Author Archives: Paul

My daughter has just graduated from Cambridge with a First in English from Cambridge University. Words honestly cannot express the pride and joy I feel. Neither can any piece of music. This one, however, has a very tenuous connection. Trinity was her college and a three piece suit is what some proud fathers – though […]

Before his almost inevitable elimination, he was the most appealing of the Tory leadership candidates. Offbeat and eccentric, he exuded intelligence, integrity and seemed far less “political” than his rivals. But the real reason I liked him was that his real name isn’t Rory; it’s Roderick. And how good would it have been to have […]

Is, of course, nothing new. In the 70s, a telephone service called Dial-a-Disc was hugely popular. Every day, millions of people would dial 160 to hear a song from that week’s Top 20. They had no idea what it was going to be but that only added to the excitement. I remember going to the […]

Maybe it’s a joke. After all, she is ITV’s “Head of Comedy” but sadly, I doubt it. Saskia Schuster has announced a refusal to commission any script unless a woman has been involved in its writing. Is this even legal? Doesn’t it fall foul of the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act? And I’m not protesting because […]

I work in advertising so claiming credit, however tenuous, comes with the territory. Among the huge successes for which I can claim (just the tiniest sliver of) credit include the Johnny English films, the invention of Innocent smoothies and the entire career of Jack Dee. So it should come as no surprise that I’m now […]

I’m talking about Morrissey. Just the sound of his voice – whether in a pretentious, self-mythologising interview or warbling in any number of awful Smiths tracks – is enough to bring me out in hives. Now many others have come to share my opinion over his voluble dislike of immigration and his endorsement of the […]

On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we’ve been gratefully remembering the astonishing courage and sacrifice of those who took part, most of them in their late teens and early 20s. But ever since World War II ended, older people have expressed doubts that subsequent generations of youth would be as brave as their […]

My school was in Wealdstone. But because it was one of London’s last grammar schools, its catchment area was huge – stretching all the way from Kilburn to Kings Langley. Lots of pupils journeyed in from Watford, and they were slightly different from the rest of us. It was as though they came from a […]

I thought this when watching Hugh Grant’s wonderful portrayal of Jeremy Thorpe – lying, scheming but charming former leader of the Liberal Party. There are a disproportionate number of people called Jeremy whom huge swathes of other people seem to loathe. Jeremy Clarkson, Jeremy Corbyn and now Jeremy Kyle. The name carries that whiff of […]

I’ve known Danny for years; my wife used to be his agent. He’s not without his faults but he’s one of the funniest, kindest, most generous people you could wish to meet. He’s been all over the papers this week because he’s been sacked (again) by the BBC. This time for posting a “racist” tweet […]