The Oldie Podcast

The Oldie Literary Lunch took place on 15th November at The National Liberal Club. LUCY LETHBRIDGE gave a fascinating talk about her latest book Tourists defining the way the English went abroad to find themselves.  Holidaying was a new phenomena of the past two centuries and one which initially applied to the working classes. As Evelyn Waugh once said “Every Englishman abroad, until it is proved to the contrary, likes to consider himself a traveller and not a tourist.” PETER SNOW spoke about his latest book Kings & Queens, The Real Lives of the English Monarchs, which he has co-written with Ann MacMillan. Kings & Queens explores the lives, loves, triumphs and disasters of a monarchy that is the envy of the world. Peter's book offers a unique insight into those born to rule, whether villains or heroes - from cruel King John and warrior-king Edward III, to our own Elizabeth II: dutiful, discreet and the longest-reigning queen in the world. A N WILSON delivered a startlingly honest and characteristically witty memoir of his youth entitled Confessions.   His first autobiography is populated by a rich cast of characters from royalty to Oxford dons to journalists, and his speech provided the guests at the lunch with much humour.

Harry Mount hosts the Oldie Gang Show with guests Andrew Lownie, David Starkey and Dame Eileen Atkins. Andrew Lownie reveals the true nature of the Duke of Windsor, the subject of his book, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Historian and broadcaster, David Starkey, paints a dynamic portrayal of Henry VIII as the both pivotal to British history and the progenitor of Brexit. Henry VIII is also essential for understanding the role of the Prime Minister and Parliament today. Dame Eileen Atkins is in conversation with Oldie veteran contributor Valerie Grove. Atkin's memoir, Will She Do? is a frank and funny chronicle of Eileen's journey from a Tottenham council estate - entertaining in men's clubs as Baby Eileen - to dominating the English stage and screen as an actor and writer.  January 19, 2022 at the Reform Club

​In this latest edition of the Oldie Podcast, Harry Bucknall talks to that master of story telling himself, Jeffrey Archer, about his new novel, Over My Dead Body which is a story of murder, revenge and betrayal; the fourth in the William Warwick series and another case for investigation by the Metropolitan Police's rising star, who made his first appearance in Jeffrey Archer's Clifton Chronicles series.​ @Jeffrey_Archer @GameKeeperPR @OldieMagazine

Prompted by the sad death of Richard Rogers, Giles and Mary discuss modern architecture, foreign versus domestic holidays and their Christmas plans @gilesandmary1 @oldiemagazine #podcast 

In this edition of The Oldie Podcast, Harry Bucknall talks to The Right Honourable Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, 158th Speaker of the House of Commons, whose role is delivering the daily business of politics. It is he who has to restore the reputation and  traditional values expected of those we elect to represent us and it is he who has to ensure that MPs can go about their daily business unhindered, safe in the knowledge that they do so without risk from the unwanted and unwarranted attention of those remote elements of society intent on spreading malice, causing harm and even death. @LindsayHoyle_MP @CommonsSpeaker @HouseofCommons @GamekeeperPR @HarryBucknall @OldieMagazine

In this week's discussion of the news headlines, Giles and Mary discuss lying, Patricia Highsmith's murder theory and the robin's territorial wars @gilesandmary1 @oldiemagazine #podcast 

​Mary Churchill's War, the Wartime Diaries of Churchill's Youngest Daughter, were published at the end of September.  In the diaries, the self effacing Mary Soames described herself as "a discontented served-up fat ATS officer who compared unfavourably with Hitler's Rhine maidens" – anything could be further from the truth, as those fortunate to meet her will bear testament to her warmth, great sense of duty and ability to light up a room.  In this edition of The Oldie Podcast, Harry Bucknall is joined by Emma Soames, editor supreme, and Mary's daughter, who took on the challenging task of preparing Mary Churchill's War for publication. Mary Churchill's War, published by TWO ROADS, is available on kindle, in audio and hardback, the latter price £20.00 @TwoRoadBooks @oldiemagazine @emmasoames @churchill

