Counter Culture UK

Patrick Harrington (Editor)

Counter Culture UK is an independent arts and culture magazine covering theatre, film, television, music, books, comedy and live events. We champion thoughtful criticism, in-depth features, interviews and opinion from passionate writers who believe culture matters. From major productions to hidden gems, we explore the stories, ideas and performances shaping the cultural landscape, providing honest reviews and intelligent commentary without chasing hype or following the crowd. Independent, curious and unapologetically engaged.

  1. 4d ago

    Culture Vulture Haloween Special 2026

    A celebration of horror, suspense and the films that still haunt us. Halloween is here, and Culture Vulture is getting into the spirit with a special edition devoted to the darker side of film and television. From John Carpenter's atmospheric classic The Fog and the disturbing television phenomenon Ghostwatch to the chilling Wicker Man, Stephen King's Carrie and the modern supernatural horror Talk to Me, we're exploring some unforgettable encounters with the macabre. We also celebrate Christopher Lee and the golden age of Hammer Horror, revisit Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, and explore darker offerings including Body Double, Dexter: Resurrection and the troubled history of Exorcist II. Expect cult classics, psychological terror, gothic atmosphere and a few surprises, all delivered in Patrick Harrington's distinctive Culture Vulture style. For the complete Halloween viewing guide, visit www.countercultureuk.com. Copyright and source acknowledgements The following credits relate to film, television and documentary material referenced in this special and promotional visuals used where applicable. The Fog (1980), directed by John Carpenter. © Respective film rights holders. Ghostwatch (1992), directed by Lesley Manning. © BBC. Talk to Me (2022), directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. © Respective film rights holders. A24 promotional material. Carrie (1976), directed by Brian De Palma. © MGM and respective rights holders. The Wicker Man (1973), directed by Robin Hardy. © Respective film rights holders. Edward Scissorhands (1990), directed by Tim Burton. © 20th Century Studios and respective rights holders. Body Double (1984), directed by Brian De Palma. © Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee. © Respective documentary rights holders. Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters. © Respective documentary rights holders. Dexter: Resurrection. © Paramount and respective rights holders. Boorman and the Devil and Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). © Respective film and documentary rights holders. All film and television titles, artwork and promotional materials remain the property of their respective copyright owners. Where excerpts or stills are used, they are presented in the context of criticism, review and cultural commentary. Culture Vulture is produced for Counter Culture. www.countercultureuk.com

  2. Oct 23

    CULTURE VULTURE | 24–30 OCTOBER 2026

    Great films, unforgettable music, powerful drama and a little Halloween horror!This week's Culture Vulture takes us from the philosophical brilliance of Ingmar Bergman to the extraordinary voice of Amy Winehouse, with some classic cinema, contemporary drama and thought-provoking documentaries along the way.🎥 Among our ten highlights:♟️ The Seventh Seal – Bergman's extraordinary meditation on life, death and the search for meaning.🎵 Amy Winehouse – Remembering a remarkable talent and the enduring power of Back to Black.🎭 Carmen Jones – Dorothy Dandridge shines in Otto Preminger's magnificent musical.⚖️ An Inspector Calls – Alastair Sim stars in a timeless warning about social responsibility.❤️ All of Us Strangers – A moving exploration of love, loneliness and memory.📚 Gulliver's Travels – Three hundred years of Jonathan Swift's savage political satire.🤖 The Future with Hannah Fry – Who really benefits from artificial intelligence?📺 Dead-End Job – A South Korean supernatural thriller with a distinctly modern edge.🎬 The One About Matthew Perry – Looking beyond the fame to the man behind the laughter.🎃 Halloween Horrors – Including Carrie, Last Night in Soho and The First Omen.These are just a few of the programmes worth your attention this week.For a much fuller version of our Culture Vulture guide, featuring more films, television, streaming and radio recommendations, visit our website.Watch our six-minute podcast and discover something worth seeing, hearing or thinking about.#CultureVulture #CounterCulture #FilmReviews #TVGuide #Streaming #ClassicCinema #HalloweenFilms #AmyWinehouse #TheSeventhSeal #FilmAndTelevision---IMAGE AND FOOTAGE ATTRIBUTIONSThe Seventh Seal (1957), directed by Ingmar Bergman. Original film © AB Svensk Filmindustri. Visuals in this edition are AI-generated editorial recreations, not original film stills.Carmen Jones (1954), directed by Otto Preminger. © Respective copyright holders. Source: previously supplied film stills.An Inspector Calls (1954), directed by Guy Hamilton. © Respective copyright holders. Source: previously supplied film still associated with STUDIOCANAL.The Future with Hannah Fry. © Respective copyright holders. Source: Bloomberg Originals official trailer.Dead-End Job (2026). © Respective copyright holders. Source: Netflix official trailer.The One About Matthew Perry (2026). © Respective copyright holders. Source: Netflix official trailer.Last Night in Soho (2021), directed by Edgar Wright. © Focus Features LLC and Perfect Universe Investment Inc. Source: official teaser trailer.The First Omen (2024), directed by Arkasha Stevenson. © 20th Century Studios. Source: official trailer.Additional visuals include original Counter Culture artwork and AI-generated editorial illustrations for All of Us Strangers, Gulliver's Travels and other features.Film stills and excerpts are included for the purposes of criticism and review. All underlying rights remain with their respective copyright holders.

