• The Olympics are in full swing across the Channel in Paris and to ensure you don’t miss any of the action, big screens are showing the coverage across London. Among them are official Team GB Fanzones – there’s a list of locations on the Team GB website here. Other locations include Lyric Square in Hammersmith, Bishops Square in Spitalfields, the Old Royal Naval College grounds in Greenwich and by the Thames at London Bridge as part of the Summer by the River festival.

• New portraits of human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and singer Sam Smith have gone on display at the National Portrait Gallery as part of its History Makers Display. The full-length portrait of Tatchell, which has been acquired by the gallery, was painted by artist Sarah Jane Moon to coincide with his 70th birthday on 25th January, 2022, and is the first portrait of Tatchell to enter the gallery’s collection.. Meanwhile, titled Gloria, the portrait of five-time Grammy Award winner Smith is the work of artistic duo Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard and was created in 2023. It’s on loan from the singer. For more, see www.npg.org.uk.

• On Now: Faithful Companions: Charles Dickens & his Pets. This exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury takes a look at the many pets – dogs, ravens, goldfinches, and cats – that lived in the home of Charles Dickens, exploring the stories of the likes of Grip the raven and Timber the dog as well as those of animals made famous in his novels. The display includes hand-written letters, family photo albums and artworks. Runs until 12th January next year. Admission charge applies. For more, head to https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/faithful-companions-charles-dickens-his-pets.

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