Things To Do This Week In London: 16-22 January 2023

All week

LAST CHANCE: This is the final week of Saatchi Gallery's current exhibition, The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion. It's a collection of photographs celebrating Black creatives, Black bodies and Black lives, while tackling important issues such as race and gender. Until 22 January

CRYBABIES: BAGBEARD: Head to Soho Theatre to see comedy collective Crybabies' new show, Bagbeard. We're promised a sci-fi narrative sketch adventure about finding home, forbidden love, monsters, mystery and massive regret. 16-21 January

BEACON OF HOPE: If you find yourself at Southwark Cathedral this week, look out for the Beacon of Hope, a stained glass installation by Christian Aid which offers messages of hope to lift visitors' spirits. The accompanying exhibition showcases stories from projestcs which Christian Aid has been involved in, and the cathedral hosts special candlelit prayer services on 18 and 25 January. FREE, 16-29 January

MIME FESTIVAL: London International Mime Festival is back from Monday, with all manner of physical and visual theatre performances taking place at venues across town. It begins with Belgian circus/dance art performance Not Standing: Through The Grapevine at The Place near Euston — though if you see only one show throughout the whole festival, Gandini Juggling is usually a solid bet. 16 January-5 February

MR SISTER: Sketch duo Hooked — who've racked up over three million online views — perform their debut show, Mr Sister at the Lion & Unicorn in Kentish Town this week. There's never enough sketch comedy in London, but here's a chance to gorge on some silly characters and situations. 17-21 January

UAL SHORT COURSES: Ready to unleash your creative side? A fresh batch of short courses begin this week (and next week, and beyond!) at the world-class University of the Arts London (UAL). With options to fit around your schedule, you can get hands-on with linocut, patternmaking, and illustration; acquire software-based skills like Adobe Premiere Pro Video Editing; and get primed for that career pivot with theory-based courses ranging from digital copywriting to sustainable product design. (Sponsor)

INSURANCE HISTORY: The recently launched Insurance Museum has just 'opened' its second gallery, which looks at the growth of fire insurance in the decades following the Great Fire, with particular emphasis on the role played by coffee houses in bringing insurers and financiers together. It's a very Londony story, and beautifully told in the museum's virtual galleries.

CHINESE NEW YEAR: Sunday 22 January is Chinese New Year, but the celebrations go on all this week. From special menus and feasts at restaurants around London, to family-friendly festivals and celebrations at the weekend, take a look at our guide to celebrating Chinese New Year in London.

Monday 16 January

MANDATORY VACCINATIONS: Would it be right to make vaccinations mandatory? It's been a topic of hot debate in recent years, a debate that continues at today's Gresham College lecture at Barnard's Inn Hall (also available online). Professor Imogen Goold weighs up the struggle to fight disease while remaining a democratic society. FREE, 1pm

KENSINGTON HIGH STREET: Join Footprints of London guide Richard Watkins for a virtual tour through the history of Kensington High Street, to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own sofa. Find out about the history of the Barkers and Derry & Toms department store buildings (the Barkers building had the longest shopfront in the UK). 6pm-7pm

LYDIA CACHO: Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho is at Paddington's Frontline Club to discuss her latest book, which is a compilation of letters written by and to her, covering topics including struggle, work and love, and the femicidio — mass murder of women on the US-Mexican border. She chats to Ed Vulliamy, author of 'Amexica: War Along The Borderline, about her work. 7pm-8.30pm

WEST END COMEDY: A roll call of sprightly comedians take to the stage at the new West End Comedy Club tonight, for Comedy Youngers, a show featuring Michael May, Rhiannon Shaw, James Trickey, Farah Sharp, Mamoun Elagab, and MCed by the superb Finlay Christie. 7.45pm

THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS: Drug Science CEO David Badcock gives an online talk about why 'the war on drugs' — attempts to stop drug use by punishing those involved — hasn't worked. He argues that in many cases, it has made the problem worse, leading to many people being imprisoned and disproportionately affecting poorer and marginalised communities. 8pm-9.30pm

Tuesday 17 January

SOUTH AFRICAN THEATRE: Cult South African hit We Didn’t Come to Hell for the Croissants makes its London debut at the Riverside Studios, starring artist and theatre maker Jemma Kahn in a solo performance of seven stories by seven renowned South African writers, supported by hundreds of hand-painted illustrations. 17 January-4 February

SLEEPING BEAUTY TOUR: Head to the Royal Opera House for a backstage tour of certain areas of the building, with a particular focus on how the production of The Sleeping Beauty was created, dating back as far as the second world war. Learn about costumes and props, and peep inside a working ballet studio. Your ticket also includes a Lilac Fairy High Tea before the tour. Age 12+. 2pm (repeated on Thursday and Friday)

THE COLOUR PURPLE: MA Film Curation student Heeyeon Park curates a season of films on the theme of the colour purple. Head to the Prince Charles Cinema tonight for a screening of 2018 film Rafiki, a Kenyan production about the daughters of two opposing politicians falling in love with each other. 6.15pm

