Things To Do Today In London: Tuesday 19 February 2019

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Call Me Vicky comes to Pleasance Theatre

Things to do

HALF TERM: We've put together a guide of half term events in London, with plenty of ways to keep children busy while school's closed.

IVAN KYNCL: A new display opens today, showcasing the work of photographer Ivan Kyncl. He arrived in the UK in 1980 as a political refugee, and much of his work involved photographing plays, operas and musicals. V&A Museum (South Kensington), free, just turn up, 19 February-7 July

LEGO ROBOTS: Spend the evening getting creative with your friends, and see who can build the best robot out of Lego. Give it a name and a special skill, and enter it to be judged at the end of the night. Drink, Shop & Do (King's Cross), free when you buy a drink, from 6pm

LAURA BATES: Laura Bates — best-known for founding the Everyday Sexism Project — has turned her hand to writing Young Adult novels. See her discuss her new work, The Burning, with author and journalist Anna James. A Q&A and book signing follows the talk. Foyles Charing Cross Road, £10/£8, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.30pm

FLYING BOAT: In 1939, flying boat Corsair was forced to make an emergency landing in Belgian Congo, triggering an emergency salvage operation. In 2000, Graham Coster wrote Corsairville, and tonight he tells the boat's story, to celebrate the relaunch of his book under a new title, The Flying Boat That Fell To Earth. Stanfords (Covent Garden), £4, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.45pm

BREXIT: Vernon Bogdanor, a Research Professor in the Centre for British Politics and Government, discusses his research on on the Constitution’s role within the future relationship between the UK and Europe. LSE (Holborn), free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8pm

Build a Lego robot at Drink, Shop & D0

LONDON DREAMTIME: Enjoy an evening of stories about the full moon, led by storytelling expert London Dreamtime. Expect mythology, legend and folklore, and if you want to tell your own story, sign up at 6pm. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy other people's tales. Library (Covent Garden), £6.98, book ahead, 6.30pm-9pm

OPEN MIC: Local singer-songwriter and artist Gabby Colledge hosts an open mic night where musicians, comedians and spoken word artists can show off their talents. It's free to watch, so go along and support local artists. Ritzy (Brixton), free, book ahead, 7pm

CATS VS. DOGS: The battle between cats and dogs comes to a head at British Library, where they're pitted against each other on their literary merits. Lynne Truss chairs a panel of authors discussing their favourite pets and the role they play in their literary work. BAFTA-winning screenwriter, playwright and cat owner Vinay Patel, takes on author, editor and dog-lover Simon Garfield. British Library, £12/£8, book ahead, 7pm-8.30pm

WEARING OUT THE PLANET: Is our love of fast fashion wearing out the planet? Hear from a panel consisting of Lucy Siegle (producer of Netflix documentary  The True Cost), textiles expert Patrick Grant, and Pauline Op de Beeck, the Carbon Trust’s lead on sustainable fashion. They discuss the problems of filling landfill sites with discarded clothes, and manmade fibres entering the oceans — and what can be done to stop it. Royal Geographical Society (Kensington Gore), from £8, book ahead, 7pm-8.30pm

STORYSLAM: The Moth StorySlam is a monthly open mic competition in which anyone is welcome to sign up for a five-minute speaker's slot. The theme this month is Love Hurts, so wheel out your best tale about the agony of amour — or just listen to others tell theirs. Rich Mix (Shoreditch), £12, book ahead, 7.30pm

CALL ME VICKY: New theatre show Call Me Vicky is set in  1980 in Elephant & Castle, with Martin and best friend Debbie getting ready for a night out at Martin’s favourite drag club. It's the the night that Martin’s life will change forever, beginning one woman’s journey to become the person she knows herself to be. Age 14+. Pleasance Theatre (Islington), £12, book ahead, 8pm (until 9 March)

Tube ponderings with Barry Heck

Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.

FAKE NEWS: Have you spotted a greywyrm? These menacing creatures are often to be found in the damper patches of the Underground network. Each line has its own species. Read our investigative report here.

Good cause of the day

Book ahead for The Big London Night Walk, which returns on 8 March 2019. Plucky walkers tour a 13-mile circuit of London — effectively a half-marathon — taking in the sights of the city from a different perspective. All funds raised go directly towards support The Big Issue vendors. Find out more, here.

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