Brian Viner



Profile:
Full name: Brian Viner

Area of interest: Sport, Football; Countryside living; Society and poliics

Journals: The Independent

Email: [mailto:b.viner@independent.co.uk b.viner@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Brian Viner

Blog:

Representation: Curtis Brown

Networks:



Biography:
Education: King George V School, Southport; St Andrews University, Scotland; Emory University, Atlanta, US

Career: After leaving school lived in Paris for a year before attending St Andrews. After graduation worked on local papers before joining the Mail on Sunday (worked for five years); joined The Independent in 1999

Current position/role: Columnist and senior features writer and interviewer (has conducted over 500 interviews with famous people)


 * also writes/written for: occasional columns for the Jewish Chronicle

Other roles: Author

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

TV/Radio:

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours: Won a What The Papers Say award for 'excellence in journalism'; Nominated for Sport Interviewer of the Year, 2007 (Guardian.co)

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * Ears of the wolf (2003) OCLC 56469730
 * Tales of the country (2005) OCLC 57483793
 * Ali, Pelé, Lillee and me: a personal odyssey through the sporting Seventies (2006) OCLC 64313511
 * The pheasants' revolt (2007) OCLC 123374805

Latest work: Nice to see it, to see it, nice: watching telly in the 1970s (2008) OCLC 225432127

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Independent: 'The Last Word'
Column remit: Sport

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:b.viner@independent.co.uk b.viner@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Brian Viner

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2011

 * psychology's debt to Aesop'' - 24th June
 * Platini cannot use Cook's long wait to justify refusal'' - 11th June
 * Sheikh Mo will add his royal seal of approval if Carlton wins Derby for Queen'' - 6th June
 * tales of Hobbs' heroics and Grace surpassed leave no Stone unturned'' - 28th May
 * legacy will come a poor last after rush for gold'' - 21st May
 * fantasy football success leaves their veteran supporters with empty dreams'' - 14th May
 * is thuggery, not sectarianism'' - It has been a good week for those who believe that the game of football is irredeemably rotten to the core - 13th May
 * and his fellow masters of spin know how to weave myths around their fine art'' - 7th May
 * on the road is just about bearable when they show the footie in the hotel bar'' - 30th April
 * Laker left me light on O levels but forever in awe of his Old Trafford heroics'' - 23rd April
 * understands just how much more City could have at stake in winning the Cup'' - 16th April
 * or BBC? Easy eloquence of Monty swings it – as long as the wallet is willing'' - 9th April
 * is the most fun you'll have with your clothes on (unless it's a blazer and club tie)'' - 19th March
 * was the original master at convincing himself the world was against his team'' - 12th March
 * Shahzad was hitting India for six I was left thumping my steering wheel'' - 5th March
 * v Gattuso is a heavyweight bout to savour – as long as there's no spitting'' - 19th February
 * of a number – and double it to be a winner in football's bizarre shirt lottery'' - 12th February
 * understood what made us love Henman – he wasn't quite good enough'' - 29th January
 * mind the lure of the lira. Lofthouse was happy, if poorer, as a one-club man'' - 22nd January 2011
 * to Ashes – it's a year to celebrate Botham's miracle and Strauss's majesty'' - 15th January
 * is the year to toast the memories of Blanchflower, Fangio and Shergar'' - 8th January



