Ferret Underground: Bad week for Boris

Hi ,

Last week, Boris Johnson was found to have intentionally misled parliament by an official committee.

The former prime minister took the findings well, issuing a scorched earth statement and signing a ministerial code-breaking deal with the Daily Mail to be its new columnist.

Ministers and fact checkers braced themselves for his first column. Would it be a bitter excoriation of the leadership of the party? Would he reveal high-profile 'partygate' allegations about his enemies?

No. Instead his first piece had this headline: "The wonder drug I hoped would stop my 11.30pm fridge raids for cheddar and chorizo didn’t work for me."

Sounds like it'll be a must-read.

In a leafy Nairobi suburb, the roaring traffic and human bustle of the city’s highways has receded into the distance. All that breaks the soft silence is the insistent ringing of the phone inside an office decorated with posters promoting sexual and reproductive rights. One poster explores consent: “is she shy, or too afraid to say stop?” Another exhorts the reader to “be true to you”, while one simply states “joy”.

Picking up that phone are the team behind Aunty Jane, a hotline which provides support for anyone with questions about their sexual and reproductive health, including how to access safe and legal abortion care.

Come and join us for a journey into the world of crime and the media.

Who chooses the headlines? Who chooses the stories? Is there a tsunami of crime or does the news make things feel worse than they really are? Who gets named and shamed in the press and what does this mean for them? Who gets stereotyped as thugs and thieves? And who is rich, powerful or hidden enough to escape justice and the news pages?

It's Criminal is a collaboration between The Ferret, Greater Govanhill Magazine and Contemporary Narratives Lab, with support from City University of London.

Our theatre show takes place TODAY at 7.30pm at the Tron theatre in Glasgow.

The last few tickets are free and available here.