What we're reading
- Name these London tube stations.
- Croydon has lost over 20 chicken shops in three years.
- Stephen Fry thinks Crossrail 2 threatens Soho's soul.
- A bit of history on Regent's Canal.
Things to do
FAMILY DAYS OUT: Pick from exploring nature, being a spy and a family theatre show for today’s half term entertainment. See our school holidays guide for further inspiration for today and the rest of the week.
BRAIN FOOD: How much maths can you eat? Not a typo, but the title of today's lunchtime Gresham College lecture. Discover the many existing and potential applications of maths to agricultural science, including how maths helps with freezing and preserving food. Museum of London, free, just turn up, 1pm-2pm
VALENTINE CRAFTING: Celebrate Valentine's Day by creating your own stuffed heart at this family friendly workshop, and fill it with aromatic herbs. Old Operating Museum, free with admission, book ahead, 2pm-3pm
CHARLIE CHAPLIN: Follow in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin on this guided south London walk. Find out about the comic legend's childhood and his rise from rags to riches. Elephant Street exit, Elephant and Castle Station, free (donation suggested), just turn up, 5.30pm-7.30pm
DEAR DIARY: Embrace your inner Bridget Jones on this guided walk. Covering both the books and the films, speculate how she would handle dating in the modern world and discuss possible sequels. Temple Station, £12/£9, book ahead, 6pm-8pm
KISHINEV GHETTO: Holocaust expert Paul Shapiro gives a talk about the creation and liquidation of the Kishinev ghetto in 1941-42, where over 11,000 Jews lost their lives over the course of just a few weeks. Wiener Library, free, book ahead, 6.30pm-8pm
EMMA HAMILTON: Celebrate the empowering Lady Emma Hamilton at the National Maritime Museum's Seduction Late, organised by The Georgian Dining Academy. Get dressed up in your best ballgown or cravat, enjoy a feast, be mesmerised by a magician, and listen to the love letters between Lady Hamilton and her lover Horatio Nelson. National Maritime Museum, £15/£12, book ahead, 6.30pm-10.30pm
THEATRE: A sort-of true story, theatre show Flew the Coop follows Silesian translator Rosa Rauchbach and Horace Greasley, the man who escaped the camp he was prisoner in over 200 times to see her. New Diorama Theatre, £14/£12.50, book ahead, 7.30pm [until 4 March]
BRIEF ENCOUNTER: Watch a screening on 1945 British Film Brief Encounter at Southbank Centre, accompanied by a live score from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Royal Festival Hall, £20-£55, book ahead, 7.30pm
COME WHAT MAY: Fall in love with Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman — get dressed up and sing along to the classic film Moulin Rouge!. Prince Charles Cinema, £16/£9, book ahead, 8.30pm
HARRY POTTER: This free Harry Potter exhibition has been extended. There's graphic artwork from the films, including designs for the newspapers used as props, and Hogwarts textbooks. MinaLima store, free entry, just turn up, noon-7pm daily
CLOUD 9: Explore the emotionality of being human at Yuen-Ying Lam's interactive exhibition, To Hold and Be Held. Lam's objects are soft and comfortable to the touch, and serve as therapeutic sculptures providing her with the nurturing attachment she needed as a child. Artsdepot, free, just turn up, until 17 February
Stage review: Under-ripe pair
The best we can say about Dirty Great Love Story is it could make a great date night for Valentine’s Day because your own relationship will look so much better than dopey Richard and neurotic Katie’s in this trying-too-hard two-hander in rhyming couplets. Otherwise, it proves rom-com is best left to Richard Curtis films as this feels like The Last Five Years without the songs, or Constellations without the wit — unless you count drunken vomiting during an in-car blowjob as satire. Small bonus is that male lead Felix Scott is Adam’s bit-on-the-side Charlie Thomas, from The Archers, and somewhat too hunky to play this dweeb. Dirty Great Love Story, The Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, WC2. From £15.90, until 18 March [Monday-Saturday] ★★☆☆☆ Johnny Fox
Art review: A colourful passage
Do Ho Suh has created a brightly coloured passageway based on doorways and corridors of the places he has lived and worked. Anyone who shares his peripatetic lifestyle will recognise how our surroundings have shaped. The attention to detail is superb, right down to sockets and light switches. Absorb this wonderful installation — just watch out for the hordes of selfie-takers. Do Ho Suh: Passage/s at Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, N1 7RW. Until 18 March, free. ★★★★☆ (Tuesday-Saturday)
Good cause of the day
VALENTINE'S ESCAPE: Enjoy a secret screening and give to a good cause. The film will remain a secret until the night, but the dress code is 80s shoulder pads, denim shirts, leg warmers — you get the idea. All proceeds will go to Walking with the Wounded. The Cinema Museum, £15, book ahead, 7pm-10pm