    CULTURE VULTURE | 24–30 OCTOBER 2026

  3. Oct 17

    Culture Vulture: Best TV, Films and Streaming for 17–23 October 2026

    Culture Vulture | 17–23 October 2026 This week, Culture Vulture marks the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, remembering the 144 lives lost and examining the fight for justice that followed. We look at the powerful BBC documentary Aberfan: The Village That Fought Back and the lessons that still resonate today. There's also a return to one of science fiction's greatest classics, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), alongside a lively selection of films, television drama, documentaries and music. From cult cinema and Hot Fuzz to Stacey Dooley, compelling new streaming choices and fascinating radio programmes, Pat Harrington guides you through the best of the week's entertainment with reviews, recommendations and a few opinions along the way. Culture Vulture – celebrating the arts that challenge, entertain and inspire. Read our full guide here

  4. Oct 10

    Nowhere Boy (2009) Review

    Step behind the legend and discover the young John Lennon before The Beatles changed music forever. In this episode of Counter Culture, we revisit Nowhere Boy (2009), Sam Taylor-Johnson's acclaimed portrait of Lennon's turbulent teenage years. From the contrasting influences of Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia to the grief, uncertainty and restless energy that would help shape one of the twentieth century's most influential songwriters, we explore the human story behind the icon. Featuring reflections on Aaron Taylor-Johnson's remarkable performance, the film's emotional depth, and the complicated family relationships that lie at its heart, this is a look at John Lennon before fame, before mythology and before history had been written. Read more reviews, features and interviews at countercultureuk.com.#JohnLennon #NowhereBoy #TheBeatles #FilmReview #MoviePodcast #CounterCulture #BritishCinema #MusicHistory #PodcastReview #CinemaPodcast AI voice used.

    Nowhere Boy (2009) Review

  5. Oct 10

    The Neo-Nazi Who Lived a Secret Gay Life | Counter Culture Podcast

    How did one of Britain's most notorious far-right activists end up living a life that appeared to contradict everything he publicly stood for? In this episode, Pat Harrington examines The Neo-Nazi Who Lived a Secret Gay Life, a documentary exploring the complex and deeply controversial story of Nicky Crane. From the violent world of Britain's extremist skinhead movements to the hidden realities of his personal life, the film investigates questions of identity, ideology, belonging and self-destruction. Neither a defence nor a condemnation, this discussion considers the social and political climate of Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, the contradictions at the heart of Crane's life, and why this remarkable documentary leaves viewers with more questions than answers. AI has been used for voice.: Read the full website reivew here: https://countercultureuk.com/2026/09/23/review-the-neo-nazi-who-lived-a-secret-gay-life/ Watch the here: https://youtu.be/serqPVPPuk0?si=1m6s-Dx8YSdv5CL8 #Documentary #BritishHistory #NickyCrane #CounterCultureUK #Podcast #FilmReview #Culture #Politics #SocialHistory #LGBTQHistory #SkinheadCulture #FarRightPolitics #LGBT+

