Molly Moss

Pembroke College Cambridge English graduate, freelancer living in North London.

The Sun •

The Beast Must Die review: Cush Jumbo steals the show in BritBox’s new thriller

THE Beast Must Die kicked off with plenty of spine-tingling moments on BritBox last night. A modern retelling of Cecil Day-Lewis's murder mystery novel of the same name, the new revenge thriller series set on the Isle of Wight follows teacher Frances Cairns (Cush Jumbo) as she sets out to avenge the death of her six-year-old son after he’s killed in a hit-and-run. Angered by police inaction, Frances sets out to track down the driver herself. Her aim: to kill him, of course. It seems an imposs
The London Magazine •

Review | Fabulosa! The Story of Britain’s Secret Gay Language by Paul Baker

Polari is a language that was used mainly by gay men— camp gay men— in the first half of the twentieth century. They were a group of people living on the margins of society, at risk of attack or prison— or worse. During those decades, thousands of gay people were convicted for their sexuality. There are stories of attractive policemen luring men into sexual contact and then clocking up the arrests. In January 1952, Alan Turing, the man who had cracked Germany’s Enigma machine codes in the Second
The London Magazine •

Review | Phyllida Barlow at Royal Academy

I’ve collected driftwood from beaches for years. A particularly large piece hangs by the door to my house. Every time I enter, my fingertips brush along smooth and rough edges— and for a moment, I can hear the rush of water and waves against wood, the grating of sand and against its surface. The potential of a sensory response, and the lasting memory of an experience, lies at the heart of Barlow’s latest exhibition ‘cul-de-sac’ at the Royal Academy. In one of the most striking sculptures, untit
The London Magazine •

Review | Top Girls at the National Theatre

One of the great things about Caryl Churchill is her use of history to explore the present and anticipate the future. This can be seen in her brilliant 1982 play Top Girls now getting a timely revival at the National Theatre— carrying us from a timeless zone to the 1980s to something much like the present, the work engages with issues of gender, and tackles a bourgeois interpretation of feminism which had become prevalent under Thatcher. Lyndsey Turner’s refreshing production asks important ques
3:AM Magazine •

Thoughts on a Queer Gaze

Simon(è) Jaikiriuma Paetau and Thais Guisasola, The Whisper of the Jaguar, 79 min., 2017, Brazil, Colombia, and Germany, photo: Giovanna Pezzo On a road-trip, a group of women of different shapes and sizes stop by a lake for an orgy. Smearing each other in mud, they explore the landscape and their coexistence. Textures of flesh and nature, caught in movement, fill the frame. The camera fixes on their bodies, but does not objectify. Instead it follows the rise and fall of their breathing, their
Islington Gazette •

Old Street cycle safety protest: ‘We’ve seen three women lose their legs – we don’t want any more delays’

Old Street cycle safety protest: ‘We’ve seen three women lose their legs – we don’t want any more delays’ A group of campaigners risked their lives and formed a human bike lane at the junction of Old Street and Central Street yesterday to protest the “hostile” conditions for cyclists in Islington. The protest follows plans announced by Islington Council on Monday that the corridor could be shut to through traffic. There were 193 collisions along this infamous passage in the five years to Febr
The Guardian •

Why does Coronation Street keep exploding its lesbians?

I grew up watching Coronation Street with my family, breathing in sharply whenever Sophie Webster came on screen. This was 2014, and as the romance between do-gooder Sophie and her runaway love-interest Maddie grew, I’d plan in my head how to say that I was like them. Then, on the night of a mammoth fire, Maddie was hit by a huge explosion from the Builder’s Yard on her way to meet Sophie. Sophie watched on from the other side of the road, screaming Maddie’s name. Maddie died. I didn’t come out
The Times •

This is no ordinary vegan blunder, this is an M&S vegan blunder

Marks & Spencer’s new vegan line may not be completely free from animal products There is only one problem with the new line of vegan meals that Marks & Spencer has launched under the label Plant Kitchen. Its packaging suggests that the dishes are not free from animal products, and so may not be vegan at all. Confusion has arisen after M&S added allergy warnings to dishes such as cauliflower popcorn, green Thai curry and mushroom stroganoff. While the labels describe the Plant Kitchen products...
The London Magazine •

Review | The Triumph of Cancer by Chris McCabe

The scientific language used by doctors to describe cancer—the uncontrollable growth of a single cell—is often mystifying and alienating. Can the experience of cancer better be expressed through poetry? McCabe’s latest poetry collection The Triumph of Cancer, a work searching for ways to articulate his father’s brain cancer, and in turn his own grief, attempts to deal with this question. Pain is often thought of as a unique experience that cannot be communicated or shared through language in a
The London Magazine •

Review | Charlotte Prodger and Forensic Architecture — The Turner Prize Exhibition at Tate Britain

