The Caretaker review – Pinter’s grim drama played more for laughs
Justin Audibert’s revival nails the playwright’s humour better than his despair while Ian McDiarmid brings a balletic grace to the stage
November 2021
Observer New Review Q&A
Ian McDiarmid: ‘As a kid, I always wanted to be the baddie’
The theatre and film actor on staging a pair of Julian Barnes stories, playing Emperor Palpatine, and finding peace in isolation
October 2021
The Lemon Table review – love and death with Julian Barnes
The Lemon Table review – Julian Barnes’ stories of mortality and musicality
June 2021
Ian McDiarmid to tour show based on Julian Barnes stories about ageing
Actor will perform two tales with a musical theme featuring characters confronting their mortality with defiance
December 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker fan review with spoilers: 'The thrill is tangible'
The story isn’t perfect, the reanimated Leia is weird and the Emperor is a pantomime villain – but who cares when you’re skipping along at lightspeed?
October 2019
The Rise of Skywalker trailer – five things we learned
In the final Star Wars movie, Kylo Ren is devilish, Palpatine is spooky, C-3PO pegs out, Jannah leads the charge and Rey sparkles
March 2017
Faust x2 review – Ian McDiarmid's Goethe drama is a devil of a time
Adapted by and starring McDiarmid, this account of the Faustian pact features a fine Mephisto but doesn’t succeed in bringing the play into the 21st century
November 2016
What Shadows review – Enoch’s touch of terror
What Shadows review – Ian McDiarmid ignites portrait of Enoch Powell
October 2016
Back to the rivers of blood: Enoch Powell returns to a divided Britain
Theatre blog
Plan your week’s theatre: top tickets
June 2014
On my radar
On my radar: Ian McDiarmid's cultural highlights
The actor and director talks to Leah Harper about the Edinburgh festival, Matt Smith in American Psycho, Channel 4's Utopia and the importance of the London Review of Books
May 2014
Bakersfield Mist review – Kathleen Turner dazzles but art tale is no masterpiece
Kathleen Turner is great as a sweary, boozy working-class wit, but this tale of fakes – both people and paintings - fails to convince, writes Michael Billington
March 2014
Monologue: actors on acting
Ian McDiarmid on the Citizens theatre: 'a temple of Dionysian excess'
The Citizens theatre in the 1970s was revolutionary – I was playing Galileo at 27, which is ludicrous. But we were thrown in at the deep end and challenged not to sink, writes Ian McDiarmid
February 2013
A Life of Galileo – review
A Life of Galileo – review
August 2010
Portrait of the artist
Portrait of the artist: Ian McDiarmid, actor
'If your reviews are good, you think, "Tonight I will go on repeating my brilliant performance." It's theatrical death'
April 2009
Theatre blog
How actors stole the director's chair
Sheffield Theatres' new head Daniel Evans follows in the footsteps of actor-directors from David Garrick to Cate Blanchett
February 2009
Charlotte Higgins on culture
Great novel, forgettable play: Andrew O'Hagan's Be Near Me
Charlotte Higgins: Ian McDiarmid has adapted Andrew O'Hagan's novel for the stage – but it would have been better left alone