  6. Oct 10

    Sense and Sensibility (2026) Film Review

    Not Just a Romance: Sense and Sensibility Is Really About Women's Powerlessness Georgia Oakley's thoughtful new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel looks beyond romance to explore the economic insecurity, limited choices and quiet resilience that shaped women's lives in Regency England. Description Every generation gets its own Austen adaptation, but Sense and Sensibility succeeds because it understands that the story was never simply about finding the right partner. Beneath the romance lies a more uncomfortable reality. Following their father's death, the Dashwood sisters find themselves financially vulnerable and largely dependent on the decisions of others. In a society where women cannot easily inherit wealth or secure independence, questions of love become inseparable from survival. Featuring impressive performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, Georgia Oakley's adaptation brings fresh relevance to Austen's exploration of family, class, heartbreak and female agency. The film captures the beauty of the period while never losing sight of the inequalities that shaped it. More than two centuries after its publication, Austen's novel remains remarkably modern in its examination of power, expectation and the difficult balance between emotion and reason. Read the full review here: Not Just a Romance: Sense and Sensibility Is Really About Women's Powerlessness #SenseAndSensibility #JaneAusten #FilmReview #PeriodDrama #LiteraryAdaptation #DaisyEdgarJones #EsméCreedMiles #Cinema #WomenInFilm #RegencyEngland #Culture #CounterCultureUK #MovieReview #PeriodFilm #PatrickHarrington

  7. Oct 10

    East of Eden (2026) Series Review

    East of Eden Review: The Sins of the Parents John Steinbeck's classic novel receives an ambitious new adaptation that explores family, identity, inheritance and the difficult question of whether we can ever escape the shadows of the past. Some stories refuse to fade away because the questions they ask never stop being relevant. In East of Eden, those questions revolve around family, fate, forgiveness and the choices that shape our lives. In this latest Netflix adaptation, Steinbeck's celebrated novel is given the room it needs to breathe. Rather than rushing through events, the series allows relationships to develop naturally, revealing the tensions, rivalries and emotional legacies that pass from one generation to the next. At its centre stands Cathy Ames, one of literature's most complex and unsettling characters, portrayed here with all the contradictions and ambiguity that have made her so memorable. The series also benefits from strong character work elsewhere, particularly in its exploration of Adam and Charles Trask, two brothers whose lives are shaped by love, resentment, hope and disappointment. As old conflicts reappear in new forms, the drama examines whether people are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past or capable of forging their own path. Beautifully produced and rich in emotional depth, East of Eden succeeds because it understands what has made Steinbeck's novel endure for generations. This is not simply a period drama. It is a timeless story about human nature, family bonds and the struggle between who we are and who we want to become. Read the full review here: East of Eden Review: The Sins of the Parents #EastOfEden #Netflix #TVReview #Streaming #JohnSteinbeck #DramaSeries #LiteraryAdaptation #FlorencePugh #Television #Culture #CounterCultureUK #TVDrama #BookToScreen #StreamingReview

  8. Oct 10

    Culture Vulture: 10-16 October 2026

    From John Simpson reflecting on sixty years at the BBC to Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective, classic British cinema, sharp documentaries and a welcome dose of disco, Pat Harrington picks the week's most interesting television and streaming highlights. What's worth watching this week? In the latest edition of Culture Vulture, Pat Harrington sifts through the schedules to uncover the standout programmes, films and documentaries arriving between 10 and 16 October. This week's picks include John Simpson: 60 Years at the BBC, a look back at one of Britain's most remarkable journalistic careers, alongside a new Sky Arts series celebrating classic cinema through Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death. There's also a revival of Play for Today, Michael Caine's Harry Palmer spy thrillers, Dennis Potter's groundbreaking The Singing Detective, and the acclaimed satire American Fiction. Elsewhere, the week's factual programming explores subjects ranging from life for British Muslims after 9/11 to investigations into Roman Abramovich's financial network, while streaming services offer documentaries on Tenzing Norgay and Mike Tyson. If that sounds a little heavy, BBC Four rounds things off with a celebration of disco featuring Donna Summer, Chic and the cultural story behind a genre that changed popular music. Listen now and discover the best television, films and streaming recommendations for the week ahead. Read the full edition here: Culture Vulture: 10-16 October 2026 #CultureVulture #TVGuide #Television #Film #Streaming #BBC #SkyArts #ClassicCinema #Documentary #Podcast #CounterCultureUK #PatHarrington #Entertainment #WhatToWatch #BritishTV

    Culture Vulture: 10-16 October 2026
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About

Counter Culture UK is an independent arts and culture magazine covering theatre, film, television, music, books, comedy and live events. We champion thoughtful criticism, in-depth features, interviews and opinion from passionate writers who believe culture matters. From major productions to hidden gems, we explore the stories, ideas and performances shaping the cultural landscape, providing honest reviews and intelligent commentary without chasing hype or following the crowd. Independent, curious and unapologetically engaged.

Information

  • Creator
    Patrick Harrington (Editor)
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    144
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Patrick Harrington (Editor)
  • Show Website
    Counter Culture UK

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