Forget Jack Bauer, this is the real 24…

24 is back. Kiefer Sutherland is dominant on TV trailers and billboards. We decided to take a look at what life is really like for people living off-grid in London. With unique access, we follow one of our vendors for 24 hours. A rough sleeper, David Duncan Howe keeps a detailed diary. It’s revealing, but no self-pitying woe-is-me misery memoir. Well worth your time.

And more…

Our Letter To My Younger Self this week is with Roger Bannister. Though he’s responsible for one of the key moments of the 20th century, breaking the 4 minute mile, he has humility and incredible warmth. It’ll make you pause.

John Bird looks at how hope and self-respect can bloom in the most unlikely places – inspired by a lilac plant in the scrub garden of a flat in post-war London. This is a piece of writing that will stay with you.

Also on fine form is Rachel Johnson. She details a series of unfortunate events that lead to technological breakdown and loss of work. She then wonders if anything is worth anything anyway.

Next weekend it’s the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s in Copenhagen and will be co-hosted by Pilou Asbaek. He is better known as spin doctor Casper, the Alistair Campbell of Scandi TV hit Borgen. Adrian Lobb went to Denmark to ask Asbaek how he intends to avoid more geopolitical conflict in eastern Europe during that most taxing of singing competitions.

Aside from David, our featured vendor telling their story in My Pitch is Matt Thomas, working in Oxford. Through selling he’s getting himself sorted out and is rebuilding a relationship with his sons. He also seems to have a growing fanclub.

Elsewhere – Andrew Burns catches up with Future Islands, the most talked about band in the world; Vicky Carroll investigates the reality of an invasion of super-rats; Jane Graham celebrates The Archers; and Anna Karenina finally makes it to top of the list in our weekly look at books to read before you die.

While I have you, could you go here and do us a favour. We’re up as one of the covers of the year. We’re against some great titles and we need you to vote early and vote often.

Congratulations to our boy Brendan O’Neill too. He’s up for columnist of the year at the PPA Awards.