1. Inside No 9 transfers to the West End from TV

You can vote for Steve Pemberton (The Pillowman, Duke Of York’s Theatre) and Reece Shearsmith’s (The Unfriend, Criterion Theatre) genius 9th and final TV series of Inside No 9 to win Best TV of 2024. The anthology show’s theatre incarnation Inside No 9 Stage/Fright arrives at the Wyndhams Theatre for a run 18 January through 5 April 2025. Tickets Our review

• Read on for reasons including Rami Malek in Oedipus, Brie Larson in Elektra and new Severance

2. Oedipus starring Rami Malek at the Old Vic

Malek won an Oscar for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and makes his UK stage debut opposite Indira Varma (The Seagull, Harold Pinter Theatre) in Ella Hickson’s (The Writer, Almeida Theatre) take on Sophocles at the Old Vic from 21 January through 29 March 2025. Tickets Our review

3. Elektra starring Brie Larson

Larson, who won an Oscar in 2016 for Room, makes her West End debut in Sophocles’ Elektra at the Duke Of York’s Theatre from 24 January through 12 April 2025. Directed by Daniel Fish (Oklahoma!, Young Vic Theatre). Tickets Our review

4. Sex Education‘s Asa Butterfield is Second Best

Butterfield makes his stage debut at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios in this story by Barney Norris (Nightfall, Bridge Theatre) directed by Michael Longhurst (The Human Body, Donmar) about fate, near misses and the winding paths life takes. Runs 24 January through 22 February 2025. Tickets Our review

5. Severance season 2 on Apple

Severance is perfect return-to-work after Christmas break TV because its jumping off point is the idea that its characters agree to the titular severance programme meaning their non-work memories don’t intrude on their work memories during office hours at the unsettling Lumon Industries. But exactly what is going on? No spoilers but the end of season 1 was about as good as TV gets. The fun begins 17 January 2025 on Apple. Star Patricia Arquette was shortlisted for a 2023 Best TV/Film Actress monsta.

6. New Manic Street Preachers LP

Critical Thinking is the title of the band’s 15th album released 31 January including single Decline And Fall co-written with Difford and Tilbrook. Vote for the Manics to win Best Gig of 2024 when they supported Suede outdoors at Alexandra Palace Park this summer. We said then: ‘Guitarist Nicky Wire reminisces about living in Shepherd’s Bush and 1st playing London 35 years ago to 26 people and even mentions missing guitarist Richey Edwards and we can’t but wonder what he might think of this, here and now.’ Tickets They play 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in April 2025.

7. New Kim Wilde LP Closer

Wilde’s 15th studio album is released on 31 January 2025 and includes the singles Midnight Train and Trail Of Destruction (see above). It’s the sequel to arguably her most successful album 1988’s Close and you can see her on a 2025 European tour including a gig at London’s Indigo At The 02. Tickets We last saw her live at London’s Palladium in 2022 and said then: ‘We’ve seen her perform at lots of 80s festivals and, while we love her smash hits from that decade, it’s the rarely heard songs live that she isn’t able to squeeze into those abridged sets that we’re most enjoying during this 110-minute headliner performance.’

8. Groundhog Day – in Catalan

Regular readers of this site will be familiar with our Barcelona strand and this month we see musical Groundhog Day, which we last saw at London’s Old Vic in 2023 and won our 2016 Best New Musical monsta, in Catalan at Barcelona’s Teatre Coliseum. Runs 22 December through 2 February as El Dia De La Marmota, el Musical. Tickets Our review with thumbs aloft from the director

9. Film Nosferatu released

Robert Eggers directs Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp in the story of Hoult’s real estate salesman who is tasked with finding a new residence for wealthy Transylvanian Count Orlok in the 1800s. Released on New Year’s Day 2025. Tickets

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Inside No 9 and DMT Tickets
• Have you seen an Inside No 9 show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
• Enjoyed this preview? Follow monstagigz on Twitter @NeilDurham, email neildurham3@gmail.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook