Royal Museums Greenwich - What's on in December

Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity #emmahamilton An extraordinary woman in a man's world - our major exhibition has received rave reviews from press and visitors alike. Make the most of the festive season and come explore the extraordinary life of this incredible woman. ★★★★★ The Guardian "No one in her time could resist Emma Hamilton, and nor will you " ★★★★ TimeOut "a lovely, immersive show" Shappi Khorsandi "I'm SO looking forward to this exhibition" Find out more Watch the trailer Emma Hamilton was one of the most famous international celebrities of her time and her life is the ultimate costume drama. From rags to riches and back again, follow her spectacular career. Find out more Christmas in Greenwich Greenwich is the perfect Christmas destination, and we've got loads planned to keep you entertained over the holiday season. Alongside our regular exhibitions and highlights, we have a special season of festive events for people of all ages and interests to enjoy. Enjoy evening talks and shows, or bring the kids along for some great holiday activities.  Find out more

Cutty Sark Christmas Concert 10 December Forget Justin Bieber, we're going one better and holding a concert with The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir. Enjoy many a fine tune, including their Christmas hit A Bridge Over You, in the glow of our Christmas lights. Find out more Royal Observatory Christmas Lecture 17 December What would it be like to live and work in space? In the wake of Tim Peake's mission, UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson looks forward to the immediate future of space flight.  Find out more

Stellar Christmas Gifts Find the perfect present that's out of this world with our new range of astronomy inspired gifts. Get something special with a watch from the Home of Time and star-sign jewellery, or a great present for budding astronauts with our children's toys.  Find out more A gift that lasts all year Get a present the whole family can enjoy with Royal Museums Greenwich membership. Journey through space at London's planetarium, adventure on-board the world famous Cutty Sark and explore inspiring maritime stories. A unique present from just £44. Find out more

Rooftop Film Club - This is your last chance, London!

December at the V&A

CHRISTMAS AT THE V&A 3 December 2016 – 6 January 2017 Visit both our South Kensington and the V&A Museum of Childhood sites this Christmas. Inspired by the Museums’ collections and the era in which they were founded, we celebrate with a month of festive displays, tours and trails, family activities, workshops and performances. Read more This Christmas we are also offering 50% discount on exhibition tickets for both Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery and Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear. Simply add tickets to your basket online or come and see us for a visit between 5-23 December (Monday-Friday) to see these exhibitions from just £6 each.On sale from Monday 5 December.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? RECORDS AND REBELS 1966-1970 Until 26 February 2017 In partnership with Levi's® Sound experience by Sennheiser "The exhibition is a beguiling mix of protest history and the music that fuelled it - well worth a visit"Ecologist #RecordsandRebels takes you on a journey through the era-defining revolutions of the late 1960s. From the streets of ‘swinging’ London to the first moon landing, discover movements that defined a decade and continue to impact on the world we live in today.Book now V&A Members go free #RecordsandRebels With additional support from Grow Annenberg Foundation, Fenwick and Sassoon.   OPUS ANGLICANUM: MASTERPIECES OF ENGLISH MEDIEVAL EMBROIDERY Until 5 February 2017 Sought after by kings, queens, popes and cardinals, English medieval embroideries, frequently referred to as ‘Opus Anglicanum’ (English work), enjoyed an international reputation for their quality and luxuriousness. Their complex imagery, ambitious scale and beautiful intricacy made them prized by royalty across four centuries. This exhibition is the first opportunity in over half a century to see an outstanding range of surviving examples in one place. Book now V&A Members go free *Tickets from just £6 for visits from 5-23 December, Monday-Friday* On sale from Monday 5 December #OpusAnglicanum Support generously provided by the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Supported by Hand & Lock   UNDRESSED: A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR Until 12 March 2017 Sponsored by Agent Provocateur and Revlon Discover the evolution of underwear design from the 18th-century to the present day. Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear explores the intimate relationship between underwear and fashion and its role in moulding the body to a fashionable ideal, with cut, fit, fabric and decoration revealing issues of gender, sex and morality. Book now V&A Members go free *Tickets from just £6 for visits from 5-23 December, Monday-Friday* On sale from Monday 5 December #vamUndressed Feeling lucky? Why not enter our exhibition competition for your chance to win a weekend away in Paris! Enter now

