For centuries, the United Kingdom was the leader of the world in the freedom of its citizens. We were permitted to do what we wanted to, unless the law explicitly prohibited it. Unless the sign said ‘Do not walk on the grass’, we could stroll across the lawn. Not for us some irksome, officious policemen … Read more
BOOK OF THE WEEK THE RULES OF CONTAGION By Adam Kucharski (Wellcome Collection £16.99, 352 pp) Were there a Booker Prize for timeliness, this nuggety gem of a book would be a shoo-in. But don’t think this is an opportunistic (or a simply lucky) attempt to ride on the back of the coronavirus pandemic. The … Read more
Jo Whiley reveals vile abuse from trolls when she was hosting her BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show made her feel like she was ‘going slightly mad’ The DJ, 54, became the first woman to present a daytime show on Radio 2 in 20 years when she joined Simon Mayo, 61, on drivetime in 2018 Jo’s … Read more
Arriving at a lunch last week, my host introduced me to the other guests as ‘a coronavirus denier’. This was because I had been to a party a few nights before along with several people who had recently spent time in Milan – an activity he regarded as being on a par with visiting a … Read more
‘I just remember I was in a taxi, with a fishing rod and some chicken’: Paul Gascoigne breaks his silence on his ‘mad’ plan to befriend Raoul Moat at the height of the killer’s stand-off with police Paul Gascoigne made a taxi driver take him to Rothbury where Moat was Didn’t know Moat but thought … Read more