About this issue: Overview
She’s high profile on Twitter, directing for stage and now the voice of a new CBeebies star. But don’t expect Kathy Burke to return to acting, she warns Christian Lisseman. There’s too much make-up.
With demand for emergency health services at a high, the rapid response vehicle is right at the frontline. Catherine Smyth spent a busy shift with a Lancashire RRV and found nothing but professionalism and compassion.
BMX stalwart Martin Ogden has a reputation for being a fearsome competitor, an “irritant”, even. But he’s also generously training a new generation of cyclists in this resurgent sport – including his son. By Steve Lee.
In arts and entertainment, we preview an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Running Wild that’s inspiring a new generation of conservationists and puppeteers alike, and review albums, games and cinema. On the books pages, you’ll find a Q&A with Mohsin Hamid and a review of Jay McInerney’s latest book.
There’s news of the Bluecoat, the Liverpool arts centre that is celebrating the 300th anniversary of its building, and of the renewed and controversial search for a nuclear dump site in Cumbria.
Film maker Gurinder Chadha – she of Bend It Like Beckham and Viceroy’s House – writes a letter to her younger self, there’s our popular crossword and Sudoku, and the chance to win great Big Issue North merchandise.