The Oldie

The idea for the Oldie was cooked up 25 years ago by its founding editor, Richard Ingrams, and his much-lamented successor, the late Alexander Chancellor. Their aim was to create a free-thinking, funny magazine, a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity. The Oldie is ageless and timeless, free of retirement advice, crammed with rejuvenating wit, intelligence and delight. With over 100 pages in every issue, The Oldie is packed with funny cartoons and free-thinking and intelligent articles covering a wide range of topics – from gardening and books to travel, arts, entertainment, and so much more.

The Oldie

Among this month's contributors

The Old Un's Notes

NOT MANY DEAD • Important stories you may have missed

GREAT BORES OF TODAY - THE MODERN WORLD

I left my heart in Belfast • Nearly 60 years ago, I talked to a girl at Queen's University for an hour – and I still think of her now

Chilling moment in the boiling sauna • As the thermometer soared, I had a blood-curdling row at the spa

OLDEN LIFE

MODERN LIFE

My bellissima Amy • On holiday in Puglia with Alexis Parr, Janis Winehouse fondly recalls her late daughter

Hollywood's Latin lover • Frederic Raphael started learning classics in 1939 – and it taught him how to write an Oscar-winning screenplay

The odd couple • When Edith Sitwell met Marilyn Monroe, there was a strange meeting of minds.

I ❤ scoundrels • They're always late. They never commit. But they're utterly charming – and Jackie Verrall adores them

Lovely sound of music • David Lambert, 93, lost his hearing 20 years ago. But, magically, he's just discovered a way of listening to Beethoven and Bach again

Joy of Larkin's Hull • Roger Lewis followed in the poet's footsteps – and was enchanted by the Milan of Yorkshire

A diplomatic memorial • The British Ambassador to Ireland was killed by the IRA 50 years ago. Roy Foster praises his daughter and the prize given in his name

Lion-hearted Landseer • He carved the Trafalgar Square lions, painted Queen Victoria – and was destroyed by drink and grief for his grand mistress.

Still the order of the day • James Pembroke was shocked by a postal order, 80 years after The Winslow Boy

The past is a very foreign country • Our parents’ virtues are now vices – and their vices are virtues

Brotherly love • John Humphrys mourns Graham, who drank and smoked like there was no tomorrow – and had a rare gift for living

An officer and a British gentleman • I joined a cop for a ride-along. His car siren soon started whooping

Cashmere's soft power • What flirtatious joy comes of stroking the luxurious fabric

I've fallen for an aristocat

When Irish eyes are really smiling • Why do writers make Ireland out to be so gloomy? I had a gentle, uplifting childhood in Dublin, says Mary Kenny

Fear & loathing in a budget hotel • My search for my washbag, foiled by the receptionist from Hell

Friends reunited - every year

My dream meal? Spam fritters and corned beef

The speechless age • A new book reminds us of the lost art of speechmaking

I've got a bad eye – and lovely pupils

Time for a scripture lesson

Professor Roger Laughton CBE (1942-2025)

Miss Havisham's Guide to Loss • Prolonged Grief Disorder is now a recognised condition

Jaws

Springtime for an elderflower child

READERS’ LETTERS • The Oldie, 23–31 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7PA letters@theoldie.co.uk To sign up for our e-newsletter, go to www.theoldie.co.uk

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