In this week's broadcast, Giles and Mary discuss Meghan Markle, snogging and the overuse of the word 'crisis' @maryandgiles1 @oldiemagazine #podcast

In this week's Newsround, Giles and Mary discuss Jeremy Clarkson's new beer, the slanting shadows of winter sunlight and the difference between omicron and omega @oldiemagazine @gilesandmary1 

In this week's Newsround, Giles Wood and Mary Killen choose their dream retirement home - Fawlty Towers. They also discuss whether it's rude to send a list of Christmas present requests and a new phenomenon, Hogo - the Hassle of Going Out  @oldiemagazine @gilesandmary1

In this week's Newsround, Giles Wood and Mary Killen discuss Meghan Markle and the art of apologising, the pleasures of going to jail - and autumn leaves @gilesandmary1 @oldiemagazine #podcast #episode

The Royal British Legion, charged by Royal Charter with the continuing welfare, remembrance, representation and comradeship of all those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces, is the largest of the United Kingdom's military charities. With the enduring symbol of the poppy at its core, it is a unique institution that sits deep in the fabric of our society, safeguarding  the principles for which the Nation stands and those who risk their lives to protect it.  In a special podcast to mark RBL's 100th Anniversary, Harry Bucknall, himself a former British Army officer, talks about the past, present and future of the Charity to Julie Summers, author of We are the Legion, D-Day veteran, 97 year old Rear Admiral John Roberts CB, former paratrooper, Mike Lewis, 38, who was severely injured in Afghanistan, Robert Lee, executive producer of the annual Festival of Remembrance and former Chief of the Defence Staff, General the Lord Richards of Herstmonceux.  @PoppyLegion @GamekeeperPR #FestivalOfRemembrance #PoppyAppeal #everypoppycounts #podcast #podcasts

In this week's Oldie Newsround, Giles Wood and Mary Killen discuss irritable drinkers, Britain's booming population of grey seals and the horrors of Patricia Highsmith

In this week's Oldie Newsround, Giles Wood and his wife Mary Killen discuss what to do when your spouse lets you down, what to do in the country and how much money you need for an interesting life.  @OldieMagazine @gilesandmary #podcast #gilesandmary

In this week's Oldie Newsround, Giles and Mary reveal the best way to turn down a party invitation and how to build the perfect fire. @Oldiemagazine @gilesandmary #gilesandmary #podcast

In a new podcast series, welcome to the weekly round-up of the news by Oldie columnist Giles Wood and his wife, Mary Killen, the Spectator's agony aunt. This week, they discuss the Queen's genius at hitting the nail on the head; why William Morris wallpaper improves any house; and why George Harrison was the best of the Beatles. And Giles dreams of going magnet-fishing.

This month sees Harry Bucknall, with The Oldie Podcast tucked under his arm, venture out from under his lockdown rock in Dorset  to London and the refined elegance of Wilton's Restaurant on Jermyn Street, in St James's  – just the spot for a cup of tea with his guest, the actress Madeline Smith, who writes candidly  in the August edition of the magazine about working with that genius of stage and screen, the late Sir Alec Guinness who many will remember as Colonel Nicholson in David Lean's Bridge over the River Kwai, or for his portrayal of John le Carre's George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and latterly  as  Obe Wan Kenobi in George Lucas's l Star Wars trilogy. We began in bed with Sir Roger Moore. Photo credit: Steve Ball

Actor Robert Bathurst is perhaps best known as David Marsden in ITV's long running hit series, Cold Feet but  since early days from  the Cambridge Footlights to  more recent forays like Keith Waterhouse's  "Jeffrey Bernard  Is Unwell", and Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit", Robert Is no stranger to theatre. In this month's podcast, he talks to Harry Bucknall,  about Toast of London, his love of national hunt racing  and his latest  piece in the June issue of the Oldie titled Dying on stage - a survivor's guide.