GREENWICH ARCHAEOLOGY: The Royal Parks offer a free online talk by in-house archaeologist Andrew Mayfield about the history that's been uncovered in Greenwich Park. Find out about the ‘Greenwich Park Revealed’ project, which hopes to uncover Roman buildings, Anglo-Saxon burials, huge 17th landscape features and buried second world war archaeology. FREE, 6.30pm-7.30pm

BRAND NEW START: Head to Aces & Eights in Tufnell Park for an evening of storytelling with a theme of 'brand new start'. Natural Born Storytellers encourage anyone from the audience to get involved, get up on stage and tell their story alongside the regular storytellers — though you're equally as welcome to just sit back and enjoy the show. 7.45pm-9.45pm

Wednesday 18 January

LONDON ART FAIR: The capital's art scene swings into action for the year at the London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre in Islington. The focus is on modern and contemporary pieces, with galleries from all over London and beyond exhibiting. 18-22 January

CANARY WHARF WINTER LIGHTS:Once again the streets, docks, malls and squares of Canary Wharf are aglow for Winter Lights, starting tonight. 21 glowing installations have been announced for the free illuminations festival, with a market and street food stalls popping up to keep visitors fed and watered. While you're in the area, why not take a twirl on the Canary Wharf ice rink? It's the only one of London's winter ice rinks which stays open right through until February. FREE, 18-28 January, 5pm-10pm daily

URBAN WILDLIFE: Authors Meryl Pugh and Florence Wilkinson are at Conway Hall to tell Londoners more about the wildlife they share their city with. Hear about red kite, parakeets, mutjac deer and the odd boa constrictor, and why and how we should engage with them. 6.30pm

SACRIFICE BOOK LAUNCH: The Jewish Museum of London hosts the launch of Christine Jordan’s latest book, Sacrifice, the first instalment in her Hebraica trilogy, which follows the changes of fortunes of a family in 12th century England. Hear from Jordan about the book, and the historical research she undertook while writing it, then put your questions to her. 6.30pm-8pm

TUTANKHAMUN: Howard Carter’s records and Harry Burton’s photographs are among the objects discussed at this online talk about the rediscovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Dr Juliette Desplat from The National Archives and Dr Daniela Rosenow from the Griffith Institute share documents, maps, and images from the archives that go behind the scenes of the discovery over a century ago, and reveal information about the people involved. 7.30pm

Thursday 19 January

SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND: Travis Alabanza’s first play for the Royal Court spotlights London’s iconic underground club culture, and it opens tonight. Legends of the London Queer club scene star in Sound of the Underground — expect punk, profanity and a fierce fight about workers’ rights. 19 January-25 February

POP UP PAINTING: Try your hand at recreating Da Vinci's Mona Lisa at tonight's Pop Up Painting session at London Art Bar in Holborn. All art supplies are provided, and you'll receive guidance from professional artists as you create your own take on one of the world's most famous paintings — plus a drink is included in your ticket, to get your creative juices flowing. 7pm-9.30pm

STAND UP WITH WOMEN: Jo Brand, Shazia Mirza, Rosie Jones, Kemah Bob, Ola Labib and Charlie George are among the comedians performing at Stand Up With Women, a charity comedy show, raising money for ActionAid's work ending violence and fighting poverty. It takes place as 21Soho Comedy Club, with Thanyia Moore as MC. 7.30pm

FAKE NATIVE AMERICANS: During the 20th century, various imposters of European and African heritage pretended to be Native American. Author Paul Willetts gives an illustrated online talk covering their reasons for doing this, and their individual stories, including that of conservationist Grey Owl, ethnographer Red Thunder Cloud and the civil rights campaigner Chief Red Fox. 8pm-9.30pm

LINE OF DUTY: Hear from former Met Police undercover officer Christian Plowman about his work, which at one point involved him having 12 different identities. He now works to stop wildlife trafficking in Africa, but tonight he's at OSO Arts Centre in Barnes to provide an insight into his work infiltrating gangs and posing as a drug dealer. 8pm

Friday 20 January

LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: London Short Film Festival takes place at several independent cinemas around the capital, starting today. The programme includes a wealth of new drama, documentary and animation short films, competition-winning films, and industry events such as Q&A sessions and speed-pitching sessions — have a browse. 20-29 January

COFFEE SAMPLING: Redemption Roasters are at Peckham Levels for a free coffee sampling session, and chance to hear more about their work trying to reduce reoffending rates in the UK. They're the only prison-based coffee roastery in the world, offering training in various skills to the prisoners of HMP The Mount. FREE, 9.30am-11am

ROYAL ALBERT HALL: Richard Dacre, a historian at the Royal Albert Hall, gives a talk about the building's history, from its opening in 1871. He covers some of the events hosted there over the years, as well as the building itself. FREE, 1pm

REPORTING FROM RUSSIA: New laws rushed through the Russian parliament in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine have made independent journalism in Russia effectively illegal. James Rodgers, former BBC Moscow correspondent; Emma Burrows, news editor at ITV News; Marc Bennetts, Moscow correspondent in exile for The Times; and Olga Ivshina, senior Russian correspondent at the BBC take part in a panel discussion about the international consequences of this 'war on journalism', which has caused many Russian journalists to flee their own country.7pm-8.30pm

