THE UK’s most isolated island celebrates Christmas on January 6 – despite the rest of Britain packing away the decorations weeks earlier.
Foula, a tiny Scottish island 20 miles off the west coast of Shetland, follows its own festive timetable.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
The island is also one of the best places in the UK to spot the Northern LightsCredit: Alamy Stock Photo
The unusual timing is down to the calendar the island follows.
While the rest of the UK adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, Foula’s residents chose to keep using the older Julian calendar.
That decision means key dates slowly drifted, and after a leap year change in 1900, Christmas and New Year ended up falling 12 days later than elsewhere.
Home to just 35 people, Foula is often described as one of the most remote places in the country.
With no pubs, shops, bars, Wi-Fi or National Grid connection, supplies arrive only by boat or small plane, weather permitting, yet despite its isolation the island still offers plenty to see.
Foula covers around five square miles and is dominated by five dramatic peaks, including Da Kame, which is believed to be one of the highest sheer sea cliffs in Britain.
The island is also one of the best places in the UK to spot the Northern Lights.
Known locally as the Mirrie Dancers, they are most often seen between mid-October and mid-March, depending on conditions.
Wildlife is another major draw. Foula is famous for its native sheep, which are unique.
Foula is also popular with scuba divers due to several shipwrecks around its shores, notably the RMS Oceanic, launched in 1899, later used during the First World War, and wrecked just three miles east of the island.
Those who prefer to stay on dry land can join guided walks run by the Foula Ranger Service, or explore independently using maps provided by Foula Heritage.
The island can be reached by ferry or flight from the Shetland Mainland, with ferries running three times a week and taking about two hours, while visitors stay in self-catering accommodation and must bring all supplies.
Two other little-known islands to visit in the UK
HERE are two other little-known islands to visit in the UK.
The Isle of Erraid, Scotland
The tiny Inner Hebridean Isle of Erraid is a tidal island, just off the tip of the Ross of Mull.
For an hour or two either side of low tide, the Isle of Erraid is linked to the mainland by a broad expanse of sand that you can cross.
But Erraid’s major claim to fame is its inspiration for the famous novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Erraid is one of the driest and sunniest places in Scotland, with less than 1,000 millimetres of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, so you’re virtually guaranteed great days out on the beach.
Unst, Scotland
Unst is roughly 178 miles away from the Scottish mainland.
There are thought to be just 600 people living on the tiny island, making it the most northerly inhabited place in the UK.
Unst has just one pub, one hotel, one school, three shops and a lone bus route.
Skaw Beach, the most northerly in the UK, is packed with golden sand, and it’s backed by a meadow that’s home to an array of wild flowers in the spring and summer.
Because of its shape, the beach is fairly sheltered from the winds.
There are limited facilities at the beach, so holidaymakers should aim to pack everything they need before visiting.
Despite its remote location, around 100 people have reviewed the beach on Google, with one person writing: “Wild and wooly, with nobody around. The water was freezing, as you would expect.”
It’s also a haven for birds including corncrake, lapwing, peregrine, hen harriers and sandpipers and you’ll also see plenty of deer, hedgehogs and Black Face sheep.
The unusual timing is down to the calendar the island followsCredit: Alamy Stock Photo
Zoe Ball spent this weekend celebrating daughter Nelly’s 16th birthday with ex Norman CookCredit: InstagramNelly and her older brother Woody beamed for a snap taken by their mum ZoeCredit: InstagramThe party fittingly featured a DJ deck and giant balloons spelling out NellyCredit: Instagram
She is set to be replaced by Emma Willis, who says she is a “huge fan” of the show.
Speaking on air on Saturday, Zoe told listeners: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.
“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.”
“I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a super woman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.”
Emma said she is excited to be taking on the role: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family – and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.”
