Sir, I was interested to read the open letter sent by leaders of Women’s Aid and the Women’s Equality Party in which they called on the Oxford University Press to abolish its dictionaries’ ‘sexist’ definitions of the word ‘woman’. I share their outrage that the Oxford English Dictionary continues to include synonyms such as ‘chick’, … Read more
Trains, Planes, Ships & Cars: The Golden Age 1900-1941 James Hamilton-Paterson Head of Zeus £30 Rating: Ah, the Golden Age of Travel! This is not a book to be read while you are standing cooped-up on a crowded staircase for ten minutes as part of Ryanair’s ‘Priority Boarding’. In James Hamilton-Paterson’s judgment, the Golden Age … Read more
Gimson’s Presidents: Brief Lives From Washington To Trump Andrew Gimson Square Peg £10.99 Rating: Moving into the White House, which had just been built in the middle of a rutted field, America’s second president, John Adams, prayed: ‘May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.’ Alas, his wish was not granted. … Read more
‘God must have smiled at me,’ says Craig Charles. ‘They got me to hospital in time.’ The BBC Radio 6 funk and soul DJ and star of sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf is talking about the heart attack he suffered in his home two years ago, which he is speaking of publicly for the first time. … Read more
Daniel Craig reveals he wasn’t allowed to drive James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 during high-speed chase scenes over safety fears The actor, 51, told Top Gear Magazine on Thursday that he couldn’t drive and act at the same time as it was seen to be too dangerous Daniel’s stunt driver Mark Higgins would take his … Read more
Years ago, I used to go to a nice hippy barber in Long Melford, Suffolk. On one of my visits, I was wearing a second-hand coat, with a tattered lining that was spilling out through the bottom of the sleeves. At the end of the haircut, I had just put my coat back on, when … Read more