From punk to the Summer of Love to Rousseau, Loyd Grossman, whose article on 18th century wood carver Grinling Gibbons features in this month's magazine,  talks about pretty much everything to Harry Bucknall in our latest interview with friends of The Oldie; their discussion, however, starts in  a South London garden in 1983, with Loyd talking to a  large black rabbit…

This Saturday 13th March, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra invites The Oldie to the movies, as Harry Bucknall talks to Pete Harrison, guest conductor of the BSO as they play some of the great film scores, such as Ben Hur, Gone with the Wind and  The Great Escape, which  the orchestra will be performing for their Hollywood Classics concert  this Saturday at 7.30 pm. Full programme details at BSOlive.comHollywood Classics  is available as a digital livestream for 30 days and tickets can be purchased for £9 per household from BSOlive.com 

 At 85, Hunter Davies, buoyed by his younger girlfriend Clare, has received his covid jabs and is raring to go. The writer and Fleet Street legend tells Harry Bucknall what fuels him in this month's podcast. The key ingredient is boredom, Hunter confesses that if he has even thirty minutes between projects, he goes mad. He's also not too mad about England's prospects in the World Cup! 

Harry Bucknall covers Maureen's Damehood, Gyles Brandreth's control of the remote on Celebrity Gogglebox, the perfect recipe for chips as concocted by Victoria Wood and Jack Rosenthal, the challenge facing theatre and live performance, the Labour Party, anti-semitism and the wider right to freedom of religion, finishing with an exhortation for The Oldie Lunch.

Pete Harrison, guest conductor for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Crackers concert tells Harry Bucknall that the show will go on. BSO will welcome audiences to the December 19 Christmas concert which will be streamed live and available for download to enjoy at any time. Singer Laura Tebbutt is thrilled to return to the stage with for the first time since 1st March.  For tickets to attend, download or stream the BSO's Christmas Crackers Concert at the Poole Lighthouse on Saturday 19th December visit www.bsolive.com

Britain's funniest writer, Craig Brown, has asked his pals to record some of his greatest hits. Starring Richard Ingrams as Prince Philip, Eleanor Bron as Jilly Cooper, AN Wilson as Alan Titchmarsh, Craig Brown and Tallulah Brown as Downton Abbey's Lord and Lady Grantham, and Paul Bailey as John Gielgud

At 85, Barry Cryer has worked with them all, from Bob Hope to Morecambe & Wise. In this uproariously funny interview, he recalls a lifetime of laughs with Harry Bucknall

The Oldie's Ferdie Rous talks to author and journalist, Frances Wilson, about Wordsworth's idyllic home in the Lake District, his remarkably intense relationship with his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, and why he was known as the pedestrian poet

The Oldie's Ferdie Rous talks to Ed West, the Deputy editor of UnHerd and son of Oldie columnist Mary Kenny, about why all conservatives are pessimists and why men are guided by women in politics

Oxford University recently announced that Homer's Iliad would be dropped from its Classics syllabus. Ferdie Rous speaks to Harry Mount, Oldie editor and author of Amo, Amas, Amat… And All That, who studied classics at Oxford, and James Pembroke, The Oldie's publisher, and a fellow classics enthusiast.

Mary Kenny, one of the founders of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement, talks to The Oldie's Ferdie Rous about her fifty years on Fleet Street, gender and Ireland's Brexit moment.

At the Oldie's February lunch, Sinclair McKay spoke about his new book, Dresden: the Fire and the Darkness.

Dan Cruickshank spoke about his new book, Cruickshank's London: A Portrait of a City in 13 Walks, at the Oldie's February lunch.

At the Oldie's February lunch, Lord Tugendhat spoke about his new book, A History of Britain Through Books: 1900 ‑ 1964.

