Albums

Robbie Williams
Britpop is the 13th solo album from Robbie, and he insists that he’s upped both the guitar quotient (Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi is on it) and the anthemic dial. 
Columbia, February.

Nicki Minaj
The release date and name of Minaj’s new album have gone through quite an epic journey, but it seems she has finally settled on it being called Pink Friday 3. Sure it will be worth the wait.
Republic, March.

Squeeze 
Trixies may be a new album from the classic elegant-pop squad but it could have been their first, given it was conceived and written by Difford and Tilbrook back in their teenage years.
BMG, March.

Gorillaz 
The first album to be released by this virtual band on their own label, it features a cacophony of posthumous appearances form Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, Tony Allen and Mark E Smith. 
Kong Records, March.

Ladytron

Some people find it hard enough to encounter one of them, but electronic pop troupe Ladytron are doubling their money with Paradises, their eighth album, which they’ve dubbed as ‘sleek, romantic, urgent, psychic.’  
Nettwerk, March.

Tiga
HotLife is the Montreal-born DJ and producer’s first studio album in a decade and includes collaborations with Boys Noize, Fcukers, MRD and Maara. He’s calling it ‘the best album I have ever made’: a classic ploy but he’s perfectly entitled to do so.
Turbo Recordings, April.

Melanie C
Having sampled ‘Work That Body’ by Diana Ross on her latest single, ‘Sweat’, the former Spice Girl known as Sporty is setting out her stall for a new album of the same name. She just wants people to have fun and a dance. Nothing wrong with that, probably.
Virgin, May.

Tori Amos
The cornflake girl’s upcoming collection is In Times Of Dragons, which she describes as being about the current struggle in the US between freedom and tyranny and the ‘non-accidental burning down of democracy in real time’. Fair to say she’s not a fan of Trumpy then.
Fontana, spring.

Soft Cell
More than just a twinge of sadness will be felt by those listening to Danceteria given it was completed just days before the death in October of Dave Ball, collaborator for more than four decades with frontman Marc Almond. The first Soft Cell release in four years, its influence is firmly rooted in the 80s New York club scene.
Republic Of Music, spring.

Books

Beryl Bainbridge
The late great English writer is the subject of a major re-issue campaign with all 13 of her books coming out gradually. First up are The Bottle Factory Outing and An Awfully Big Adventure, both of which were nominated for the Booker Prize on their original release in 1974 and 1990 respectively.
Daunt Books, March.

Brandon Taylor
Minor Black Figures is set over a hot summer in New York as a painter falls for a priest. A modern love story from the Booker-Prize shortlisted author who has been dubbed ‘the most accomplished, important novelist of his generation’. You’d be putting that on your CV.
Vintage, March.

Douglas Stuart
From the author of blockbuster smash Shuggie Bain and super follow-up Young Mungo comes John Of John, as a penniless art-school graduate returns to his Isle Of Harris home, tail between his legs to resume his old life. A recipe for disaster, as you can imagine.
Picador, May.

Maggie O’Farrell
A big year for the beloved Northern Ireland-born author with Hamnet making it to the big screen, while Land is her new tome, an evocative exploration of family and identity in mid-19th century Ireland.
Tinder Press, June.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce
A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now is a non-fiction work from the Children’s Laureate which, unsurprisingly, will pretty much lay out what it promises to do in its title.
Picador, June.

Games

Resident Evil Requiem
The ninth main game in this survival-horror standard, it features a new protagonist, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, who is dispatched to investigate a series of mysterious deaths at a hotel. Wouldn’t go anywhere near there if we were her, but that’s not how this works.
Capcom, February.

007 First Light 
Not before time are we getting James Bond’s origin story as this action-adventure affair plays out how he earned his licence to kill. We meet him as a rookie MI6 agent about to launch into a life-altering mission. Among those doing voices are Gemma Chan, Lennie James and Alastair Mackenzie while Patrick Gibson plays Bond. 
IO Interactive, March.

Grand Theft Auto VI
This release has had more delays than (insert name of least favourite travel operator) but late 2026 seems pretty locked in (for now). What we definitely know is that it’ll be set in Leonida (a fictional US state based on Florida) and a modern-day version of the Miami-inspired Vice City. 
Rockstar Games, November.

Fable
Full details of this latest instalment of the fantasy-action RPG have largely been kept under wraps but the trailer features a fairy moving gently through an idyllic forest before suddenly getting eaten by a huge toad. Mood duly set.
Xbox Game Studios, month tbc.

TV

How To Get To Heaven From Belfast
Derry Girls’ creator Lisa McGee is back with a strong cast for her new show: Michelle Fairley, Ardal O’Hanlon, Sinéad Keenan and Roisin Gallagher among them. The synopsis: three friends investigate the mysterious death of an old school pal.
Netflix, February.

California Avenue 
Set in a secluded canal-side caravan park deep in the English countryside, its peace is irrevocably disrupted by the arrival of Lela (Erin Doherty) and her 11-year-old child, both on the run, looking for refuge. Also starring in Hugo Blick’s latest drama are Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy and Tom Burke.
BBC, month tbc.

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen 
With Stranger Things about to reach its conclusion, the Duffer Brothers were clearly in succession planning mode for some time as their new show is imminent. An atmospheric horror series (you could have guessed that), it’s set in the run-up to a wedding (less predictable).
Netflix, month tbc.

Paradise 
Arguably a show that has floated under the radar but a second season might bring it wider recognition. A political thriller created by Dan Fogelman, it stars the always brilliant Sterling K Brown as a US secret service agent trying to find out who killed the president.
Disney+, month tbc.

Black Doves
Keira Knightley’s character is still keeping a whole sack of secrets as this fun thriller series returns. Ambika Mod and Sam Riley add to an already fabulous cast.
Netflix, month tbc.

A Tale Of Two Cities 

About time we had a new adaptation of Dickens’ classic, right? Kit Harington, François Civil and Scotland’s Mirren Mack lead this four-parter. 
BBC, month tbc.

Shogun
Certainly not a show that you could say floated under any radars given its impressive haul at the Emmys and general rave reviews for its opening batch of episodes. Will it keep the glory going or is second-season syndrome about to strike?
Disney+, month tbc.

The Miniature Wife 
Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks play a married couple constantly battling for supremacy in their relationship, reaching a weird crossroads after a technological accident. That’s right, Banks is accidentally shrunk (not based on a true story).
Netflix, month tbc.