today? And how relevant is it to contemporary art?  These questions are explored in a collaborative international art exhibition in the Art Pavilion in Mile End Park. Free, just turn up, until 29 March

FASHION ON THE RATION: Explore how fashion survived and even flourished under the strict rules of rationing during the Second World War in new and unexpected ways. Fashion on the Ration is at the Imperial War Museum — we gave it ★★★★ read our review here. £10/£7, prebook, until 31 August

BREAKFAST TOUR: Head to Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green for an exclusive view and guided tour of the exhibition Small Stories: At Home in a Dolls' House. £15, prebook, 9am. For info on other behind the scenes tours, click here.

MARITIME ENVIRONMENT: The first in National Maritime Museum's series of environment lectures takes place today. Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan or The Whale and The Sea Inside, explores London's strange relationship with the whale, from Cromwell's day, to the whale that swam up the Thames in 2006. £8/£32 for whole series, prebook, 11am

HAMPTON COURT TOUR: As Hampton Court Palace marks its 500th anniversary, take a guided tour of Henry VIII's Baroque palace and gardens. £12/£6 (doesn't include entry to Hampton Court Palace), prebook, 2.30pm. See also our behind the scenes video revealing the secrets of Hampton Court.

DOCHOUSE SCREENING: DocHouse screens Enemies of Happiness, a documentary about Malalai Joya, an activist who successfully drew attention to the oppression of women in her country. The screening takes place at Birkbeck Cinema and is followed by a Q&A session with the film's cinematographer Zillah Bowes. £5, prebook, 3pm

SALON LONDON: Salon London brings together geneticist Steve Jones, poet Ruth Padel and Tony Juniper (former head of Friends of the Earth) at Foyles on Charing Cross Road to discuss evolution, questioning whether man (or woman) is just another animal. £12, prebook, 7pm

FEMALE WRITERS: The Working Men’s Club in Mornington Crescent has a literary night celebrating female authors, hosted by Lucy Popescu. Meet writers such as Kate Saunders and Deirdre Shananhan, hear them read and buy their books. Free, prebook, 7pm

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE: In 1950, Bruno Pontecorvo, one of Britain's brightest atomic physicists, disappeared without trace. Tonight at the Royal Institution, Frank Close exposes the truth of Pontecorvo’s life, and why he re-surfaced six years later, in the USSR. £12/£8/£6, prebook, 7pm

SCREENING ROOM: The Overlook Screening Room is a brand new free monthly film event dedicated to discovering and showcasing cinema’s best-kept secrets. Tonight, there’s a screening of 1968 psychological thriller Pretty Poison, at The Water Poet in Spitalfields. Pay what you can, just turn up, 7pm

STAND UP MATHS: Even if you hated maths at school, Matt Parker will show you how maths is not only funny but also cool. Kind of. In a massively nerdy way. Fans of spreadsheets should head to Canada Water Culture Space. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

MARTINI WORKSHOP: Learn to blend your own martini with Jess Cheeseman of Worship Street Whistling Shop and Ian Hart, co-founder of Sacred Spirits. Enjoy a welcome Sacred Martini then settle down to taste six additional botanical gins before making your own concoction with your favourites. £20, prebook by emailing info@whistlingshop.com, 8pm

COMEDY: Rob Auton is a poet, but a funny one. (There are more than you’d think.) See his show about faces at Soho Theatre until Saturday. £12.50/£10, prebook, 9.15pm


Good Cause of the Day

Book ahead for tickets to Comedy for Depression, a comedy benefit evening taking place on 23 April (during Depression Awareness Week) at Union Chapel in Islington.

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