In The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age, Allucquére  Roseanne Stone discusses how our consciousness is altered by the way we’re immersed in technology. For Stone, technology recreates representations of time, space and being. She believed that virtual environments allow the terms self and body to mean different things, legitimising multiple forms of identity and subjectivities. Stone’s idea of disembodied subjectivity lies at the heart of Charlotte Prodger’s film
The Guardian •

Premier League clubs' Rainbow Laces posts draw homophobic responses

Premier League football teams including Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have received thousands of homophobic responses on social media for showing solidarity with Stonewall’s pro-LGBT Rainbow Laces campaign. Over the past two weeks the clubs have been posting pictures on social media of rainbow-striped logos and messages to back the annual campaign, which was launched by Stonewall in 2013 to kick out homophobia in football. A post on Manchester United’s Facebook page in support of the
The Guardian •

North of England continues to see bigger cuts in public spending, report finds

Government spending in the north of England has fallen by £6.3bn while the south-east and south-west of England have seen an increase of £3.2bn since 2009-10, according to an analysis of official figures. Andy Burnham, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, called on ministers to place northern England at “the front of the queue for public investment” after the north-south divide was highlighted in a report on Wednesday. The study, by the thinktank IPPR North, found that the north of England cont
The Guardian •

Talks to avert Northern train strikes collapse

Passengers in the north of England are to face further major disruptions on train services after talks to avert more strikes collapsed. The Northern rail company and the RMT union have been involved in a long-running dispute over guards on trains. The union said strikes on Northern, which have affected trains between Blackpool, Preston, Manchester and Leeds, will now continue every Saturday in December. The union said it was “sick of being treated with contempt” by National Rail and blamed it
The Mail •

Homegrown theatre star raises thousands for Ulverston charity

A BLOCKBUSTER cabaret show has raised more than £4,000 for a community hospice. Puttin on the Ritz came to the Coronation Hall in Ulverston last month to raise money for St Mary's Hospice. The sold-out show, featuring songs from Broadway classics such as Chicago and Westside Story and more recent work such as Finding Neverland, was held at The Coro on Saturday August 5. The show's producer and star performer Ben Lewis visited the hospice to present a cheque to the staff for the night's taking
The Mail •

Urswick Brownies to celebrate 40 years of passing girl guiding joy down through the generations

A BROWNIES unit is hoping their tea-fuelled walk down memory lane will be a piece of cake. The 1st Urswick Brownies are celebrating their 40th birthday with an afternoon tea open to past, present and future generations of Brownies and helpers. The fun-filled celebrations will take place on September 23, from 2pm until 5pm in Urswick Recreation Hall. Plenty of entertainment will keep the generations busy, including crafts for the children, cake, and all kinds of memorabilia from the past. Anyon
The Mail •

Walney fundraising star’s journey to help Crisis charity support the homeless is going swimmingly

A PHILANTHROPIC teenager is giving his charity work a modern twist by filming his fundraising efforts so supporters can see first-hand every moment that they have sponsored. Cameron Luke Barlow is collecting money for homeless charity, Crisis, by running, cycling or swimming an impressive 50 miles in 50 days. The 19-year-old, of Long Bank, Walney, believes that no one should be on the streets, and he is putting his words into action by taking on the tricky challenge of a mile a day for 50 days.
The Mail •

Barrow man believed to be shipyard's longest serving employee dies aged 93

A MAN believed to be one of the longest serving employees at a shipyard has died, aged 93. Henry 'Harry' Charnley, first began working for BAE in 1939 at the age of 14, back when the yard was owned by Vickers The father of three, who was born in Abercorn Street on Barrow Island, then spent the rest of his adult life working for the Barrow shipbuilding company VSEL, clocking up a total of 51 years. Mr Charnely's daughter Debra Ridgway, 55, believes her father was one of the longest serving Bar
Diva Magazine •

Natalia Tena on Anchor & Hope, alternative families, and life on London’s canals

There are two explanations for the subtitle of this article. The first — Tena lives on a canal boat. The second— she’s quirky, infectiously-funny and, well, she has a habit of falling into things. It was after being caught smoking at school, she tells DIVA, that she landed her first acting role as Ellie in hit, noughties film, About A Boy. Rather than detention, her drama teacher sent her to the auditions being held at her school. From there, she got an agent, and has since become a successful
Zero O'clock •

Poetry is not just for elite white men, says slam host shaking up tradition in Cambridge

It’s Friday night and I’m at the Cambridge Junction’s open slam Hammer & Tongue, feeling moved—shaken— as British Muslim poet Usaama Minhas slings words and beats across the room. His spoken word— a distinct style borrowed partly from hip-hop— builds quickly as poetry meets percussion and rhythm connects with rhyme, and questions of identity involve the audience in an argument so seamless they can’t win. Hammer & Tongue is a national organisation with events across the country and touring guest
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