The new host signed off: “I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”
The news comes as Zoe is one of the “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters that BBC bosses have lined up to step into the shoes of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
Zoe announced just hours before the bash that she is stepping down from her Radio 2 showCredit: PAShe is leaving behind fellow presenters and close friends such as Rylan ClarkCredit: BBCIt comes as Zoe is rumoured to be in the running to present Strictly Come Dancing
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Even in a year like this one, during which there are numerous truly remarkable movies in the awards-season conversation worthy of ongoing consideration, it is easy to grow tired of talking about a tightening circle of titles.
Which is part of the reason why the announcement of the program for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival came right on time this week. New movies! This will be Sundance’s last edition in its longtime home in Park City, Utah, before moving on to Boulder, Colo., starting in 2027. Adding to the import and emotion of the event is that it will be the first festival since the recent death of Sundance figurehead Robert Redford.
A number of films from the 2025 festival are still part of the ongoing awards conversation. Just this week, both “Train Dreams” and “Sorry, Baby” received Golden Globe nominations — which I am relatively certain was not on the minds of those filmmakers when they had their world premieres at Sundance this past January.
Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega in “The Gallerist” by Cathy Yan, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
(Sundance Institute / MRC II Distribution Company L.P.)
Among the titles to look forward to for Sundance 2026 are Gregg Araki’s provocative “I Want Your Sex,” Cathy Yan’s satirical “The Gallerist,” Jay Duplass’ family story “See You When I See You,” Tamra Davis’ ’90s music doc “The Best Summer” and a profile on Courtney Love called “Antiheroine.”
Of course, there will also be many titles from relatively unknown filmmakers, and it is that promise of discovery that keeps us coming back to Sundance year after year.
As festival director Eugene Hernandez put it, “As much as we can talk about the legacy and history and the old timers — which I think will add an incredible aspect to the festival this year — we’re creating a festival that is also focused on the celebration of new voices. … For so many people, it will be brand new, no matter what.”
‘Home Alone’ 35th anniversary
Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci in the movie “Home Alone.”
(20th Century Fox)
On Saturday, the Academy Museum will have a 35th anniversary screening of “Home Alone” with star Macaulay Culkin and director Chris Columbus in-person. Written by John Hughes, the film is about a young boy (Culkin) accidentally left behind by his family at the holidays and how he comes to defend himself against two bumbling thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern).
The movie has become a beloved all-ages holiday classic and seeing it with an enthusiastic audience should be a treat. The event is already sold out, but standby tickets are available.
In his original review of the movie, Peter Rainer noted, “Macaulay Culkin has the kind of crack comic timing that’s missing in many an adult star and even when the script gets soppy, he doesn’t turn himself into a cutesy ball of gloppy goo. He is refreshingly abrasive throughout.”
‘Mustang’ 10th anniversary
An image from Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated 2015 film “Mustang.”
(Cohen Media Group)
On Sunday, the American Cinematheque at the Los Feliz 3 will host a 10th anniversary screening of French-Turkish filmmaker Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s feature debut “Mustang,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for international feature. Ergüven is scheduled to be there in person.
The film is the story of five teenage sisters living in an isolated village and yearning for a life of freedom. In her review, Katie Walsh wrote, “‘Mustang’ beautifully expresses the girls’ unbridled energy, a force that refuses to be locked up, controlled or repressed. It’s a moving portrait of sisterhood, a celebration of a fierce femininity and a damning indictment of patriarchal systems that seek to destroy and control this spirit.”
In an interview with me at the time of the film’s release, Ergüven described the performances by the five actresses — Elit Iscan, Günes Sensoy, Ilayda Akdogan, Doga Zeynep Doguslu and Tugba Sunguroglu — as “one character with five heads.”
Ergüven added, “From very early on I always said it’s a monster of femininity, with 10 arms and 10 legs. They are intertwined, they are extremely familiar with one another. Sometimes, I said, they react to one another’s bodies as if they are extensions of their own body.”
Points of interest
‘Danger: Diabolik’ and ‘Barbarella’ in 35mm
Jane Fonda and John Phillip Law in the 1968 movie “Barbarella,” directed by Roger Vadim.
(Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images)
The Secret Movie Club is going to have a groovy Euro holiday party on Saturday with 35mm screenings of both Roger Vadim’s 1968 “Barbarella” and Mario Bava’s 1968 “Danger: Diabolik” at the Million Dollar Theater. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their best psychedelic finery.
“Barbarella” is one of those movies that’s difficult to describe and best to just experience for yourself: a sci-fi sex satire starring Jane Fonda directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim and co-written by counterculture maverick Terry Southern. Based on a French comic, the film was shot in Italy and produced by Dino De Laurentiis.
In a 1967 profile of Fonda and Vadim in Rome, which includes Fonda driving a Ferrari through the streets of the city to get from the historic villa where they are staying to Cinecittà studio, Fonda said, “The main thing about this role is to keep her innocent. You see, Barbarella is not a vamp and her sexuality is not measured by the rules of our society. She is not being promiscuous but she follows the natural reaction of another type of upbringing. She isn’t a so-called ‘sexually liberated woman’ either. That would mean rebellion against something. She is different. She was born free.”
“Danger: Diabolik” stars John Philip Law (also in “Barbarella”) as a master thief. With a score by Ennio Morricone and directed with high style by Bava, best known for more lurid genre excursions, the film is the ’60s Euro-heist jaunt of your wildest imagination.
Elaine May’s ‘A New Leaf’
Elaine May and Walter Matthau in the movie “A New Leaf.”
(United Archives via Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the Academy Museum will show Elaine May’s 1971 debut feature as writer-director, “A New Leaf,” in the big David Geffen Theater. Selected by the writer’s branch of the Academy, the screening will feature screenwriter Karen McCullah, writer-producer Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and writer-producer Katie Silberman in person to talk about the film and May’s ongoing influence.
Even though the film as we know it was taken away from May and isn’t her complete vision, “A New Leaf” is nevertheless a film of bold, confident energy. Walter Matthau plays a trust fund playboy who is fast running out of money. He hatches a scheme to find, marry and then murder a woman of means to continue to fund his lifestyle. Enter May as a botanist who is equal parts awkward and rich. Dark, funny and insightful, the film is a true gem.
Here’s hoping the recently renewed interest in May’s slim body of directorial work — she has so far made only four films — spurs a long-gestating new project rumored to be shooting soon into a reality.
Eric Rohmer’s ‘My Night at Maud’s’ and ‘A Tale of Winter’
Françoise Fabian and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Eric Rohmer’s “My Night at Maud’s.”
(Janus Films)
On Wednesday at the Aero, the American Cinematheque will have a double-bill from French filmmaker Eric Rohmer: 1969’s “My Night at Maud’s” and 1992’s “A Tale of Winter.”
“My Night at Maud’s,” a breakout international hit for Rohmer, was nominated for two Oscars, for foreign language film and original screenplay. A series of conversations among an interlocking cast of characters, the film helped set the template for dialogue-driven adult dramas that still hold sway.
In his April 1970 review, Charles Champlin wrote, “‘My Night at Maud’s’ argues that thee attractive and intelligent people sitting around arguing about the philosophy of Pascal constitutes a movie. I agree. Standing on my chair and waving noisemakers in the air I agree. … But whether or not one cares about the substance of the arguments, ‘My Night at Maud’s’ is a hugely pleasurable evening out because of the excellence of its performances and the convincing and captivatingly credibility of its three principals. It is an adult film which makes clear once and for all what randy juvenilia all other ‘adult’ films are. This one is, of course, in impeccable taste.”
“A Tale of Winter” is the second of what became Rohmer’s “Tales of the Four Seasons.” In reviewing the film, Kevin Thomas wrote, “The French respect the quirky workings of the human heart more than any other people and among the French filmmakers, the keenest observer may be Eric Rohmer, whose ‘A Tale of Winter’ finds him at his scintillating best, never wiser or funnier.”
