Things to do
PIGEONS ON L'EDGE: Vault Festival's still going on, with new show Pigeons on L'edge beginning tonight. The theatre production features two pigeons telling the stories of some of the things they've seen, done and witnessed, wrapped up in a cautionary tale about the dangers of roosting on a department store. Waterloo Vaults, £12, book ahead, 11-15 March
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Hear from author and CEO Pete Trainor about the future of human relationships with artificial intelligence. He shares a vision of the future where AI can predict what we want based only on the smallest, most human of hints. It's a Babble Talks event, meaning it's aimed at parents and carers with babies under a year old. The Bedford (Balham), £10, book ahead, 11.30am-12.30pm
VICTORIAN ACTRESS: The V&A's free lunchtime lecture is by Renata Kobetts Miller, who discusses her book, The Victorian Actress in the Novel and on the Stage. Find out how how the Victorians understood the actress in relation to ideas about audiences, authenticity, sympathy, social class, and the home. V&A Museum (South Kensington), free, just turn up, 1pm-1.45pm
LUNCHTIME CONCERT: Enjoy a bit of lunch-hour culture with a concert at Christ's Chapel. Local Dulwich schools showcase their musical talents in the series of free events — and the setting's not too shabby either. Christ's Chapel (Dulwich), free, just turn up, 1.30pm-2pm
JAPANESE MARTYRS: Gresham Professor of Divinity Alec Ryrie gives a lecture about the brutal suppression of the fast-growing Catholic community in 17th century Japan. Find out how the crisis shaped myths of Japanese cruelty and the 250-year ‘closing’ of Japan. Museum of London, free, just turn up, 6pm-7pm
LIGHTSPEED: The way in which light travels has long been of interest to scientists, as far back as Ancient Greece. Hear from Professor John CH Spence about how physicists through time have tackled the problem, what discoveries it has led to along the way, and what it's got to do with nuclear weapons. Royal Institution (Mayfair), £16/£10/£7, book ahead, 7pm-8.30pm
RODDY DOYLE: Irish writer Roddy Doyle is questioned by various guest interviewers at an evening celebrating his work. Novelist Kerry Hudson chairs, and there's also a chance to hear Doyle read some of his own humorous work. Southbank Centre, £15-£25, book ahead, 7.30pm
JORDAN BROOKES: Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes is the latest comic trying out new work at Pleasance Theatre's work-in-progress season. Be one of the first to hear his latest material, which he currently describes as 'semi-improvised time-filling'. Pleasance Theatre (Islington), £5, book ahead, 7.45pm
TITANIC: The Night Titanic Sank commemorates the maritime disaster, focusing on three lives changed forever by the tragic events of 15 April 1912. The show is based on real-life testimonies, and is written and performed by Jonathan Goodwin. Oso Arts (Barnes), £14, book ahead, 8pm
London weather with Inclement Attlee
Our idiosyncratic weather forecaster returns, keeping you up to date on London's skies.
Do you find my weather reports a trifle silly, stupid or even banal? Then consider getting your meteorological guidance from MyLondon. A recent headline promised "The Exact Dates When London Could See its Hottest Days of the Year". The word 'could' is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, while the 'exact' is anything but. After a shower of typos, the article concedes that its source "hasn't predicted a specific date", and we can most likely expect hot weather in early August. I think it's called clickbait.
Contact Mr Attlee with any weather-related thoughts or pictures by emailing [email protected]; subject line "For Mr Attlee".
Tube ponderings with Barry Heck
Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.
Wednesday, and we arrive once again at the addictive game of 'name the tube station from the crappy screengrab'. This week's poser is a well-known station, but from a tricky angle. Where am I? The first to get it right wins a leaflet about a prospective local councillor ("Dan's the Man!") that I just found on my floor. Tweet entries to @HeckTube.
Good cause of the day
Book ahead to take part in a Where's Wally fun run on Sunday, raising money for the National Literacy Trust. Choose between a 5k or 10k route (or 1k for younger Londoners), don your stripy costume, and get running. Find out more and sign up.
What we're reading
- See our regular updates on how coronavirus is affecting the capital.
- Man gets of train at Mansion House, runs bloody fast, catches same train at Cannon Street.
- The proposed Centre for Music venue on the current Museum of London site moves a step closer.
