Thursday 16th April 2026

Profiles

‘My aim is to make everyone equally unhappy’: Catherine Royle on Somerville, the Foreign Office, and the importance of pragmatism

Catherine Royle explains how a career in the Foreign Office and NATO is shaping her approach as Somerville College's principal.

‘There’s a difference between impartiality and neutrality’: Lewis Goodall on politics, podcasting, and the prime minister

Organisations like the BBC have "a completely hollow view of impartiality", says Lewis Goodall, host of The News Agents.

Professor Lee White: ‘I’d rather face Boko Haram terrorists than climate negotiations’

Professor Lee White – a conservationist, scientist, and politician – does not like talking about himself. White came to Oxford to deliver a lecture, at which I learned almost nothing about Lee and a great deal about the trees found in the Gabonese rainforest.

Dr Merritt Moore: ‘Get ready for the emotional roller coaster of failing a lot’

Dr Merritt Moore is a Harvard alumna and Oxford DPhil graduate who has successfully navigated a career as a quantum physicist and robotics specialist, whilst also performing as a professional ballerina with Zurich, Boston, and English National Ballet.

Oxford Spotlight: Masood Najar, the man behind Najar’s

Cherwell spoke to Najar about family, falafel and his future plans for the restaurant.

Student Spotlight: Oxford Kermit, social media sensation

Josh Nguyen, creator of the Oxford Kermit, speaks about his work in medical research; the inspiration behind the Instagram page; and his future plans.

Ex-Student Spotlight: Catherine Hoskyns, author, academic, and feminist

Hoskyns speaks about her experience in 1950s Oxford, reporting on African politics and working towards the recognition of women's unpaid labour.

Character of Mr Hitchens

I  It is a cool smoky morning in January outside Taylors deli on St Giles. Peter Hitchens padlocks his bicycle to a lamppost and accompanies...

Samantha Shannon: ‘My mantra with the series is ‘Don’t be afraid to take big risks’ and so far, I’ve stuck to it’

Samantha Shannon is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, and an alumnus of St Anne’s College, Oxford. She is the author...

Ever wondered about the man singing on Cornmarket Street? Meet Richard

CW: Drug or alcohol abuse You may not know him by name, but you’ve definitely heard him. If you picture the Wasabi on Cornmarket street, what...

Adam Leslie: ‘It felt like an ongoing adventure with characters I knew. That’s when writing became a language of its own’

Adam Leslie has always wandered among stories – daydreaming them, curating them, and now crafting his own. The Lincolnshire-born author, screenwriter, and Blackwell’s employee...

Student Spotlight: swap shops, self-defence classes and mutual aid with Cowley Community Closet

Cowley Community Closet is a self-described, “sustainable, anti-capitalist, queer-run collective”, founded by students Delphi, Abby and Connie in the spirit of creating a diverse...

In conversation with Oxford’s new Chancellor, Lord William Hague

https://youtu.be/Rdurs0j1ddc Lord Hague is taking on one of academia’s most historic positions as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, a role that dates back...

Interview: Richard Lance Keeble

Richard Lance Keeble is Professor of Journalism at Lincoln University. He was a journalist on local newspapers in Nottingham and Cambridge and editor of...

Student Spotlight: Diana Volpe and Lina Osman on student activism

With an increased focus on divestment over the past year, Cherwell sat down with two student activists involved in this work, Diana Volpe and...

Sir Stephen Fry on mythology, knighthood, and student theatre

Acclaimed actor, writer, comedian, and new Visiting Professor of Creative Media Sir Stephen Fry spoke to Cherwell about his career, future plans, and relationship...

D.J. Taylor: ‘The great and the good very rarely say anything interesting, because they put it in their memoirs’

D.J. Taylor is a biographer, novelist, and literary critic. He has written nearly thirty books in a range of genres, including the Whitbread Award-winning...

Gered Mankowitz: ‘AI is a nightmare for photography’

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Gered Mankowitz’s lens has chronicled the evolution of music and culture, immortalising icons like The Rolling...

Student spotlight: Sarah Mughal Rana on the link between politics and poetry in a volatile time

Sarah Rana is an MPhil student in global area studies at St. Anthony's College. She is the author of her 2024 debut, Hope Ablaze,...

Brian Cox: ‘My problem is with the American system’

Brian Cox is a classically trained Scottish actor, known for his roles as Logan Roy in Succession and Agamemnon in Troy. He has received...

Student spotlight: Alec Tiffou on monasteries, Lou Reed’s Berlin, and the process of play-writing

Alec Tiffou is a student playwright for Matchbox Productions. His past two plays, Daddy Longlegs and Moth, have ran sold-out shows at the Michael...

Mark Goldring, Asylum Welcome and ex-Oxfam CEO: ‘In Oxford, our solidarity was stronger than the extreme right’

Mark Goldring is the outgoing CEO of Asylum Welcome, a local organisation in Oxford that assists asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants. He had...

Tom Egerton: “There’s no point judging a prime minister or a government fairly if you’re not going to look at what wicket they’re playing...

Tom Egerton has worked with Sir Anthony Seldon on The Conservative Effect 2010-24: 14 Wasted Years?, The Impossible Office? The History of the British...

Shashi Tharoor, UN diplomat, novelist, politician, and historian, speaks to Cherwell about his work and career

Dr Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician, writer, and former diplomat. He has written twenty-six books spanning history, politics, biography, religion, literary criticism, fiction,...

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