Radio Oldie

The judging panel chose to celebrate Mary Cameron, David Cameron’s mother with a ‘Mother Knows Best’ award. The retired magistrate, signed a petition early last year condemning a decision by Oxfordshire county council to close over 40 children’s centres in the Conservative-run area. Not content with how her son was running the country she chose to join the other 10,000 in opposition against the Tory spending cuts. Her son – now forgiven - accompanied his mother to the lunch to accept the award.

For more go to www.theoldie.co.uk

Glenda Jackson, two-time academy award winner and ex-Labour MP returned to the stage last year as King Lear in a sell-out run at the Old Vic … and all at the ripe old age of 82. Her performance was enough to secure her as our lead winner, the ‘Oldie of the Year’, as well as our ‘Lear of the Year.’ Oldie theatre critic, Paul Bailey, described her performance as ‘magnificent and venomously witty.’ He goes on to say she is ‘forceful when it’s necessary, and reluctantly vulnerable when Lear’s world is falling apart. did I write ‘she’? The fact is that that Jackson makes you forget the she’s a woman. Hers is a Lear who might just be Everyman.’

For more info go to www.theoldie.co.uk

Simpson’s-in-the-strand was alight when The Oldie favourites united for a hearty lunch of steak and kidney pie to honour The Oldie of the Year. The winners were nominated by a judging panel that included satirist Craig Brown, Midweeks’ Libby Purves, actress Maureen Lipman, Oldie publisher, James Pembroke and the wit and wordmeister, Gyles Brandreth, who was also our host.

Oldie gongs were handed out to our The Oldie of the Year, Glenda Jackson for her groundbreaking performance as King Lear at the Old Vic last year. Other awards included a ‘Can still do the Splits’ prize to 92 year-old Thelma Ruby; ‘Oldie Scientist of the Year’ to the remarkable 98 year-old James Lovelock; ‘Pop Artist of the Century’ to the creator of the Sgt Pepper record sleeve, Peter Blake; ‘Oldie Should Have Been’ to Bernie Sanders (accepted by his brother, Larry); and ‘Oldie Campaigners of the Year’ to Vanessa Redgrave and Lord Alfred Dubs for their work campaigning to allow unaccompanied child refugees to be offered safe refuge in the UK.

The Oldie of The Year Awards is brought to you by Baillie Gifford.

Author Francis Beckett talking his book 1956: The Year That Changed Britain at an Oldie Literary lunch as part of the Chester Literature festival.

The world's leading expert in peasant cookery talking about her book Squirrel Pie and other stories at the Oldie Literary Lunch.

The Oldie Literary Lunch is brought to you by Noble Caledonia - the world leaders in small ship cruising. #cookery #countryside #oldie

Valerie Grove talking about her compendium of JB Priestley's short stories, entitled 'Grumbling at Large' at an Oldie Literary Lunch as part of Chester Literature festival.

Tom Bower, the investigative journalist and esteemed ‘unauthorised’ biographer on his latest: ‘Broken Vows: Tony Blair – The Tragedy of Power’ at the October 2016 Literary Lunch at Simpson’s in the Strand.

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Anne Sebba talking about her book Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940s at The Oldie Literary lunch.

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Philip Eades talking about his book EVELYN WAUGH - A Life Revisited at The Oldie Literary lunch.

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Gary Sheffield talking about his book The Chief - Douglas Haig & The British Army at The Oldie Literary lunch.

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