CREATIVE BUSINESS MASTERCLASS Friday 2 December, 16.30 – 19.00 On the eve of Small Business Saturday, join us for this masterclass aimed at creatives interested in building a successful craft or design business. Hear from other creative entrepreneurs including Crafty Fox Market, 2 Lovely Gays and Tatty Devine. Read more and book   FASHION AND FICTION:  CHRIS RIDDELL Saturday 3 December 2016, 14.30 – 16.15 In this special family event, join Children's Laureate, author and illustrator Chris Riddell in conversation with Rosie Goldsmith as he tells the stories behind beloved and award-winning creations such as Goth Girl and Ottoline. Read more and book Suitable for adults and children aged 7 and over Includes refreshments     STEPHEN JONES: SOUVENIRS Thursday 8 December, 19.00 – 20.45 Join the master milliner to celebrate the publication of his charming and intimate new book, Stephen Jones: Souvenirs. Following his career from London's street fashion to international runways, this discussion of Jones' life and career will feature never-before-seen images and behind the scenes insights. Read more and book Includes wine reception In conjunction with Rizzoli   OH YES IT IS! TOYAHWILLCOX AND THE GREAT BRITISH PANTO Tuesday 13 December, 19.00 – 20.45 Join actress, singer and celebrated pantomine performer Toyah Willcox as she celebrates one of her and Britain’s best loved artforms. Toyah will be in conversation with Senior Curator and Pantomime Editor of the British Theatre Guide, Simon Sladen. Read more and book Includes wine reception   A HISTORY AND CELEBRATION OF PANTOMIME Friday 16 December,  15.00 – 17.30 Join us as we celebrate the farcical, the colourful and the hilarious on National Pantomime Day 2016. Curators, experts and special guests will explore the history and culture of a national institution. Read more and book   COURSE: FANTASY AND THE SURREAL: BOSCH TO DALI Mondays, 9 January – 20 March 2017, 18.30 – 20.30 Explore the hidden worlds of surrealist art on an evening course at the Museum next Spring as we examine the changing roles of fantasy and the imagination in art and design. Consider how artists including Hieronymus Bosch, Francisco Goya, and Salvador Dali, used fantastical and surreal imagery to reframe and examine society, religion, and the realm of the unconscious. Read more and book   GIVE MEMBERSHIP THIS CHRISTMAS Give the gift that lasts all year. V&A Gift Membership will give free, unlimited entry to all our current and upcoming exhibitions over the next 12 months, plus many more benefits. Membership starts at just £57, with concessions for under-26 year olds and the over 60s. Read more To buy, go online, visit the Membership Desk in the Museum or call 020 7942 2271 Please purchase your gift by Monday 12 December for it to arrive in time for Christmas CHRISTMAS MEET AND MAKE V&A Museum of ChildhoodThursday 8 December, 19.00 – 22.00 Eat, drink and be crafty this Christmas at the V&A Museum of Childhood. All levels are welcome to this evening workshop as you chop, stick, sew and stitch together some inspired Christmas decorations while enjoying festive food and drink with friends. Why not flex your creative muscles further and collaborate with The Workbench to create your own hand-carved ring - far too good to give as a gift! Read more YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN      OGAWA SHINSUKE AND OGAWA PRO ICA Until 11 December This retrospective season highlights the essential documentaries of Ogawa Shinsuke (1936-1992) and the filmmaking collective Ogawa Pro. These influential works were a formidable force in postwar independent Japanese cinema. Read more  In partnership with The Japan Foundation   THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY Roundhouse 30 December 2016 - 22 January 2017 Following their sell-out run at the Royal Opera House, acclaimed hip hop dance theatre company, ZooNation, present a gleefully off-the-wall take on the madcap characters of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Read more   BABYCCINO SHOPUP Join Babyccino at their 4th annual ShopUp event at the Chelsea Old Town Hall on 4 & 5 December: Over 50 independent boutiques, fun family activities and yummy snacks! And Father Christmas will be there! Read more

