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

What a dame! Happy 90th, Joan Collins • With eight decades in showbiz under her belt, the star told me the five secrets of her success

My dream job? A full-time burglar • Oh, for a life of crime – with no training and no chance of being caught

OLDEN LIFE

MODERN LIFE

A choir fit for a queen • Simon Scott Plummer was a choirboy at the funerals of George VI and Queen Mary – and at the last coronation

A very British scandal • Fifty years ago, Lord Lambton resigned from the government after a tabloid caught him in bed with two prostitutes.

The thrill of boredom • Modern life and technology cut out life's boring moments, when our imagination can soar.

Cost-of-eating-out crisis • £700 for a steak? £9.50 for a plate of broccoli? Former food critic Jan Moir is sickened by today's rip-off restaurants

‘Scoop’ of the century • Forty years ago, Magnus Linklater of the Sunday Times worked night and day on the Hitler Diaries – only to find they were fake

A short guide to tall stories • Jem Clarke is five foot because of a genetic condition. He's spent 50 years putting up with rude comments, thanks to the last acceptable prejudice

CUT! • Films are now too long – and boring. Hollywood director Bruce Beresford explains why movies broke through the three-hour mark

The fashionista's new clothes • Why do celebs wear silly, uncomfortable outfits?

Don Quixote of the high street • In Valencia, a heroic 80-year-old doctor has forced banks to treat oldies with dignity.

I have of late lost all my mirth • How Julian Neal turned grumpy

Hitler's ridiculous coup was no laughing matter • A century ago, the failed Beer Hall Putsch was the first act of a tragedy

Grandad, we hardly knew you • By rushing off to California, Prince Harry is depriving his children of King Charles's affection, says Mary Kenny

Admin-free at last! • At 79, Liz Hodgkinson casts aside mortgage, car and insurance worries

The neighbours are rubbish with their rubbish

My name's Giles and I'm a gardening addict

Right royal blunders • At the last Coronation, the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury and clumsy peers made some marvellous mistakes.

The new battleground – my school lavs

Quite Interesting Things about… dogs

Easter lesson from the animal kingdom

Charles Wilson (1935-2022)

Calm down, dear, and you might avoid a stroke • A new study fails to prove that stress cause strokes

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

Dolly Parton

My 1956 school run – to Jamaica

Arise Rupert Murdoch, the Duke of Wapping • As newspapers die, we should salute the last great press barons

The judgement of Paris • Paris: The Memoir

Fat chance • Ravenous: How to Get Ourselves and Our Planet into Shape

Mad...