BAD LUCK CABARET: Treat yourself to an evening of live music and variety acts at Laurie Black's Bad Luck Cabaret at Watermans in Brentford. Fresh off runs at Edinburgh Fringe and Brighton Fringe, Black has also worked as as support act for Adam Ant and appeared on BBC2's Edinburgh Nights. 8.30pm

Saturday 21 January

BIG VINTAGE SALE: Rummage through furniture, bric a brac, homeware, art, vinyl, clothing and jewellery at the Big Go East Vintage Sale at Patchworks in Leyton. Drinks and street food are available from the bar and cafe on site, and there's a live DJ all weekend. 21-22 January

HISPANIC WORLD: The Royal Academy opens a new exhibition, Spain and the Hispanic World, showcasing art from the region from the ancient world to the 20th century. It spans sculptures, paintings, ceramics, maps, drawings and more, including work by Velázquez and Goya. 21 January-10 April

BSL TOUR: The National Army Museum in Chelsea offers a free BSL tour looking at how the British Army has been depicted in art throughout history. It's led by expert guide Edward Richards, and covers battlefield landscapes as well as more intimate portraits of injured soldiers. FREE, 11am

WASSAIL DAY: London Wildlife Trust hosts a Wassail Day at Dulwich Village Orchard. It's an ancient custom of singing to apple-producing trees in cider orchards, and the event includes an orchard tour, live folk music, crafts and more. FREE, 12pm-3pm

LONDON TITANS: LGBTQ+ football team London Titans play Indian Gymkhana Club Reserves this afternoon. The action takes place at Barn Elms Sports Centre, and there's no need to buy a ticket — just show up. FREE, KO 2pm

MEMORIES OF UKRAINE: Tim Smith and Maryna Sulym are photographers documenting the stories of Ukrainians in Ukraine and Britain. They're in conversation at Lewisham's Migration Museum, presenting their work, both historical and more recent, to give some context to the current conflict in Ukraine. FREE, 2pm-3.30pm

HEX GIRLFRIEND: Combined, Noah Yorke and James Knott are Hex Girlfriend — a melting pot of rave and heavy rock influences. They're headlining the Shacklewell Arms tonight, with Tummyache and Bloody/bath in support. FREE, 7.30pm

Sunday 22 January

BOTTOMLESS WINGS: Blues Kitchen in Camden, Shoreditch and Brixton is doing a bottomless chicken wings deal on Sundays in January. It's £12 a person (£20 for two), and you've got 90 minutes to scoff as much as you can eat. 12pm-6pm

ANTIQUES FAIR: Over 120 antiques dealers from all over the UK descend on Westminster's Lindley Hall for the Adams Antiques Fair, which has been going for over 40 years. Browse and buy everything from jewellery to furniture. 10am-4.30pm

PERSPECTIVES TOUR: Partially blind photographer Karren Visser leads a tour (including audio description) of Wellcome Collection's current exhibition, In Plain Sight, sharing her personal experiences linked to some of the objects on display. You can read our review of the exhibition here. FREE, 2pm-3pm

PASSION FOR SNOWDROPS: As snowdrop season gets underway, head to Chelsea Physic Garden to hear from gardener, author and Professor, George G. Brownlee about the white flower, including a Q&A and a chance to buy a copy of his book, A Passion For Snowdrops: A Personal Perspective. 2.30pm-3.30pm

KINDERTRANSPORT: As Holocaust Memorial Day approaches, author Mike Levy is at The Jewish Museum to talk about the Kindertransport — the mass rescue of Jewish children from Europe at the start of the second world war. He reveals the little-known stories of the unsung heroes who helped get the children out, and those who took care of them once they arrived to safety. 3.30pm-5pm

SONGS FOR A WISH: West End performers including Abigail Green, Ako Mitchell, Gemma Knight Jones, Mary Tyler Moore, Shane O’ Riordan and Sophie Isaacs join forces for a special musical show at The Other Palace, raising money for Make A Wish UK. 6pm

DEPTFORD DUB CLUB: Roots reggae stalwart Wassie One is 'spinning da riddims' at Deptford Dub Club tonight — expect ska, rocksteady and roots from the wheels of steel. He's supported by the likes of Becca and Doc Murdoch — plus a live three-piece horn section. 6pm-12am

TWICKFOLK: The Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham welcomes folk singer/songwriter Sarah McQuaid, for this evening's TwickFolk session. Expect a range of folk numbers — from Irish to Appalachian to medieval. 8pm

Urban oddity of the week

Speaking of undercover police (see Thursday), how about a bollard disguised as a member of His Majesty's Constabulary? This novelty post should really stand outside 999 Letsby Avenue. As no such address exists, it has instead been placed in Gerald Road, Belgravia before a building that was once a police station.

Good cause of the week

The Hampstead Antique Emporium, selling treasures to the community since 1967, has been forced to close. The 25 independent businesses who traded at the bazaar were evicted by the land owner, who wants to redevelop the site, on 7 January. All is not quite lost. Camden Council swiftly declared the emporium an "Asset of Community Value", and a petition and crowdfunder have now been set up to fight against the decision.

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