29: Anne de Courcy on Chanel's saucy secrets
What is the difference between Old Masters and old mistresses? Where did Chanel put her No. 5? Whose yacht was called the 'floating double-bed'? Anne de Courcy examines life in the French Riviera before and during the war. Her new book, Chanel's Riviera: Life, Love and the Struggle for Survival on the Côte d’Azur, 1930–1944, is published by W&N.
12m Aug 16, 2019
12m
28: August Issue: Granny, I hardly knew you
Welcome to August Issue of the Oldie podcast. George Courtauld, a former Queen's messenger and bestselling writer of The Travels of a Fat Bulldog, has penned a delightful piece about discovering his grandmother Daisy Dobell's diaries in his attic. He speaks to The Oldie's editorial assistant Ferdie Rous about his grandmother: her childhood, why she earned the nickname – 'Naughty Daisy' – and he...
15m Jul 12, 2019
15m
27: Tim Waterstone on how he built his brand
Introduced by Barry Cryer, Sir Tim Waterstone spoke at the Oldie's July lunch about what inspired him to create Waterstones, the difficulty of getting funding for it and a set-to with a journalist in the 90s. His book is The Face Pressed Against a Window: A Memoir.
13m Jul 12, 2019
13m
Antony Beevor on the British obsession with Operation Market Garden
Introduced by Barry Cryer, Sir Antony Beevor spoke at the Oldie's July lunch about the British fascination with defeat, the disaster at Arnhem bridge and Field Marshal Montgomery's appalling behaviour before, during and after the battle. Antony Beevor's book is Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944.
14m Jul 12, 2019
14m
26: Anna Pasternak speaks about the kindhearted Wallis Simpson
Introduced by Barry Cryer, Anna Pasternak speaks at the Oldie's July lunch. Looking past the steely scheming facade that is so familiar  the public, Pasternak praised the better side of one of the most hated royals. Anna Pasternak's book is Untitled: The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.
12m Jul 12, 2019
12m
25: July Issue: Barry Cryer on 60 years in comedy
Welcome to the July issue of the Oldie podcast. Harry Mount editor of The Oldie speaks to the comic genius Barry Cryer, who has been working in comedy since 1957. Here Barry Cryer talks about his life as a raconteur, the art of the perfect punchline and the beginnings of any good gag.
28m Jun 11, 2019
28m
25: Why did Lord Carrington hate Boris Johnson?
Christopher Lee speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch about Lord Carrington: his peculiarly-named dogs, how he came to be 'an honourable man', and why he hated Boris. His new book Carrington: An Honourable Man was published by Viking books.
10m Jun 11, 2019
10m
24: Rachel Kelly outlines the three things that helped her beat depression
Introduced by Barry Cryer, Rachel Kelly spoke about her experiences with depression and anxiety, and how she beat them. Her new book, Singing in the rain: A Happiness Workbook​,​ published by Short books, outlines a series of exercises that can give you a sense of purpose.
11m Jun 11, 2019
11m
23: Chris Mullin on the prescience of A Very British Coup
Introduced by Barry Cryer, former MP Chris Mullin speaks at the Oldie's  June lunch about an encounter with George W Bush, the story behind his bestselling hit, A Very British Coup, and why he wrote a sequel to it. His new book, The Friends of Harry Perkins, was published by Scribner UK.
11m Jun 11, 2019
11m
22: Sara Lodge on singing Edward Lear
Sara Lodge, former speechwriter to Kofi Annan and author of Inventing Edward Lear, speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch at Cholmondeley Castle about the hidden gems of Edward Lear: the links between pathos and absurdity in his poetry, his under-regarded art and the Owl and the Pussycat's sombre sequel.
11m May 22, 2019
11m
21: Adrian Tinniswood on the Queen Mother's steady drinking
Adrian Tinniswood, author of Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household, speaks about the man who got Prince Albert killed, the steady drinking of the Queen Mother and what makes the sovereign different, at the Sandstone Ridge Festival's Oldie Literary Lunch.
12m May 22, 2019
12m
20: Getting through D-Day – Giles Milton talks Eisenhower, Pegasus Bridge and Rommel
Welcome to the Oldie's June Podcast. D-Day took place 75 years ago on the 6th June. It was the largest invasion in military history. 7,000 vessels, 156,000 personnel and 1,200 planes and gliders were involved. Historian and bestselling author of D-Day: The Soldiers' Story (https://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Day-Soldiers-Story-Giles-Milton/dp/1473649048/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2_sspa?keywords=D-Day%3A+The+S...
22m May 14, 2019
22m
19: Giles Milton on a commando's unexpected encounter with Erwin Rommel
With commemorations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day just around the corner, we were delighted to welcome Giles Milton to our May lunch. His new book, D-Day: A Soldiers' Story charts the stories of the men and women who took part in the Normandy landings. At the lunch, he recounted the tale of a one-man raid on a Normandy beach, in May of 1944, which ended in a chance encounter with Erwin Ro...
