Things to do
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MIME FESTIVAL: The capital's longest established theatre season, London International Mime Festival is back for four weeks of performances. The programme includes live art, physical and circus-theatre, mask, puppetry, movement and object theatre. Our picks include the entirely fictional The Strange Tale Of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, and full-mask theatre show Dead Good. 8 January-2 February
ARCHIE PRENTICE: Lauderdale House launches a new, free exhibition of paintings by figurative colourist Archie Prentice. More than 40 of his works go on show, mainly consisting of landscapes covering Britain, France, Italy, Greece and Morocco. Lauderdale House (Highgate), free entry, just turn up, 8 January-3 February
GOING UNDERGROUND: Today's Babble Talks lecture (you can take babies and infants along) is by archaeologist and comedian Paul Duncan McGarrity, who looks at what's going on beneath our feet. He's a Public Engagement Archaeologist at Museum of London, and talks about the buildings and body pits which have been found beneath London's streets. The Bedford (Balham), £10, book ahead, 11.30am-12.30pm
CURATOR TALK: Join a museum curator for a tour of the current Charlotte Salomon exhibition. Find out more about the German-Jewish artist, and the aspects of her life, upon which the exhibition focuses. The Jewish Museum (Camden), £8.50/£6.50, book ahead, 2pm
HAWKSMOOR: London Metropolitan Archives' book group focuses on Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd this month. Join the group to discuss the 1985 novel, which weaves together modern and 17th century London. There's also a chance to view archive material relating to the book. London Metropolitan Archives (Clerkenwell), free, book ahead, 6pm-7.30pm
SWISH AND STYLE: Refresh your wardrobe without spending any money — and help the environment at the Swish & Style event. Take along some clothes (up to 15 items) that you no longer wear, in good, clean condition, and swap them for someone else's donations. You can also attend workshops to help you upcycle and salvage your existing clothes. Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust, free entry, just turn up, 6pm-9pm
BOOKSHOP LATE: Make a start on your 2020 reading list at London Review Bookshop's late night shopping evening. Browse the shelves after hours, with a glass of wine in hand. Staff are available to offer recommendations, and you can get 10% off any books you buy on the night. London Review Bookshop (Bloomsbury), free, book ahead, 6pm
THE ORGASM GAP: Sexuality, pleasure and empowerment expert Kim Loliya gives a talk about the 'orgasm gap', a cross-cultural phenomenon featuring women of all ages. A study found that 95% of heterosexual men usually or always climax during sex, compared to just 65% of heterosexual women. This is not the case for women in same-sex relationships, and this talk looks at why. The Book Club (Shoreditch), £10, book ahead, 7pm-9pm
CHARITY COMEDY: Rich Wilson, Phil Nichol and Sindhu Vee are among the performers on the line-up at Laugh Till It Hurts. The comedy night raises money for homelessness charity Crisis. Bloomsbury Theatre, £15/£12.50, book ahead, 7.30pm
THE GREAT NORSE RUN: Danny Bent showcases his film The Great Norse Run as part of the Adventure Travel Film Festival. It tells the story of a run he led, from the north of Iceland to the south of the country, with 18 strangers joining him on the challenging adventure. London Film School (Covent Garden), £5, book ahead, 7pm-9pm
Tube ponderings with Barry Heck
Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.
It's Wednesday, which means it's time once again for my never-popular 'guess the tube station based on a badly cropped screengrab from Google Street View'. The first person to tweet @HeckTube with the correct answer wins a free copy of the Metro. Oh, and a bonus point if you know who designed the kiosk.
Good cause of the day
If you can't make it to tonight's comedy event (above) but still want to support Crisis, how about signing up for a charity bike ride? Volunteers are needed to take part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey on the homelessness charity's behalf. Find out more and reserve a place.
What we're reading
- The bizarre things left behind at London Travelodges.
- The flipside of Sam Smith's pubs' no-phones rule.
- Nigel Farage wants to hold a Brexit Celebration Party in London.
