Welcome to the Christmas edition of Travels with My Friends, where I am lucky to be joined by Simon O’Hagan! Simon is my next door neighbour, a Radio Times journalist, and previous Times and Independent editor, and we live in the liberal and literary borough of Hampstead in London.  Today, Simon has invited me over for a jacket potato and Christmas cake, over a cup of tea, as we talk about his time starting out at his local paper in Kent before landing his first big role on the sports desk at the Times where he stayed for ten years! He then went onto the Independent, and during this time he honed his skills as an editor on many different sections. Simon talks to me about life working at a newspaper and the challenges facing the industry over the decades, how to be a good editor, skills and tips for being a great writing, which journalists he would spend his Sunday reading, and a lot more. Have a great Christmas everyone, and pick up the Christmas edition of the Radio Times – and pay special attention to Simon’s carefully edited Radio pages!