The Old Un’s Notes

Oldie of the Year 2022: editor Harry Mount; Jeremy Paxman; Michael Bond’s daughter, Karen Jankel; Paddington; Jane Goodall; Siân Phillips; Duke of Kent; Gyles Brandreth Karen Jankel’s Paddington meets Jane Goodall’s Mr H

Thank ’eaven for Oldie girls: Jilly Cooper and Leslie Caron

Many congratulations to the dazzling winners of the Oldie of the Year 2022.

The Champion of Champions was the great Paddington Bear. Our star guest from Darkest Peru brought with him Karen Jankel, daughter of Michael Bond, Paddington’s creator. The Paddington in the picture was the actual one made for Karen when she was a little girl.

Presenting the prize to Paddington was his landlord, Mr Brown, in the guise of Hugh Bonneville.

Hugh is interviewed on page 87 of this issue. He confirms that Paddington was a joy to work with, except on the odd occasion when he was suffering from a marmalade hangover. The other worthy Oldie of the Year winners this year are: the Duke of Kent, First-Time Author of the Year; Siân Phillips and Edward Fox, Oldie Stagers of the Year; Dr Henry Marsh, Oldie Brainbox of the Year; Jeremy Paxman, Cuddly Oldie Rottweiler of the Year; Jane Goodall, our Oldie Queen of the Jungle; and Alan Garner, our Wise Oldie Man of the Year.

Many congratulations to all of them. Their profiles appear on pages 14 to 17 of this issue.

Jane Goodall brought a special guest (pictured) – Mr H, her toy monkey of over 30 years’ standing.

Mr H was introduced to Paddington and they got on like a house on fire. What impeccable manners oldie animals have!

Among this month’s contributors

Martin Jarvis (p26) is the world master at recording PG Wodehouse and the Just William stories on the radio and on audiobooks. He appeared in The Forsyte Saga and Titanic.

Bruce Beresford (p30) directed Breaker Morant, Don’s Party and the Oscarwinning Driving Miss Daisy. His film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie stars Oldie columnist Barry Humphries (p39).

Anna Pasternak (p54), a great-niece of Boris Pasternak, wrote Lara: The Untold Love Story That Inspired Doctor Zhivago. She is author of Princess in Love, about Princess Diana’s affair with James Hewitt.

Mark Ellen (p57) edited Smash Hits and The Word. He presented The Old Grey Whistle Test and co-presented Live Aid. At Oxford, he played bass alongside Tony Blair in the band Ugly Rumours.

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£15 for published contributions

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Producer Michael Whitehall and Hilary Whitehall Giles Wood, The Oldie’s Country Mouse

Margaret Calvert, queen of road signs Eyes right: Giles Coren and Nicky Haslam

Left: prize-winner Dr Henry Marsh, Oldie columnist John Lloyd and Roger McGough

Below left: Oldie columnists Elisabeth Luard, Valerie Grove and Lucinda Lambton

Below right: Mary Kenny, Oldie columnist

We were delighted, too, that our Oldie of the Year from last year, the great Leslie Caron, was at the party, held at the National Liberal Club.

She was prevented by illness from collecting her award from the Queen Consort (then the Duchess of Cornwall) last year. Thank ’eaven to see her back on cracking form!

How daring to hold a party in the Houses of Parliament on Bonfire Night.

The host was Maurice Saatchi, co-founder of the eponymous advertising company. He was launching his new book, Do Not Resuscitate: The Life and Afterlife of Maurice Saatchi.

Lord Saatchi’s guests underwent Heathrow-style security searches inside Cromwell Gate. Would Guy Fawkes have got past them?

In the Peers’ Dining Room, guests found their beaming host, in an outsize cream suit, beside a pile of his slim volumes.

In the 11 years since the death of his wife, Josephine Hart, Saatchi has demonstrated his grief and devotion to her on an admirable scale.

He held a Westminster Abbey celebration of Josephine’s poetry recitals. He got John Major to unveil a vast statue of Josephine and a memorial library in the park of their Sussex house. For seven years, he breakfasted with the statue every morning. In his diverting book, Saatchi imagines himself dead, and put on trial. Is he, a rich, self-indulgent, self-obsessed narcissist (Josephine’s words), worthy to join his wife in heaven?

Guests included David Hare and Simon Schama, Saatchi’s friend since their north-London youth. Also there was our new Oldie of the Year Edward Fox, the first actor to read T S Eliot for Josephine Hart.

Fox suggested that Saatchi’s self-flagellatory candour – admitting that he has never in his life cooked a meal, made a bed or entered a supermarket – may ensure Saatchi will make it through the pearly gates.

Any oldies who hate the phone wouldn’t like a new burial practice in America.

In Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina, the authorities have installed a phone booth for people to chat away to the recently departed. They sadly don’t answer back, but the idea is you get the sensation of still being in touch with them.

It was dreamt up by a Japanese garden-designer, Itaru Sasaki, keen to stay in touch with his departed cousin. The wooden booth in Raleigh is made by Ian Dunn, a local photographer and artist.

The phone is a great comfort to many. And no one has heard an alarming incoming call – yet.

The Old Un was deeply sad to hear of the death of the fine journalist Ian Jack, at the age of 77.

Jack wrote wonderful pieces for the Guardian, the Sunday Times and The Oldie.

He was also invaluable in 2016-17 in standing in for the late, great Alexander Chancellor when our muchmissed editor wasn’t well.

Jack wrote often and brilliantly about his native Scotland. Alexander once said to him, after reading another evocation of the West Fife coalfield in 1955, ‘One of the good things about your stuff is that there’s never any danger of coming across the Mitfords.’

RIP a great friend of The Oldie.

Proudly bearing our logo on their shirts, Corfe, at the time of writing, are riding high in the Dorset Veterans’ League (East).

In the three games played so far, they’ve won two and lost one and they’re second in the league.

In fact, by Oldie standards, they’re spring chickens. The oldest player is 63 and the qualifying minimum age is only 35.

Calling Cristiano Ronaldo (age 37) of Portugal – and formerly of Manchester United. Corfe FC would be delighted to give you a trial.

Best of luck for the rest of the season, lads, and a very merry Christmas to you and all readers!

Forget the World Cup!

This year’s biggest team in world football is Corfe Castle Veterans, from Dorset.

Their new multi-billiondollar sponsor is none other than The Oldie. Many congratulations to

David Nash from Gloucestershire for winning our Christmas Gift Guide Quiz by Marcus Berkmann. The answers can be found on the Oldie website.