Radio Oldie

Helen McGinn, wine host of Saturday Kitchen on BBC One, speaks at The Oldie Literary Lunch on 23rd July 2024 about her latest novel Island of Dreams and all things wine. Photographs by Neil Spence Photography and the lunch was kindly sponsored by Charles Stanley Wealth Managers. Recordings by Tom Assheton.

Charlotte Metcalf is a journalist, editor, award-winning documentary film-maker and was co-presenter of the Break Out Culture podcast.   She is Supplements Editor and a frequent contributor at The Oldie. Pattie Boyd was the instantly recognisable ingenue face of the Sixties, photographed by David Bailey, Terence Donovan and many more.  She was catapulted to fame further by her high-profile marriages, first to George Harrison and then to Eric Clapton.  She talks openly about both and her life today.  Happily married for the third time, she is now a successful photographer and has recently been in the press for selling her memorabilia, including her love letters, at Christie’s, raising over £3 million.

The Oldie hosted a Literary Lunch in Salisbury at The Guildhall on Tuesday 11th June to raise money for the Salisbury Samaritans, a charity we closely support. The lunch was sponsored by our friends at Noble Caledonia River Cruises. Our guest speakers were Katie Hickman, Linda McDougall and Rev Richard Coles. Richard Coles is an English writer, radio presenter and Church of England priest. Appearing with Jimmy Somerville in the the 1980s band the Communards, they achieved 3 UK top ten hits, including 'Don't Leave Me This Way'. 

The Oldie hosted a Literary Lunch in Salisbury at The Guildhall on Tuesday 11th June to raise money for the Salisbury Samaritans, a charity we closely support. The lunch was sponsored by our friends at Noble Caledonia River Cruises. Our guest speakers were Katie Hickman, Linda McDougall and Rev Richard Coles. Linda McDougall is a New Zealand-born journalist, television producer and author. She is also known for being the wife of the late Austin Mitchell, who was a British journalist and the Labour Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby from a 1977 by-election until 2015. She is the author of Cherie: The Perfect Life of Mrs Blair and Westminster Women. She lives in North Yorkshire.

The Oldie hosted a Literary Lunch in Salisbury at The Guildhall on Tuesday 11th June to raise money for the Salisbury Samaritans, a charity we closely support. The lunch was sponsored by our friends at Noble Caledonia River Cruises. Our guest speakers were Katie Hickman, Linda McDougall and Rev Richard Coles. Katie Hickman is an English novelist, historian and travel writer. She was born in new Zealand. She is the author of ten books, including two best-selling history books, which between them have sold more than a quarter of a million copies worldwide.

Charlotte Metcalf is a journalist, editor, award-winning documentary film-maker and was co-presenter of the Break Out Culture podcast.   She is Supplements Editor and a frequent contributor at The Oldie. Rebecca Hossack is the Australian art gallerist known for introducing Aboriginal art to England and her beautiful Fitzrovia gallery.  She is both funny and outspoken about championing lesser-known artists, otherwise ignored by an art establishment that she criticizes for its focus on profit and trends at the expense of true talent.

Charlotte Metcalf is a journalist, editor, award-winning documentary film-maker and was co-presenter of the Break Out Culture podcast.   She is Supplements Editor and a frequent contributor at The Oldie. Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian artist and photographer and award-winning film-maker. A recent major retrospective at London’s Saatchi Gallery showed his large format photographs, many vast, of industrial landscapes all over the world.  While they resemble beautiful abstract paintings, they depict industrialisation’s devastating impact on nature and human existence.

Tom Assheton is an editor, producer and presents the Bloody Violent History podcast.  His career spans time in the army, as a land agent and owner of a cigar and coffee company. Mary Killen is a very well-known and prolific journalist and the author of several books. She’s instantly recognisable today for being on Gogglebox with her husband Giles. She’s The Spectator’s agony aunt and a regular contributor to The Oldie with a column on beauty and fashion.

Writing Love From Venice has "literally given me a new lease of life" – Gill Johnson speaking at The Oldie lunch Gill Johnson told The Oldie, 'I have never published a word in my life, never have I had any ambition to do so, so how did a over 90 year old non-celebrity first time author get to write a book?' Gill stayed seated and delivered a evocative speech about Love From Venice, her book focused on her 25th year of her life, when she left The National Gallery in pursuit of her love David Ross who had 'an exotic Russian Scottish heritage'. Gill found herself working for a grand Italian family in Venice and all the stories that ensued. The book has 'literally given me a new lease of life' as Gill fought away tears, sitting next to her brother and highly esteemed wine writer Hugh Johnson (to whom she had dedicated the book) and her son, writer, Rory Ross. Rory held the microphone for Gill. The Oldie audience applauded.

As the 5th July beckons, how topical that Geoffrey Wheatcroft spoke to The Oldie about 'Bloody Panico: Or, Whatever Happened to The Tory Party'. The election is more 'send in the clowns' than 'things can only get better'. Geoffrey retorted, 'I have never felt more gratitude to anyone than I do to Rishi Sunak, calling this election just as my book is published!' Liz Truss was due to be speaking at the Oldie Literary Lunch, but pulled out due to election commitments in Norfolk. Liz was due to speak about how the Tory party can save the world, but Geoffrey Wheatcroft would be one person that does not agree. Liz Truss's time as Prime Minister reminded Geoffrey of 19 years ago, when he published his book 'The Strange Death of Tory England' to which his latest book is a 'kind of afterthought'. The book was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Book Prize. 'Some bright spark doing the publicity' thought that it would be amusing to have a Booker prize style dinner and Geoffrey sat next-door to the leader of the Conservative party at that time, Michael Howard, leader of the Opposition. They made light banter and the same bright spark who was doing the publicity, thought it would be a good idea to film the judges of the prize in their deliberations and to show it on a huge screen. 14 years ago Geoffrey was a judge for the Orwell prize with Ferdinand Mount and 'thank god our deliberations weren't filmed'. The screen showed the judges discussing the different books. Geoffrey confided to the audience that had to listen to Michael Howard speaking in the 'most contentious tones' about his book, 'whose author he was sitting next to'. Geoffrey said that although he was teased for writing the book at the time 'without being too self-congratulatory' it was ahead of its time! Geoffrey seriously said the Conservatives weren't just heading to 'a severe defeat, but towards something a lot more terminal' Geoffrey went on to speak about Boris Johnson, whose real name is, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson and uses the stage name Boris 'a bit like Beyonce, or Sting!' In 2014, Boris had dinner with Spectator journalist, Anne Applebaum, whom he told that no one sane would ever leave the European Union. Two years later, he went back on his word. Geoffrey said 'it was a sad day for British Politics' when the UK decided to leave, due to an 'unprincipled opportunist'. Since Brexit, the Tories have 'staggered from one disaster, to one screw-up' said Geoffrey, 'they don't know who they quite are anymore'.