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A Circle dinner at Claridges in 1949 - the lady standing at the top table, fourth from left, is Hermione Gingold, fifth from the right is Mary Ellis. Sadly we no longer hold occasions quite as splendid as this. Other guests were Sir Alexander Korda, Eric Portman and William Walton. ©Critics' Circle
History
A Brief History of the Circle
Peter Cargin
Published: 01/11/2010
The Critics’ Circle is the oldest critics' organisation in the world and to date has over 400 members who work in the media throughout the United Kingdom.
Featured articles
Picture Gallery - 33rd Circle Film Awards
20 January 2013
William Russell
22/01/2013
Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Colman, Emliy Blunt were all in attendance.
The Beginning of the Circle
The reports in The Stage about the setting up of the Circle
William Russell
09/06/2011
Two cuttings from The Stage about the inaugural meetings of the Circle in 1913 which reveal that some things do not change very much - even our annual sub, given the change in money values, remains modest and producers and distributors today remain the same.
Difficult Times For Critics - From The First!
Peter Cargin
16/12/2010
"Criticism is passing, as many of us know, through a difficult phase. Its field is becoming more and more restricted. There are fewer papers than there were before the war and less space even in these. " Yes a statement most would agree with these days - but this was written in 1923 in the first issue of The Critics' Circular...
Picture Gallery Five
Pictures from our 2011 Film, Dance and Drama Awards presented in January 2012
William Russell
25/01/2012
The bold, the bad and the beautiful - some of those who won Critics' Circle Awards, some of those who presented them.
The Circle Archives
04/12/2010
The Critics’ Circle archives contain some fascinating accounts of the interplay between those who criticise and those who get criticised.
The Critics' Circle Awards for Services to the Arts
List of Winners
04/12/2010
The winners of our Annual Award for Services to the Arts, the Circle's top award.
Picture Gallery Four
Circle Annual Awards Lunch
William Russell
10/08/2011
The Annual Award, which all sections of the Circle vote for, is the higlight of our year. Each section nominates a candidate and the chairman of the section whose candidate wins gets to present the award.
Circle Dinners and Film Awards Vintage Photo Gallery
Stars and critics from the 1940s to the 1980s
Peter Cargin
07/01/2011
Recent discoveries from our photo archives...
Picture Gallery One
A collection of pictures taken at Circle events
William Russell
16/03/2011
A collection of pictures of events held by the Circle.
Picture Gallery Two
A collection of pictures from our past film awards.
William Russell
23/03/2011
Assorted pictures from past Film Awards.
Picture Gallery Three
Circle Film Awards, BFI Southbank, February 10, 2011
Willliam Russell
10/04/2011
Some pictures from the 2011 Critics' Circle Film Awards - some flatter, some are less so.
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George Dannatt - 1948
Our oldest member's memories
Peter Cargin
16/03/2011
Peter Cargin talks to George Danntt who joined the Circle in 1948.