Sunday 15th February 2026

Profiles

Anna Olliff-Cooper on being a 76-year-old student, her three month prognosis, and defying time

When Anna Olliff-Cooper applied to Oxford, she had just been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer.

Ruth Chang: ‘If we keep going down this road, we are definitely going to get AI misalignment’

How do we make hard choices? Not the choices which are hard for us to make – because the right choice is psychologically difficult – not choices between options which we have incomplete information about, or choices that are incomparable. No. Hard choices are decisions between options neither of which is better, nor are they equally good.

In Conversation with Tom McTague

Tom McTague is among the few mainstream British journalists who see politics through the lens of history and world affairs rather than just the Westminster lobby.

Anneliese Dodds on higher education, local politics, and damehood

Dodds spoke to Cherwell a few days after appearing in the New Year’s Honours list.

“If you want to understand the mess we’re in today, you need to know some history.”

Eugene Rogan, a historian of the Middle East and fellow of St. Anthony’s College is a tutor I feel slightly in awe of: charismatic...

Seeking asylum from Myanmar: an interview with Jack Sanga

He was a student when Myanmar's military launched a coup against its sitting government in 2021 and has since had to flee after protesting against...

“Poetry is political because it’s so immediate.”

In search of localised wisdom, Cherwell spoke to one of Oxford’s own. Poetry sensation, Birmingham Young Poet Laureate (2018-20), Foyle Young Poet of the...

You see that Cherwell interview? That’s your mum, that is.

David Baddiel gets asked a lot of questions. And, often, they’re all versions of each other: what was it like being the first comic...

“What you’re seeing is a distillation of millions of person hours into a two hour movie.” 

Have you ever wondered how James Bond jumps out of an aeroplane? How Interstellar’s astronaut Cooper enters a black hole? How Rocky rides the...

Wizardry, canal boats, and the Vicky Arms

“It’ll be a fucking feast,” Mother Catweazle declares. Strapping in for the second Catweazle Club of February, Common Ground is abuzz with anticipation.  Streams of...

“To know how somebody really feels about you, ignore everything they say. Look at how they touch you.”

Robin Dunbar is Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, famous for his research on social networks and friendships. He is...

Spotlight: The Gatehouse’s Community Café

The Gatehouse must be one of the only social enterprises in Oxford where an upsurge in usage is not necessarily a good thing. Since...

In conversation with Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Laura Marks CBE

Today marks 79 years since the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since 2001, on this day, there has been an international commemoration of...

On scouring for words, snollygosters and soaked trousers with Mark Forsyth

If you could hear my bursts of laughter through the hallways of the Glink in the summer of ‘23, I apologise. But all credits...

Adidas, Auden, and the author: on Zoom with Mark Ford

The emails I exchanged with Mark Ford had the paw prints of a poet: frequent ellipses and the sparing sign-off ‘M’, like our interview,...

“Don’t be in such a hurry. Enjoy the world.”

Kate Ewart-Biggs’ mission with the British Council is to build lasting connections between the UK and other countries through arts and language. Coming from...

Quickfire with Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox studied at Magdalen College. She co-founded lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998, offering late holiday deals online, and was a pioneer...

“There is always light and shadow, when viewing the history of a family, the history of a country”: In conversation with Georg Friedrich, Prince of...

Freddie Evans interviews Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, about the history of the House of Hohenzollern and its role in Germany today, his support...

“Comedy is humanity’s highest art form”: In Conversation With David Mitchell

Freddie Evans and Sophie Magalhaes interview David Mitchell about the enduring appeal of “Peep Show”, insights into panel shows and improvisation, his new book...

“I’m a Black lesbian feminist woman, who is absolutely in support and stands in solidarity with my trans siblings.”: In conversation with founder of...

Lady Phyll is a British political activist who advocates for racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equality. She is a co-founder of UK Black Pride, a...

From War to Freedom: In conversation with an Ukrainian refugee

Aleksandr is from Kharkiv Oblast’ in Ukraine. When the war broke out, he and his family drove all the way from Ukraine to England,...

“I’d rather have regrets about not doing something, than regret doing it”: In conversation with Game of Thrones star, John Bradley

John Bradley West is an English actor famous for his role as Samwell Tarly in HBO’s massive global hit fantasy TV series, Game of...

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