The centrepiece of our 100-page Christmas issue (on news-stands today) is a long-lost interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It dates back to December 1968, and we publish it here for the very first time.

Elsewhere, we have essays from Richard Dawkins on Darwin and the accidents of life; William Dalrymple on India, globalisation and the rise of religion; and Leo McKinstry on the truth behind the bombings of Hamburg and Dresden.

In Columns, Mehdi Hasan explains why President Obama is facing his Vietnam, David Blanchflower counters the Tories' class war, and Gaby Hinsliff looks at how the recession is reshaping our domestic landscape.

Plus, check out Hunter Davies's alternative football awards for the year so far, including the funniest moment and rudest commentator; and try our legendary NS Christmas Quiz.