Sarah Carson
Sarah Carson is chief culture writer and a contributing editor at The i Paper, covering television, radio and popular entertainment with a columnist’s focus on how shows, talent and broadcasters shape the wider culture. Her work sits between criticism and reporting, using specific programmes and personalities to examine what audiences are being offered and what that reveals about the institutions behind them.
BBC radio cuts and public service broadcasting
At The i Paper, she writes about the BBC’s recent decisions on Radio 4 through columns such as “The brutal Radio 4 cuts reveal the BBC’s true priorities,” using schedule changes and job losses as a way to interrogate the broadcaster’s sense of cultural value and service.
The tone is direct and argumentative, more concerned with priorities and consequences than with internal process, which distinguishes her coverage from straight industry news. She treats programming decisions as part of a broader cultural story, framing cuts and restructures as choices that alter what listeners can hear and which kinds of voices have space on air.
Television drama, streaming and awards culture
Carson regularly writes about television drama and streaming hits, with a particular interest in how characters, performers and plots reflect bigger conversations about identity, work and recognition. One recent piece centres on a hospital drama, opening with a detailed portrait of a third-year resident, her fraught professional relationships and the high-stakes crises hitting the fictional hospital.
The writing is scene-led and closely observed, using the mechanics of the show to get into questions of ambition, hierarchy and pressure. Another article focuses on Aimee Lou Wood’s Bafta-winning role in Sex Education, drawing attention to the way her appearance was discussed around the award and how that connects to expectations placed on young actors in a Netflix-era hit.
Across these pieces she combines plot detail, performance analysis and the language around awards to scrutinise how television treats youth, bodies and success.
Primetime entertainment and celebrity stories
Her beat also includes high-profile entertainment formats and the personalities who drive them. In a recent column she writes about Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland, foregrounding their appeal and dynamic on a major primetime show. The focus is on what makes them compelling to watch rather than gossip or backstage intrigue, and she uses their storylines to talk about how talent shows and celebrity-led formats build emotional investment.
That mix of enthusiasm for performers with a clear-eyed view of the format gives her entertainment coverage a distinctive tone: celebratory but structured around what these programmes ask of their audiences.
Culture desk leadership and long-form features
Carson’s role as chief culture writer and contributing editor is built on years inside The i Paper’s arts and culture operation, where she has held senior editing positions before moving into her current writing-led post. Earlier in her career she worked in magazine features and arts editing and spent time on a national newspaper’s culture desk, which gives her a background in commissioning, shaping and delivering long-form arts coverage as well as writing it.
That experience shows in the structure of her pieces: she favours narrative openings, clear argument and a strong through-line from specific show or personality to a wider cultural question. Taken together, her work is most useful when the story touches broadcasters, television drama, streaming series or talent-driven entertainment and needs a writer who will treat them as part of a larger cultural system rather than isolated launch announcements or casting news.
4 more entertainment journalists.
Abbie Bray
Abbie Bray reports on how television affects the people on screen and the viewers at home. She is acting head of Screen Time, working across national and regional titles on dramas, soaps, factual entertainment and live broadcasts. Her focus includes Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Vera and Midsomer Murders, as well as Gardeners’ World, Our Yorkshire Farm, Countryfile, Garden Rescue and A Place in the Sun. She also covers presenters, long-running series, sports broadcasts, viewer complaints and Ofcom scrutiny. Before Screen Time, she was a TV reporter for Metro and the Daily Express, then held weekend TV editor, assistant TV editor and deputy showbiz editor roles. Her reporting links TV formats to grief, career changes, casting, audience reaction and the personal stakes behind live coverage.
Adam Bloodworth
Adam Bloodworth covers how culture, nightlife and luxury spaces shape modern entertainment and everyday life. He is a Features Journalist and Deputy Life&Style Editor at City A.M., where he has written and commissioned culture and lifestyle features since 2022. He is also Deputy Editor of City A.M. The Magazine. His beat includes film, TV, music, theatre, things to do, restaurants, hotels, members’ clubs, fashion and LGBTQ storytelling. He has written for The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, Metro and HuffPost UK. He reviews gigs, theatre and restaurants, profiles venues and reports on live-music infrastructure. His work often combines criticism with first-person experience, judging places and performances by their atmosphere, stories and audience experience. He also interviews public figures and appears as an on-air commentator.
Adam England
Adam England stands out for linking celebrity news to wider trends in music, sport, health and everyday life. He is a writer-reporter on the news team at People, where he covers entertainment, culture and lifestyle through timely stories and evergreen explainers. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Dazed, Healthline and Verywell Mind. He writes about music, screen entertainment, celebrity careers, fan communities, sport, cultural history, mental health, travel, pets, relationships and social affairs. His explainers include the 2023 NFL Draft and Bruce Lee’s death. He also reports on sensitive celebrity health stories, such as Lionel Richie cutting a concert short after feeling dizzy. His reporting is clear, factual and service-driven. He strips back jargon and mythology, uses lived experience and expert input where relevant, and avoids sensationalism.
Adam White
Adam White is features editor across culture and lifestyle at The Independent. He writes and commissions long-form features, essays and interviews on film, television, music and entertainment. His work examines how fame, fandom and taste shape contemporary culture, from streaming thrillers and celebrity disclosure to festivals, live music and creative careers. His writing has appeared in Dazed, Huck, i-D, Playboy, The Telegraph, The i, Little White Lies, The Quietus and Nylon. He uses a strong, voice-led style that combines reporting, observation and personal immersion. His streaming coverage treats television as something experienced as much as watched. His celebrity essays connect star narratives to wider questions about privacy and public image. His festival writing focuses on audiences and live events as cultural rituals. His interviews with film-makers and authors rely on rapport, extended stories and reflection.