Things To Do Today In London: Wednesday 13 March 2019

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Things to do

DISNEY ON ICE: A highlight in any Disney fan’s calendar, Disney On Ice returns to London for a five day run. Minnie, Mickey, Buzz, Woody, Elsa, Olaf and other old and new characters take to the ice for an all-singing, all-dancing spectacular show. SSE Arena Wembley, various prices, book ahead, 13-17 March

20TH CENTURY BUILDINGS: From Edwardian public baths to a former aircraft light factory, the architecture around Hoxton and Haggerston is mixed to say the least. This Footprints of London tour focuses specifically on the area’s more unusual 20th century buildings. Hoxton Overground station, £12/£9, book ahead, 11am-1pm

CAST COURTS: Today’s free lunchtime lecture focuses on all of the copies and replicas the V&A has had in its collections in the past. From early plaster replicas, to copies going out of fashion and being destroyed, to the recent reintroduction of them and new technological advances that allow them to be made more easily, it’s been a wild ride. V&A Museum (South Kensington), free, just turn up, 1pm-1.45pm

PRESERVING THE PALACE: Jim Dimond is the man in charge of conservation at Fulham Palace. Today there’s a chance to learn about what his job involves, and the techniques he uses to conserve the historic paintings and portraits in the Great Hall. Fulham Palace, free (donations welcome), book ahead, 2pm-3pm

LITERARY ANTI-HEROES: Literary critic Viv Groskop and author Kate Mosse chat about their own favourite anti-heroes in books and films. Who are the characters we love in spite of their flaws, and why do we find them so irresistible? National Theatre, £7/£5, book ahead, 6pm

LIGHTS! PLANETS! PEOPLE!: This new theatre show opens at Vault Festival tonight, telling the story of Maggi. She’s a space scientist trying to encourage other women to pursue careers in her field, while also battling her own crippling anxiety. Waterloo Vaults, £14, book ahead, 6pm

Lights! Planets! People! at Vault Festival

NIGHT SKY: Did you know that comedian Jon Cumshaw is also an astronomer? Tonight he uses his knowledge of the stars to talk through the night sky, in a show aimed at adults kids, coinciding with the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition. Royal Observatory (Greenwich), £10.30/£9.30/£8.20, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.30pm

NAOMI BANKS: A startling blend of neo-soul, jazz, electronica, pop comes to Stoke Newington tonight courtesy of Naomi Banks. The Waiting Room (Stoke Newington), £8.50, book ahead, doors 7pm

THE GOOD IMMIGRANT: Following the success of 2016 book The Good Immigrant, co-editors Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman joined forces again to publish The Good Immigrant USA. Tonight they chat to some of the contributors, all first and second generation immigrants who discuss what it feels like to be an outsider in an increasingly hostile country. Foyles Charing Cross Road, £20/£8, book ahead, 7pm-9pm

YALE GLEE CLUB: The Choir With No Name teams up With Yale University’s Glee Club — the American University’s oldest musical society — for a free concert. It’s a mixed bill of choral music, newly commissioned works, North American folk music and traditional college songs. St James’s Church (Piccadilly), free, book ahead, 7.30pm

Tube ponderings with Barry Heck

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

Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created courtesy of The British Library Board. Found in the British Newspaper Archive.

Do you escalate? I mentioned the story of Bumper Harris yesterday, but the novelty of tube escalators took a few years to bed in. This cutting from the Liverpool Echo (11 May 1914) is a handy guide to using the new moving stairs at Oxford Circus. Follow Barry Heck on Twitter @HeckTube.

Good cause of the day

Battersea’s monthly Knitting Kittens event takes place tonight. Pay £2 entry (further donations welcome) and spend the evening among other knitters, creating toys and blankets for the resident cats. More information here.