Bookends: No joke being a comedian
Failure is the very stuff of comedy, but not of showbiz memoirs, so Small Man in a Book (Michael Joseph,…
Latham’s Law
Earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald declared Chris Pyne to be Australia’s most annoying person. I must confess, I…
Bookends: Not filthy enough
The Pursued (Penguin, £12.99) is a lost crime thriller by C. S. Forester, the author of the Hornblower novels. It…
Latham’s law
Kim Williams has left Foxtel just in time, escaping Bob the Blogger’s ferocious campaign against Psychic Sally, Teen Mom and…
Original sin
Nothing beats the buzz that precedes the debut of a rising star in a big, known role. Double it and…
Latham’s law
Andrew Bolt got into trouble recently when he suggested that some people exaggerate their aboriginality for financial gain. Having just…
High hopes
For more than 40 years, Scottish Ballet has been one of the most vibrant and interesting companies on the UK…
Bookends: About a boy
The Go-Between was L.P. Hartley’s best novel, Joseph Losey’s best film, and probably Harold Pinter’s best screenplay. In the novel,…
Wild life
Kenya I am proud of Kenya for taking on Muslim extremists in southern Somalia. Rather wisely, the Kenyan military has…
Bookends: Spirit of place
A new book by Ronald Blythe is something of an event. In recent years the bard of Akenfield has mostly…
Latham’s law
As they say at the BBC, it must be a matter of taste. When it comes to watching footy matches…
Bookends: The showbiz Boris Johnson
Amiability can take you a long way in British public life. James Corden is no fool: he co-wrote and co-starred…
Bookends: Circling the Square Mile
You want the two-word review of this new book about the City? ‘London porn.’ For those of you with more…
Latham’s Law
Bob Carr needs a good dose of the Central Coast water which has perked up the lives of John Della…
Bookends: Squelch of the bladder-wrack
What’s not to like about Candida Lycett Green’s Seaside Resorts (Oldie Publications, £14.99)? Lovely colour photographs of over 100 of…
House rules
Britain needs more houses, and the government’s highly unpopular draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) at least asks how to…
Wild life
Aidan Hartley’s Wild Life Israel Jerusalem was once a very sad place for me and I feared returning. I was…
House rules
Britain needs more houses, and the government’s highly unpopular draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) at least asks how to…
Bookends: Getting it perfect
There is an old joke which says that if you are lost in the desert, start making a salad dressing…
Bookends
Political sketchwriting, like most humorous writing, is one of those things that looks easy, especially to people who would never…
Latham’s Law
Rugby union used to be known as the game they play in heaven. On the evidence displayed at the Rugby…
Bookends
Joan Collins first came to public notice in the 1950s, as a Rank starlet and sex kitten. In the 1970s…
Bookends
One day in the late 17th century, goes the legend, a French monk named Pierre called out to his colleagues:…
Latham’s Law
Not many people see Laurie Ferguson, the Labor member for my old seat of Werriwa, as a raconteur. With his…
Wild Life
Aidan Hartley’s Wild Life Nairobi My friend Philip Coulson was shot at midnight while driving home after the theatre in…
