The Oldie Podcast

Welcome to the Oldie’s October podcast.   50 years ago, on the 26th September, The Beatles’s Abbey Road album was first released. Today, we are joined by veteran-journalist and the Beatles’s only authorised biographer, Hunter Davies, who shadowed the Beatles as they wrote and recorded what many consider to be their best studio album.

Oldie Editor, Harry Mount, speaks to Dominic Green – Life & Arts Editor at the Spectator USA and regular contributor to The Oldie's Letter from America Column – about his new suit, which made from the same material used for Lord Grantham's valet in the new Downton Abbey film.

Welcome to the Oldie's September podcast with Harry Mount the editor of The Oldie and the actor, Simon Williams, who played Captain Bellamy in Upstairs, Downstairs and has written a piece about the class dynamic in Downton Abbey for the latest issue of The Oldie.

What is the funding gap between private and state schools? Is there equal educational opportunity? How can we end Britain's educational apartheid? David Kynaston and Francis Green ask the questions and they have an answer. They examine the impact of private schools on public life. They spoke at the Oldie's August lunch about their book Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem, published by Bloomsbury.

The world is getting better. Amid the doom and gloom of the news, things are actually pretty good, says Douglas Carswell. In this talk, Carswell charts the history of human progress and explains how we have held ourselves back. Douglas Carswell spoke at the Oldie's August lunch about his new book Progress vs Parasites: A Brief History of the Conflict That's Shaped Our World, published by Head of Zeus.

What is the difference between Old Masters and old mistresses? Where did Chanel put her No. 5? Whose yacht was called the 'floating double-bed'? Anne de Courcy examines life in the French Riviera before and during the war. Her new book, Chanel's Riviera: Life, Love and the Struggle for Survival on the Côte d’Azur, 1930–1944, is published by W&N.

Welcome to August Issue of the Oldie podcast. George Courtauld, a former Queen's messenger and bestselling writer of The Travels of a Fat Bulldog, has penned a delightful piece about discovering his grandmother Daisy Dobell's diaries in his attic. He speaks to The Oldie's editorial assistant Ferdie Rous about his grandmother: her childhood, why she earned the nickname – 'Naughty Daisy' – and her close friendship with her cousin the poet, Eva Dobell. Courtauld's book, a collection of his grandmother's diaries, Daisy's Diary 1888-1900 was published in April.

Introduced by Barry Cryer, Sir Tim Waterstone spoke at the Oldie's July lunch about what inspired him to create Waterstones, the difficulty of getting funding for it and a set-to with a journalist in the 90s. His book is The Face Pressed Against a Window: A Memoir.

Introduced by Barry Cryer, Sir Antony Beevor spoke at the Oldie's July lunch about the British fascination with defeat, the disaster at Arnhem bridge and Field Marshal Montgomery's appalling behaviour before, during and after the battle. Antony Beevor's book is Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944.

Introduced by Barry Cryer, Anna Pasternak speaks at the Oldie's July lunch. Looking past the steely scheming facade that is so familiar  the public, Pasternak praised the better side of one of the most hated royals. Anna Pasternak's book is Untitled: The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.

Welcome to the July issue of the Oldie podcast. Harry Mount editor of The Oldie speaks to the comic genius Barry Cryer, who has been working in comedy since 1957. Here Barry Cryer talks about his life as a raconteur, the art of the perfect punchline and the beginnings of any good gag.

Christopher Lee speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch about Lord Carrington: his peculiarly-named dogs, how he came to be 'an honourable man', and why he hated Boris. His new book Carrington: An Honourable Man was published by Viking books.

Introduced by Barry Cryer, Rachel Kelly spoke about her experiences with depression and anxiety, and how she beat them. Her new book, Singing in the rain: A Happiness Workbook​,​ published by Short books, outlines a series of exercises that can give you a sense of purpose.

Introduced by Barry Cryer, former MP Chris Mullin speaks at the Oldie's  June lunch about an encounter with George W Bush, the story behind his bestselling hit, A Very British Coup, and why he wrote a sequel to it. His new book, The Friends of Harry Perkins, was published by Scribner UK.

Sara Lodge, former speechwriter to Kofi Annan and author of Inventing Edward Lear, speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch at Cholmondeley Castle about the hidden gems of Edward Lear: the links between pathos and absurdity in his poetry, his under-regarded art and the Owl and the Pussycat's sombre sequel.

Adrian Tinniswood, author of Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household, speaks about the man who got Prince Albert killed, the steady drinking of the Queen Mother and what makes the sovereign different, at the Sandstone Ridge Festival's Oldie Literary Lunch.

Welcome to the Oldie's June Podcast. D-Day took place 75 years ago on the 6th June. It was the largest invasion in military history. 7,000 vessels, 156,000 personnel and 1,200 planes and gliders were involved. Historian and bestselling author of [_D-Day: The Soldiers'_ Story](https://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Day-Soldiers-Story-Giles-Milton/dp/1473649048/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2_sspa?keywords=D-Day%3A+The+Soldiers%27+Story+Giles+Milton&qid=1558003774&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull-spons&psc=1) Giles Milton, who has penned a piece for us about the soldiers' experiences on the day for this month's magazine talks to _T__he Oldie_'s Editorial Assistant, Ferdie Rous.

With commemorations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day just around the corner, we were delighted to welcome Giles Milton to our May lunch. His new book, _D-Day: A Soldiers' Story_ charts the stories of the men and women who took part in the Normandy landings. At the lunch, he recounted the tale of a one-man raid on a Normandy beach, in May of 1944, which ended in a chance encounter with Erwin Rommel.

During the Second World War, MI5 ran a secret operation to root out Nazi-sympathisers. At the Oldie's May literary lunch Robert Hutton spoke about the man in charge of it all. The unsung hero: Eric Roberts. The full story is detailed in Hutton's new book, Agent Jack: MI5's secret Nazi Hunter.

Christopher Howse speaks about the highs and lows of the golden days of Soho. _Soho in the Eighties_, his new book, is an anecdotal history of the strange and brilliant figures that populated Soho: from Jeffrey Bernard to Francis Bacon. Here he is speaking at the Oldie's May literary lunch.