Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to The Traitors: a complete guide to the week’s entertainment in the UK

Going out: Cinema

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Out now
Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) becomes a paid-up member of the school of thought that says if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, teaming up with former adversaries Sonic, Tails and Knuckles against new kid on the block Shadow the Hedgehog, voiced by Keanu Reeves.

Better Man
Out now
One of the buzziest and most outlandish propositions for a film this year, this is that Robbie Williams film you’ve heard about where the erstwhile Take That star is depicted by an ape, or, to be more precise, a chimpanzee. The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey directs.

The Order
Out now
Jude Law stars as Terry Husk, a real-life FBI agent who went undercover with a white-supremacist group led by the neo-Nazi Bob Mathews, in this timely drama from the talented director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Nitram).

La Cocina
Out now
Based on the 1957 stage play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker and written and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, this new version reimagines the kitchen in question as belonging to a Times Square tourist trap restaurant where white waitresses take orders for a staff of mostly undocumented migrants. Catherine Bray

Going out: Gigs

Spector
100 Club, London, New Year’s Eve
If you fancy seeing in the new year with guitars, London’s famed 100 Club hosts enduring indie darlings Spector as part of music mag Dork’s end-of-year party. Their fourth album Here Come the Early Nights came out in 2023, and support will come from Leeds quartet L’Objectif. Michael Cragg

Joy Orbison
The Prospect Building, Bristol, New Year’s Eve
London’s premier purveyor of house, UKG, drill and dubstep, Peter O’Grady, heads to Bristol for this New Year’s Eve blowout. Expect to hear this year’s huge Flex FM (Freddit), as well as a selection of his biggest bangers, plus a stacked lineup of DJ talent including Special Request and Mella Dee. MC

Nicky Spence
Wigmore Hall, London, 29 December
Most of the country’s concert halls go into hibernation between Christmas and New Year, but for those desperate for a fix of live music, the Wigmore Hall can always be relied upon. This year’s concerts include a recital by Wigmore artist-in-residence Nicky Spence. Partnered by pianist Dylan Perez, the Scottish tenor sings a Shakespeare-themed programme, ranging from Purcell to Peter Dickinson. Andrew Clements

Liane Carroll
Verdict Jazz Club, Brighton, 28 December; 606 Club, London, 2 January
The great UK singer-pianist Liane Carroll has sounded spellbinding for three decades, but her midlife subtlety and emotional range seem to be taking her even closer now to classic songs she loves most, from Hoagy Carmichael to Tom Waits, and a raft of others. John Fordham

Going out: Art

Picasso Printmaker
British Museum, London, to 30 March
There’s a fairytale enchantment to Picasso’s graphic art. He tells tales of satyrs, minotaurs and other mythological creatures with etched lines that are so lifelike you hear the breathing of a bull through matted black fur. The love life of Raphael and the pain of poverty also hold you. Genius.

Turner in January
Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, New Year’s Day to 31 January
The wild and stormy art of JMW Turner is perfect for winter. This annual exhibition of his watercolours is a bracing treat, a breath of Romantic fresh air. This year there’s variety: instead of its own Turners, the Scottish National Gallery borrows those held by the National Gallery of Ireland.

The Great Mughals
V&A, London, to 5 May
You could do a lot worse for a festive outing than visit the palaces of the early Mughal emperors in the Indian subcontinent of the 1500s and 1600s. This exhibition takes you to the Taj Mahal and the civilisation that created it, with ravishing rugs and intricate paintings – glimpses of paradise.

Pirates
National Maritime Museum, Falmouth, to 5 January
You can’t get a better family outing for the Christmas holidays than a blockbuster show about pirates. This exhibition explores both history and mythmaking, enjoying the modern cult of pirates that began with Treasure Island, but also exposing what life and death were like for real pirates 300 years ago. Jonathan Jones

Going out: Stage

Jack and Michael Whitehall
Portsmouth, 2 January; Brighton, 3 January; touring to 4 Jan
Parent-child travel TV is now everywhere (practitioners include Romesh Ranganathan, Matt Baker and Bradley Wash), but the Whitehalls were among the first to mine banter from intergenerational globe-trotting. Now the puppyish comic and his haughty dad take to the stage to dish details about the adventures seen on their various series. Rachel Aroesti

Little Penguin’s First Christmas
Lowry theatre, Manchester, 28 December to 5 January
For little ones and their larger companions, the Lowry offers an immersive show in a winter wonderland. Designed for children aged 0-36 months, this sensory show with puppetry and original music could be a baby’s magical first theatrical experience – and a gentle break for a parent. Kate Wyver

Ballet Shoes
National Theatre: Olivier, London, to 22 February
For those seeking a reprieve from panto, acclaimed director Katy Rudd’s (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) exquisite adaptation of Ballet Shoes fits the bill. Aching with hope and ambition, this expansive story of found family seeks kindness at every turn. The cast, costume and choreography are glorious. Take tissues and someone you love. KW

Birmingham Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker
Royal Albert Hall, London, 29 December to New Year’s Eve
This in-the-round version has all the magical ingredients you’d expect from the Christmas tradition – waltzing snowflakes, Sugar Plum Fairy –, and Tchaikovsky’s melody-packed music, played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. Lindsey Winship