London


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-smith-at-the-natural-history-museum">Will Smith at the Natural History Museum</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Will-Smith009-1024x683.jpg" alt="Will Smith " class="wp-image-17704" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Will-Smith009-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Will-Smith009-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Will-Smith009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Will-Smith009.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Dave Benett for National Geographic &amp; Disney+</figcaption></figure>



<p>Hollywood and history collided this week when movie star and producer Will Smith turned up at the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National History Museum</a> for the premiere of his latest project <em><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/will-smith-pole-to-pole-interview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Geographic&#8217;s Pole To Pole with Will Smith</a></em>. Launching today (14 Jan) on Nat Geo, Hulu and Disney+, the seven part docuseries took five years to make across seven continents. Bringing a little star dust to a wet Monday evening in London, Will chatted to the audience about his biggest challenges on the adventure (diving under ice at the North Pole doesn&#8217;t sound pleasant) and screened the first episode, which involves him skiing across giant ice fields and climbing cliffs at the South Pole, where temperatures can drop to -100. It&#8217;s a must-watch.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-can-climb-ally-pally-s-roof">You can climb Ally Pally&#8217;s roof</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Summit┃Ally Pally Rooftop Adventure" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UVahX9YLWgk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Wanna get high this Valentine&#8217;s Day? Introducing <a href="https://www.summitallypally.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Summit</a>, a new rooftop adventure opening on 14 Feb at Alexandra Palace, which will be the highest roof walk in the UK. Climbs to reach the Angel of Plenty statue, which sits at the very top of Ally Pally, will be led by expert guides and you can expect stunning 360-degree views reaching 25 miles across the capital when you reach the summit. Choose form daytime, sunset and evening London Light climbs, plus there are private group options if you want to go with your gang. Opens 14 Feb, tickets £32.75. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-driverless-taxis-are-coming-to-london">Driverless taxis are coming to London </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-14-at-08.12.44-1024x666.png" alt="Waymo driverless car " class="wp-image-17696" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-14-at-08.12.44-1024x666.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-14-at-08.12.44-300x195.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-14-at-08.12.44-768x500.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-14-at-08.12.44.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You might already have spotted that the sleek Jaguar I-Pace vehicles currently gliding around the capital have something missing &#8211; a driver. Robotaxis are currently being tested in London by <a href="https://waymo.com/waymo-in-uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Waymo</a>, and if all goes to plan they&#8217;ll be rolling out a driverless taxi service in Spring. The big question is, will you ride in one? Muddy&#8217;s on the fence. On the one hand it&#8217;s convenient and safe &#8211; Waymo&#8217;s been shuttling around residents of Las Vegas and San Francisco pretty much incident-free for five years now and new stats show robotaxis are far safer on the roads than human drivers. On the other hand, no more chats with random cab drivers and tech taking over our world. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-v-amp-a-is-opening-a-new-museum">The V&amp;A is opening a new museum</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="692" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/1VA-East-Museum-London.-Image-credit-Peter-Kelleher-Victoria-Albert-Museum-London-1024x692.jpg" alt="V&amp;A East Museum " class="wp-image-17699" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/1VA-East-Museum-London.-Image-credit-Peter-Kelleher-Victoria-Albert-Museum-London-1024x692.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/1VA-East-Museum-London.-Image-credit-Peter-Kelleher-Victoria-Albert-Museum-London-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/1VA-East-Museum-London.-Image-credit-Peter-Kelleher-Victoria-Albert-Museum-London-768x519.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/1VA-East-Museum-London.-Image-credit-Peter-Kelleher-Victoria-Albert-Museum-London.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Culture vultures will be pleased to hear the new five-storey <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/about-va-east-museum" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">V&amp;A East Museum</a> is opening on <strong>18 April</strong> at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Muddy&#8217;s looking forward to exploring the free permanent galleries housing more than 500 objects from the V&amp;A collections spanning art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion. The first non-permanent exhibition will be <em>The Music Is Black: A British Story</em>, exploring how Black British music has shaped our culture from 1900 to the present day &#8211; think exhibits like Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar alongside fashion worn by Little Simz and photographs by artists including Jennie Baptiste, Beezer and Dennis Morris. More good news &#8211; we hear the café at V&amp;A East Museum will be a collab with Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany, co-founders of <a href="https://www.jikonilondon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jikoni</a>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-up-your-life-at-st-martin-in-the-fields">Light up your life at St Martin-In-The-Fields</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/St-Martin-in-the-Fields-SPACE-Luxmuralis-2023_18-1024x576.jpg" alt="Spaceby Luxmuralis" /></figure>



<p>Got the winter blues? Put a little light back in your life with a cosmic <em><a href="https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/calendar/space-by-luxmuralis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Space by Luxmuralis</a></em> illuminations and sound experience, coming soon to St Martin-In-The-Fields (<strong>17-21 Feb; tickets from £8</strong>). From a rocket launch to the Big Bang, you&#8217;ll go on an illuminated space journey starting with projections outside the church and ending inside St Martin’s atmospheric underground crypt beneath a galaxy of stars. Out of this world. </p>


Superflash! All the latest London goss

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