So Ken Russell has passed away peacefully in his sleep, aged 84. Everyone’s talking about it, but here you are desperately trying to think of a subtler way of saying “Who is the nine hells is Ken Russell?” Don’t worry, as always, we’ve got your back: here’s everything you wanted to know (and a few things you didn’t) about legendary film maverick Ken Russell.

When I was told to have a cinematic look at Europe’s capital cities, I grabbed my passport and my rusty camcorder and rushed eagerly towards Heathrow. But it turns out they just wanted me to tell you about the best films featuring those cities. Cheapskates.