Hi, guys. Richard here. Hey, I was totally gobsmacked to be asked to contribute this key celebrity thought for the beginning of Lent. And really honoured. I mean that. It’s a heavy time, Lent. I’m well known for respecting everyone’s religion – the way I see it, we’re all consumers, no matter which god we… Continue reading A religious festival in serious need of rebranding
Read moreThe year of 2008 saw a momentous change in the fortunes of the British Royal Family, writes our historian of the future. In February that year, there were reports in the press that the heir to the throne would break with tradition and work for a while as a journalist. “He’s learned about the armed… Continue reading A frightfully difficult assignment for a young prince
Read moreWhat a fascinating and enigmatic character Sir Cliff Richard is. One moment he is dullness personified, as reassuringly bland as an early-evening newsreader, the next he becomes almost interesting. There was the moment he held hands with Sue Barker, and there was his appearance on a London stage as, of all characters, Heathcliff, and then… Continue reading The untold story of an enduring icon of rock
Read moreYou know the feeling. A newspaper has been left on a train or in the dentist’s waiting-room. It is the type of rag which, under normal circumstances, you would never read, but there it is, you have not actually bought it yourself and you are bored. The lead story, about Chelsea love-rat Ashley Cole or… Continue reading All the news that’s fit to leave in a dentist’s waiting room
Read morehe useful ambiguity of the French language has rarely been better demonstrated than by an incident this weekend involving France’s best-known newly-wed, M. Nicolas Sarkozy. During a visit to an agricultural fair, a member of the public rather rudely declined to shake the President’s hand on the grounds that that contact would make him dirty.… Continue reading Why are we obsessed with taking offence?
Read moreThere are various well-tried ways to assess the success of a writer – reviews, books sales, prizes, the grinding envy of his peers – but the most reliable is the simplest. How much pleasure does his work give his readers? By this criterion, as the many readers who have turned confidently to this column down… Continue reading It was tough when Miles called me off the subs’ bench
Read moreThere has now surely been quite enough maundering and hand-wringing about poor old Derek Conway and the so-called “family firm” which he employed in a largely non-executive capacity at Westminster. The usual rentagob moralists have been standing on the sidelines, complaining about how the Tory MP had exploited his privileged position, misused public funds and… Continue reading Where family’s concerned, if you’ve got it, flaunt it
Read moreWith a casual, passing comment, made during the course of an analysis of the American presidency, the journalist Jacob Weisberg has blown the cover on the White House’s most closely guarded secret. President Bush has never been that interested in religion, apparently. What has always really fascinated him is sex. Suddenly, the slightly distracted air… Continue reading The most fun you can have with your boots on
Read moreIt is generally accepted that there are two types of drinker. On the one hand, there is the acceptable recreational tippler who lowers stress levels at the end of a busy day with stiffener or two. Then there is the unacceptable binger who punches people, or vomits or falls asleep in the gutter or has… Continue reading Ken’s thoughts on alcohol? I’ll drink to that …
Read moreJon Stewart, the American TV presenter much adored by American liberals for his show The Daily News, is not quite himself at the moment. Although on screen he looks the same as ever – smooth, blandly handsome, generally pleased with himself – a certain bounce in his presentation, a fluency, seems to be missing. The… Continue reading Remember, TV and film start with writers
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