The first time I met Boris Johnson was in Washington, DC last year. He was shorter than I’d imagined, though he assured me that he’s “immensely physically strong”. Concerned that this sort of detail might not impress my editor – American journalism is a serious business – I requested a follow-up interview the next day.

If films reflect the culture they are born in, then what do coming-of-age stories look like in our own time when narcissism and misery prevail among the young? (If you think I’m exaggerating, then please read psychologist Jean Twenge’s iGen). The answer, of course, is narratives obsessed with individualism and identity. Add some plinky-plonky music

Admitting to being religious is hazardous not only for academic reputations, but social ones too

In the university town of St Andrews, along the narrow road that overlooks the North Sea, there is a modest townhouse with a red door. The small black plaque at the building’s entrance reads “Chaplaincy”. Between its steps and the ocean is the little Catholic church of St James and, nearby, the ruins of a