12m May 09, 2019
12m
19: Robert Hutton on MI5's most secret agent: Jack King
During the Second World War, MI5 ran a secret operation to root out Nazi-sympathisers. At the Oldie's May literary lunch Robert Hutton spoke about the man in charge of it all. The unsung hero: Eric Roberts. The full story is detailed in Hutton's new book, Agent Jack: MI5's secret Nazi Hunter.
10m May 09, 2019
10m
18: Christopher Howse on the angriest landlord in London
Christopher Howse speaks about the highs and lows of the golden days of Soho. Soho in the Eighties, his new book, is an anecdotal history of the strange and brilliant figures that populated Soho: from Jeffrey Bernard to Francis Bacon. Here he is speaking at the Oldie's May literary lunch.
17m May 09, 2019
17m
Prince Albert's Coburg – 'the stud farm of Europe'
Welcome to The Oldie's May podcast. William Cook, a regular contributor to The Oldie, the Spectator and the Independent, who has written books about Auberon Waugh and Peter Cook, speaks to The Oldie's Editorial Assistant, Ferdie Rous, about the German town of Coburg, where Prince Albert was born 200 years ago . At (22.37), we turned briefly to Auberon Waugh.
27m Apr 15, 2019
27m
Prue Leith on Bake Off, Bomb scares and Explosive Marmalade
At the April lunch, Prue Leith spoke about her life in cooking, one of Paul Hollywood's meaner moments on Bake Off, bomb scares and explosive marmalade. Her book, Prue: My All-Time Favourite Recipes, is out now. Leith's fellow speakers were Hugo Vickers (The Quest for Queen Mary) and Matthew Sturgis (Oscar: A Life).
12m Apr 04, 2019
12m
Hugo Vickers on the unusual girth of the Queen's great-grandmother
Hugo Vickers on The Quest for Queen Mary by James Pope-Hennessy, which he edited. He spoke about the book's 60-year journey to publication, James Pope-Hennessy's inimitable style and the understated way to describe large royals. Vickers's fellow speakers were Prue Leith (Prue: My All-Time Favourite Recipes) and Matthew Sturgis (Oscar: A Life).
8m Apr 04, 2019
8m
17: Matthew Sturgis on the celebrity of Oscar Wilde
At the April Literary Lunch, Matthew Sturgis spoke about his new book, Oscar: A Life.
13m Apr 04, 2019
13m
Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais remember Ronnie Barker, Porridge and The Likely Lads
Welcome to the Spring podcast of The Oldie magazine. Harry Mount speaks to the great Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who have written a terrific cover piece about Ronnie Barker, who would have been 90 this year, and Porridge. Other great news is that two lost episodes of The Likely Lads have been rediscovered along with the feature film The Likely Lads from 1976.
39m Mar 14, 2019
39m
16: Look, no wrinkles – Mary Killen on the lazy facelift
Mary Killen has no time for the knife, the exercises or the headstands. Instead, she lies back and tries the facelift for the lazy – and it works
13m Feb 19, 2019
13m
15: Why Brian Clough swore at Motty
John Motson speaks about his new book, World Cup Motty: My World Cup Stories at The Oldie's February Literary Lunch. He remembers the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, an unnerving encounter with Brian Clough and his brief flirtation with Greco-Roman wrestling.
18m Feb 12, 2019
18m
14: William Keegan on the relief of decimalisation
William Keegan, the former Economics Editor of the Observer, speaks on his book, Nine Crises: Fifty Years of Covering the British Economy from Devaluation to Brexit. He approaches these nine crises with the experience of having met a few of the instigators. Listen to his brilliant anecdotes from his long career.
10m Feb 12, 2019
10m
13: Lady Colin Campbell on the unbridled masculinity of Prince Philip
Lady Colin Campbell speaks about her new book, The Queen's Marriage at The Oldie's February Literary Lunch. Her amusing anecdotes, matched by her impeccable sources, give a brilliant insight into the marriage of our brilliant Queen Liz and her boat-rocking husband Prince Philip.
10m Feb 12, 2019
10m
Oldie Keep Calm and Carry On Award winner Amanda Barrie on Carry On
Oldie editor Harry Mount talks to Oldie of the Year Amanda Barrie about her Carry On experiences: from her supporting role in Carry On Cabby (1963) to her triumphant turn as Cleopatra, a year later.
40m Jan 30, 2019
40m
12: Robert Hardman on Queen of the World at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Robert Hardman on Queen of the World
12m Dec 14, 2018
12m
11: Kenneth Baker on On The Seven Deadly Sins at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Lord Baker on On The Seven Deadly Sins
14m Dec 14, 2018
14m
Gyles Brandreth on Have You Eaten Grandma? at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Gyles Brandreth on Have You Eaten Grandma?