Season’s Greetings from the National Army Museum

Christmas Day celebrations, Singapore, 1951 The National Army Museum is closed for redevelopment until Spring 2017, but we remain open through our programme of events held at venues across London. EVENING SERIES Churchill, Attlee and the Generals 19 January 2017, 7pm Army & Navy Club, London Roger Hermiston will tell the story of the political and military leaders who steered Britain through its darkest hour, showing how they helped to win the Second World War. ENTRY £10 - BOOK NOW DAYTIME TALKS Wellington's Eastern Front: The Campaigns on the East Coast of Spain, 1810-14 2 December 2016, 12.30pm Royal Marsden Conference Centre, London Colonel Nick Lipscombe will examine how the east coast of Spain was important to the Spanish, French and British for very different reasons during the Peninsular War. FREE ENTRY - BOOK NOW FIRST WORLD WAR ACTIVITIES Soldiers' Stories:Major Allen Holford-Walker Somme, November 1916 Major Allen Holford-Walker’s papers demonstrate how the British struggled to make the most of their new weapon - the tank - on the Somme. READ MORE MUSEUM NEWS Access to the Collection Reading room and enquiry service re-open The Reading Room at our Stevenage store has resumed a temporary service where you can access items by appointment. Our public enquiries service has also now re-opened. FIND OUT MORE DAYTIME TALKS National Service 12 January 2017, 12.30pm Royal Marsden Conference Centre, London Richard Vinen will unpick the myths of the two 'gap years', which all British men who came of age between 1945 and the early 1960s had to fill with National Service. FREE ENTRY - BOOK NOW MUSEUM NEWS Conserving Frostbitten Toes New collections blog Watch the conservation of Major ‘Bronco’ Lane’s frostbitten toes and see them transformed, ready for display in the new Museum. WATCH ONLINE DAYTIME TALKS Protesting the Wars: Cell Block Graffiti at Richmond Castle 26 January 2017, 12.30pm Royal Marsden Conference Centre, London Archaeologist Kevin Booth will look closely at the cell block graffiti left by First World War conscientious objectors imprisoned at Richmond Castle, revealing their emotions and experiences. FREE ENTRY - BOOK NOW FIRST WORLD WAR ACTIVITIES Conscription: A Student’s View Student blog The Museum worked in partnership with the Houses of Parliament Education Service to host a schools debate asking whether your country has the right to make you fight. Student journalist Gaia Masullo gives a run-down of the day's activities. READ MORE MUSEUM NEWS Scottish Poppy Blooms Again New collections blog This Scottish poppy is an important artefact dating from the early days of the Poppy Appeal. Ready for display in the new Museum, the poppy has undergone a dramatic transformation, so it blooms once again. READ MORE RECOMMENDED BOOK Of Fortunes and War: Clare Hollingworth, First of the Female War Correspondents New book Clare Hollingworth is famous for getting ‘the scoop of the century’ – the outbreak of the Second World War. Clare’s great-nephew Patrick Garrett tells the gripping story of her century-long journey from a childhood in rural England, right up to Britain’s final 'End of Empire' in Hong Kong. FIND OUT MORE

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BBC Audience - Join the BBC Singers for a concert of brand new Christmas Carols shortlisted in the BBC Radio 3 Carol Competition

BBC Singers at Maida Vale Join the BBC Singers and Chief Conductor David Hill for a short concert of festive new music at the BBC Maida Vale Studios, as they perform the six brand new Christmas carols shortlisted in the 2016 BBC Radio 3 Carol Competition. Launched in August, the competition challenged amateur composers from across the country to create music for a modern version of a medieval English poem: Alleluia! A new work is come on hand. The six finalists whose works you will hear in this short afternoon performance, were all selected by a team of expert judges, including Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music, and David Hill, Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers. Date: Thursday 15 December Venue: BBC Maida Vale Studios Doors open: 12.30pm Concert starts: 1pm Admission to this concert is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that as not everyone who asks for tickets uses them, to make sure we have a full house we send out more tickets than there are places. We do our best to get the numbers right, but unfortunately we occasionally have to disappoint people so please arrive early. To apply for tickets, visit bbc.co.uk/showsandtours. We'd love to see you there! BBC Shows and Tours Apply Now

BBC Audience - Join Harry Hill in a hilarious new comedy for BBC Radio 4

Life on Egg Harry Hill stars as the governor of Britain's remotest prison, The Egg. Follow his adventures as he battles escapes, inspectors and spooky goings on. Written by Dan Maier. Tickets will be allocated by random draw. You can register at any time until 11pm on Sunday 4 December. You can apply for a maximum of two tickets. Date: Thursday 15 December Venue: BBC Radio Theatre Doors open: 7.15pm Recording starts: 7.30pm To apply for tickets, visit bbc.co.uk/showsandtours. Good luck! BBC Shows and Tours Apply Now