Gyles Brandreth talks to The Oldie's Ferdie Rous about Rupert Bear, his love of words and why Shakespeare matters

James Fletcher, who's making a film, The Accidental President, talks to Harry Mount about the US electionImage: A souvenir-seller at the Trump rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. Credit: James Fletcher

Oldie Editor Harry Mount talks to Philip Delves Broughton, former New York Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and Ivo Dawnay, the former Washington bureau chief for the Daily Telegraph, about the Democratic Presidential primary in Iowa.

The Oldie's Ferdie Rous talks to author, former prison doctor and journalist Theodore Dalrymple.Dalrympe tells us about the psychology of crime and addiction, his love of Wales and why he rummages through litter.

Author, Oldie columnist and nature writer Patrick Barkham talks to Ferdie Rous, The Oldie's Editorial Assistant, about the Scottish Highlands, HS2 and the need for parents to stay in touch with nature

The Oldie's Editorial Assistant Ferdie Rous talks to journalist, author and travel writer WIlliam Cook about Oberammergau's world-renowned passion play.Every 10 years, 500,000 people descend on this small Bavarian town to watch this extraordinary insight onto the seventeenth century.

Actress and costar of the Kenny Everett Show, Cleo Rocos, tells Oldie Editor Harry Mount about her time working with Kenny Everett

Ferdie Rous talks to Philip Mansel, co-founder of The Society for Court Studies and the author of King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV, about the Sun King, Versailles and Louis's love of gardening.

Gyles Brandreth talks about his new book, Dancing by the Light of the Moon, at the Oldie's Christmas lunch.Learning poetry prevents dementia and helps improve language skills. Gyles Brandreth loves it

Victoria Hislop presented her book, Those who are loved, at the Oldie's Christmas lunch.The plot centres on Thenis, a woman born in Greece in the 1920s. It tells the story of Greece's twentieth century through the eyes of someone who lived it.

Philip Mansel talks about his new book, King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV, at the Oldie's Christmas lunch.Louis XIV was perhaps the most powerful person on earth in his day. But there is much more to him than the bon vivant and patron of the arts that we think we know.

Welcome to the Oldie podcast with Harry Mount, editor of The Oldie. John Lloyd explains the disastrous beginnings of the show and how the 1979 election saved it.

Ferdie Rous, The Oldie's editorial assistant, speaks to celebrated historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes about the extraordinary history of Venus-Aphrodite, the goddess of love. We reference a few paintings and sculptures throughout the podcast. Follow the links to find them. Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte Botticelli – The Birth of Venus; Venus & Mars Knidian Aphrodite Venus de Milo

The Oldie's editorial assistant, Ferdie Rous, talks to acclaimed author and travel-writer Sara Wheeler about 200 years of Antarctic exploration.Sara Wheeler's new book, Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age, published by Jonathan Cape, is out now.

Simon Heffer speaks at an Oldie literary lunch about the Staring at God: Britain during the Great War.He tells of the political class's inability to deal with the pressures of the war, how women were far more than the munitionettes of popular imagination and the extent of the cultural changes brought on by the war.

John McEwen and Carry Akroyd talk about the bird-infested history of the Douglas Home family, the sex life of the Great Bustard and how best to portray birds in art.

Simon Jenkins speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch about the three traumas of London's history, how London was shaped by the free market and the city corporation and the importance of separating money from power.

The Oldie's Editor Harry Mount talks to Times and Telegraph regular Hannah Betts about Troy, Homer and the mixed legacy of Heinrich Schliemann, who rediscovered it. Troy: Myth and Reality is on at the British Museum between 21st November and 8th March 2020

Welcome to the Oldie podcast with Harry Mount, the editor of The Oldie.This month we have a fantastic piece by Damian Thompson in the magazine about Stephen Potter, the inventor of Gamesmanship.Damian is a senior journalist who has worked at the Telegraph and the Catholic Herald, and is the associate editor of the Spectator.