15m Dec 14, 2018
15m
Nicholas Parsons turns 95
Nicholas Parsons talks to Harry Mount at the Gibraltar Literature Festival
17m Nov 26, 2018
17m
10: Miles Goslett on An Inconvenient Death at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Miles Goslett on An Inconvenient Death: How the Establishment Covered Up the David Kelly Affair
18m Nov 26, 2018
18m
10: January Issue: The Icy Thrills of Boxing Day at the Races
Harry Mount talks to Brough Scott – celebrated racing presenter, winning jockey in over a hundred races and a Kempton Park veteran – about the King George VI steeplechase and the perils of winter riding.
48m Nov 26, 2018
48m
9: Andrew Morton on Wallis in Love at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Andrew Morton on Wallis in Love
13m Nov 26, 2018
13m
8: Dan Snow on On this day in History at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Dan Snow on On this day in History
14m Nov 26, 2018
14m
7: Mark Mason on The Book of Seconds at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Mark Mason on The Book of Seconds
15m Nov 02, 2018
15m
Adam Zamoyski on Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Adam Zamoyski on Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth
12m Nov 02, 2018
12m
Andrew Roberts on Churchill: Walking with Destiny at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Andrew Roberts on Churchill: Walking with Destiny
12m Nov 02, 2018
12m
December Issue: Blue guides and the Greek islands
Lucy Lethbridge talks to our editor Harry Mount about the world famous Blue Guides and the perceived difference between tourists and 'real' travellers.
17m Oct 31, 2018
17m
6: December Issue: Life was my Uni
Our editor, Harry Mount, interviews Nicky Haslam about the joy of having not been to university.
20m Oct 31, 2018
20m
5: Miranda Seymour on In Bryon's Wake at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Miranda Seymour on In Bryon's Wake
9m Oct 25, 2018
9m
4: Giles Wood and Mary Killen on The Diary of Two Nobodies at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Giles Wood and Mary Killen on The Diary of Two Nobodies
12m Oct 25, 2018
12m
4: Dan Cruikshank on Skyscrapers at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Dan Cruikshank on Skyscrapers
16m Oct 25, 2018
16m
3: Tony Adams on Sober: Football. My Story. My Life. at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Tony Adams on Sober: Football. My Story. My Life.
12m Oct 25, 2018
12m
1: November Issue: Let's Get Real About Food
Lucy Deedes, the daughter of WF Deedes, Private Eye’s Dear Bill, remembers a childhood spent eating roadkill and deer butchered in the garden – before we all got so fussy about food.
25m Oct 02, 2018
25m
1: November Issue: I Once Kissed Roger Moore
Former Bond Girl Madeline Smith talks to Annabel Sampson about Roger Moore undressing her with a magnetic watch in 'Live and Let Die'. Madeline also talks about Bond Girls in the #MeToo climate, and why Peter Cook was the 'one that got away'.
28m Oct 02, 2018
28m
2: Filming if...
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of if… The Oldie screened Lindsay Anderson’s anti-establishment satire set in an English public school at the Soho's Curzon. David Wood – who played Johnny in the film – spoke to Valerie Grove, the Oldie's radio columnist, afterwards. Here is part of that conversation, followed by a few questions from the audience.
28m Sep 20, 2018
28m
October Issue: Kenneth Cranham on Harold Pinter
Ten years after Harold Pinter's death – and on the eve of a new season of his plays – actor Kenneth Cranham remembers his friend's advice on how to understand and act in his works
33m Sep 03, 2018
33m
October Issue: Sara Wheeler on Anton Chekov's Gardens
Our Digital Editor, Annabel Sampson, talks to Sara Wheeler about Anton Chekhov’s Russian garden, that has been copied in Devon after a blooming debut at this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Chekhov’s work as a doctor was invigorated by a deep sympathy with the natural world. Listen here.
18m Aug 28, 2018
18m
1: September Issue: Ask Virginia
The Oldie’s Agony Aunt, the stand-up, novelist and columnist Virginia Ironside, opens up about solving reader conundrums, something she has done now for nearly 40 years. She airs her mixed feelings about celebrity agony aunts and the unreadable prose of some of her contemporaries. Our Digital Editor goes to her house in West London, to see Virginia and meet her cat.
27m Aug 08, 2018
27m
1: Dame Jenni Murray on A History of Britain in 21 Women at the Oldie Literary Lunch
They were famous queens, unrecognised visionaries, great artists and trailblazing politicians. They all pushed back boundaries and revolutionised our world. Jenni Murray presents the history of Britain as you've never seen it before, through the lives of twenty-one women who refused to succumb to the established laws of society, whose lives embodied hope and change, and who still have the power...
13m Aug 07, 2018
13m
1: Andrew Gimson on Gimson's Prime Ministers at the Oldie Literary Lunch
Who is your favourite prime minister? Gimson has written a vivid account of the lives of PMs from Walpole to May. The former parliamentary sketchwriter for the Telegraph and biographer of Boris Johnson, Gimson is the dream guide to our First Lords of the Treasury. This talk was recorded at an Oldie Literary Lunch at Simpson's-in-the-Strand on July 17th 2018.
13m Aug 07, 2018
13m