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 - ANECDOTES

Sweet dreams aren't made of this • The older I get, the more terrifyingly bizarre my nightmares become

I’m a man without a van • I would have hit the open road - if I handn’t been one minute late

OLDEN LIFE

MODERN LIFE

The Full Monty • Eric Idle tells Harry Mount how the Pythons wrote their comedy - and wonders why they don’t talk to him now

The fame game • Actors and pop stars are frozen in time when the public first become aware of them.

A witness to tragedy • When Aberfan was engulfed by coal waste 60 years ago, John Humphrys was the first reporter on the scene

The English Bible • Henry Watson Fowler wrote his Dictionary of Modern English Usage a century ago. It’s still full of excellent advice, says Simon O’Hagan

From little acorns… • Some of our greatest stars – from Glenda Jackson to Ronnie Barker – first appeared on screen in tiny cameo roles.

Divine wisdom • Sister Teresa Keswick has written unique reflections for The Oldie for 12 years. Ferdinand Mount salutes a new book of her columns

Maternity carelessness • Britain’s national maternity service was excellent, until the rot set in during the 1980s.

A chorus of disapproval • Alan Ayckbourn’s 91 plays have kept the West End going. So why doesn’t he have a theatre named after him?

Hollywood men • In his diary, Oscar-winning screenwriter Frederic Raphael recalls stingy Gregory Peck and Frank Sinatra, a terrible lover

Virtuous virtual dons • When Lucas Chancellor despaired of his university, he turned to artificial intelligence to teach him

Bob the phrase-builder • Robert Robinson was a witty master of the putdown but was fundamentally unsure of his gifts.

Renaissance man • Correggio was once held up as the greatest painter ever. A new show resurrects his reputation.

The strange curse of English literature • I wasted seven years teaching the subject at university

Buzz Aldrin

My dream toy? King Hussein's revolver

I had an Irish dream • Dubliner Mary Kenny always longed to go to Trinity College Dublin - and now the university is honouring her

I'm a lost sheep, longing for a shepherd's hut

Put your best feet forward • Feet can be beautiful - so don't ruin them with silly shoes that are too high or tight

You'd be crazy to admire my show • My poor friend Jolene may be schizophrenic but she's still wise enough to hate my ventriloquist's act

Ah, the golden age of motoring!

Home is where the courgettes are

The Illuminati illuminated • Conspiracy theorists have got the Bavarian secret society all wrong

The last farewell

Pope Leo’s Guide to AI

Mammon

If music be the food of healing, play on • Studies show stroke victims might benefit from listening to music

Commonplace Corner

RANT

READERS’ LETTERS • The Oldie, 23-31 Great Titchfield...