The void at the heart of Phillip Schofield
I’ve always found the word ‘presenting’ – as in TV presenting – somewhat comical. It’s such a giveaway. In theory,…
University isn’t sexy anymore
Freshers’ Week. It sounds so appealing, even to an uneducated counter-jumper like me who finds the word ‘uni’ so repellent…
The truth about Jeremy Kyle
The inquest into the death of Steve Dymond, the unfortunate man who was found dead a week after his appearance…
When doctors have a dark side
We’re quite happy to think badly of most professions. The corrupt politician, the sleazy hack, the bent copper and the…
Oasis’s reunion is a moment of joy – but I won’t be buying tickets
As someone who was around pop stars from a very young age, I’m not inclined to get over-excited about them.…
Reginald D. Hunter and the cowardice of the comedy class
The brave clown who speaks the truth and shames the devil is a showbiz tradition, from Charlie Chaplin to Lenny…
The trouble with Adele
I remember a time when I didn’t object to Adele. Working-class in the increasingly posh world of popular music, always…
The power of the brown American diva
Deborah Paredez celebrates ‘bold, beautiful, messy’ stars such as Tina Turner, Celia Cruz, Vikki Carr, Grace Jones and Aretha Franklin as fabulous role models for the oppressed
Joe Biden and the truth about old age
Observing the tremulous travails of Joe Biden, I reflected that we’re in two minds about old age. On one hand…
Labour’s sinister record on trans rights
There’s a funny saying the Cockneys have to describe something ghastly coming in the wake of something lovely: ‘After the…
The trouble with David Tennant
Most people have a soft spot for the first ‘X’ film they legitimately saw as an alleged ‘adult’; mine was Magic,…
The Green party’s women problem
In an excellent essay I wrote for this magazine at the start of the year – ‘Sir’ Ed Davey’s Lib Dems are…
How will Remainers cope with a right-wing Europe?
I love to make up new words and see them gradually used more by others – for a writer, there’s…
Why I’ll be voting Reform (reluctantly)
I’ve always loved voting. No matter how many times I’ve been disappointed, I’ll be out there next time round getting…
The glorious downfall of Lloyd Russell-Moyle
It’s always handy for parents to have someone they can use to put their children off any particular profession. ‘Don’t…
The enduring ghastliness of Sarah Ferguson
When I was a kid in the music business, I became aware of a funny phenomenon whereby visiting American bands…
How anti-Semitism breeds on university campuses
It’s often said that anti-Semitism is a shape-shifter, seen best in the way that the right-wing have painted the Jews…
Stephen Fry and the rise of the Pratriarchy
With Labour on course to win the next election, it’s worth asking again: why is it the only major political…
Taylor Swift is a rotter
Taylor Swift has released another album spilling the beans on her private life. ‘I’d written so much tortured poetry in…
The Met doesn’t care about anti-Semitism
We’re familiar by now with the peculiar paradox of left-wingers and feminists, those weird well-born women who would scream blue…
JK Rowling and the Cass report reckoning
Boyish girls, climb the nearest tree and give a Tarzan whoop of victory – girly boys, fashion a floral crown…
What happened to the working class?
The Sunday Times’s headline for the obituary of Edward Bond earlier this month was striking: ‘Briton who rose from a…
In praise of bin men
I’ve always had a soft spot for bin men – or refuse collectors as we generally call them these days.…
This tragic Oscars shows the Golden Age of Hollywood is over
‘The Incident’ which took place between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars was a double-edged sword. It…
Geri Halliwell can never be wrong
Watching the current scandal around Christian Horner play out, I didn’t feel any of the glee I usually do when…
