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

A right royal party for Shakespeare • The Queen and a dozen dames came to my Valentines Day party. But did Leslie Caron make it?

Just my cup of tea! • The Teasmade has been much mocked over the years, but Peter York absolutely adores his

OLDEN LIFE

MODERN LIFE

Time is on his side • Bill Wyman, 87, is a happily married country squire, writing books and playing on the Rolling Stones’ new album.

When Brighton rocked • Adam Trimingham recalls a golden age, when Laurence Olivier, Max Miller and Terence Rattigan flocked to the seaside town

Narcissistic, moi? • Watch out, there's a show-off about! Lulu Taylor guides you through the different breeds of self-obsessed monsters

Biba fever • A new show salutes the clothes shop that, 60 years ago, took London by storm.

The great exam failure • The dumbing down of British exams began with the first GCSEs in 1987. Charlotte Metcalf mourns the end of O-levels

The fast show • Rishi Sunak fasts for only 36 hours. Neville Hodgkinson, 80, decided to go ten days without food

Sleeping beauty • Rachel Kelly loves her daily siesta. But is it good for her?

Rock of Ages • For over 700 years, the Stone of Scone has shuttled between Scotland and England. Now it's returning home to Perthshire.

All aboard the Train of Death! • Griff Rhys Jones put his life on the line when he hitched a ride on the most dangerous railway on earth

How to solve fostering crisis? Only connect • Katie Waldegrave's charity aims to cure the shortage of foster parents

Nancy Mitford, Queen of the Adriatic

House of cards • Sarah Brydon loved her 1950s childhood – and her daring father, who taught her billiards, roulette and strip poker

What the Romans did – for science • If you want to be a scientist, learn classics.

A moving dilemma • Divorcé Andrew Gimson had a choice: town or country

My rubber fetish • Rubberwear isn't just for perverts – it's now fashionable

RIP Magnificat, my greatest feline friend

A very short book for Camilla • What a delight to write a tiny volume for Queen Mary's Dolls’ House

Falling in love again – in M&S • Our eyes met over the Easter eggs. If only her boyfriend wasn't also there, stealing prime cuts of meat

The bench, king of park life

Oh to be on 1970s Gogglebox

End of the road • Thanks to rising insurance and declining eyesight, Mary Kenny waves a sad farewell to her Renault Modus

Poetry and emotion on a school trip

Salvador Dalí's agony-free crucifixion

Betty Boothroyd OM (1929-2023)

The illness of Charles lll • Sadly, a good diet and lots of exercise can't prevent cancer

READER'S 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

Tommy Trinder

Bull's-eye! My fig-shooting adventure

And did those...