Articles: 2010

 * a beer (or 365)? If so, get your sporting brain in gear for our tricky Christmas quiz'' - 18th December
 * gets the better of O'Sullevan but nothing must block AP's path to BBC glory'' - 11th December
 * Darnley unveils real contents of his family urn which keeps us up at nights'' - 27th November
 * even Monty is giving fielding masterclasses, have England simply peaked too soon?'' - 20th November
 * prepare a party in Cardiff but no Springboks will ask for a 99'' - 13th November
 * escaping punishment was just – not least because his witticisms are a must'' - 6th November
 * at 70 Pele, the perfect 10, is still the undisputed king of Planet Football'' - 23rd October
 * only us Evertonians weren't in the mire too, we could sit back and enjoy Liverpool's plight'' - 16th October
 * Ryder Cup made McDowell man of the moment. But is he really man of the year?'' - 9th October
 * is best left out of sport – even when some say it's a matter of life and death'' - 2nd October
 * never thought I'd side with Collymore, but he's right about Shearer on Match of the Day'' - 25th September
 * of the Manor battling bureaucrats over a blot on the Ryder Cup landscape'' - 4th September
 * for Villa? Maybe the fake sheikh was really on to something'' - 14th August
 * for an Everton fan, Hodgson is not an easy man to dislike'' - 7th August
 * list of bad books is incomplete without sport's many turkeys'' - 31st July
 * bunker mentality unfair on a National treasure'' - 24th July
 * may be heresy, but St Andrews is more than the Old Course'' - 17th July
 * vs beaches: it's time to decide which side we're on'' - 10th July
 * is weird – that's why it sums up England perfectly'' - 3rd July
 * World Cup only really starts when the 'legends' start to play'' - 26th June
 * food, feelgood factor – and the football has only just begun'' - 12th June
 * voice of 'Whispering Death' heavenly on the ears'' - 29th May
 * roller-coaster ride on the Golden Mile if the tangerine dream finally comes true'' - 22nd May
 * at football stadiums have a hard-hitting history'' - 15th May
 * would a World Cup be without a metatarsal scare?'' - First Beckham. Then Rooney. Now John Terry - 13th May
 * true fans are happiest when the cup is half-empty'' - 8th May
 * timeless appeal of a champion rolling back the years'' - 1st May
 * over Mourinho – there's a new special manager in town'' - 24th April
 * fans who chose Kendal over Bayern'' - 10th April
 * 'Welly' were booted in a class war'' - 3rd April
 * too big for his very big boots'' - 20th March
 * Algeria's pundits are backing Crouch'' - 13th March
 * name game: from Gerulaitis to Bilyaletdinov via Goolagong'' - 6th March
 * must put out flames of fury before he's consumed'' - 27th February
 * return turns pleasure into pure pain'' - 20th February
 * ever won gold on wine gums'' - 13th February
 * too old for a fight to the bitter end'' - 6th February
 * thinks outside the box about Strauss'' - 30th January
 * of the pitch always wanted to be on it'' - 23rd January
 * back clock to Borg’s five-star show is irresistible'' - 16th January
 * Bear's not too old to score a handsome 70'' - 9th January
 * trainers but lots of fun – that's arrers at the Palace'' - 2nd January



Articles: 2009

 * ghosts of Boxing Days past return to haunt us'' - - 26th December
 * Would you like to win a beer for each day of 2010?'' - 19th December
 * Roy, but Ireland played like superstars'' - It would be nice if Roy Keane could show some generosity of spirit - 21st November
 * frictions follow Ferguson's fall'' - 14th November
 * has style of original Brylcreem Boy'' - The Last Word: Andrew Strauss tells us that the South African origins of himself, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott are "a non-issue" for England's cricketers - 7th November
 * spirits from beyond the grave'' - It's not often that The Last Word falls on Halloween – roughly every seven years, in fact – so I've been racking my brains for some suitably ghoulish material - 31st October
 * prom and Holloway's illuminations'' - 24th October
 * still puts heart into art of commentary'' - 17th October
 * from Yorke leaves his PA in a flap'' - Dwight Yorke's autobiography, its title Born to Score a cheeky double entendre, has received more attention than an ex-footballer's memoirs ordinarily might on account of the Tobagonian's prodigious sexual appetite - 10th October
 * cheers for Freddie as he hits a sublime 50'' - 3rd October
 * shackles wouldn't hold back Shankly'' - During Shankly's time at Anfield, he was not so much shackled as straitjacketed - 26th September
 * charm of Moss leaves scandal far behind'' - No one better embodies all Goodwood's yesterdays than Sir Stirling Moss - 19th September
 * World Cup is where my heart is now'' - 12th September
 * can soothe Chelsea's window pain'' - Defenestration has been one of my favourite words ever since, as a history undergraduate 25 years ago, I studied the Defenestration of Prague, an episode in May 1618 which helped to kindle the Thirty Years WarRegrettably, opportunities to drop the word, particularly into sports columns, are all too rare these days - 5th September
 * Mrs Trott shows wonder of sport'' - of the many indelible images from this sporting summer, that of Mrs Trott sitting in her seat at The Oval last Saturday, weeping with pride as her son Jonathan racked up a century in his inaugural Test match as an England cricketer, remains one of the most evocative - 29th August
 * lesson points to Oval call for Ramps'' - Those who forget the words of the philosopher George Santayana are condemned to hear them repeated - 15th August
 * a glass to Voce – his century is up'' - To pass the time on long car journeys, I play a game with the registration plates of passing cars, taking the first and last letter and then trying to think of a sporting star with those initials - 8th August
 * Watson, you should still be proud'' - Almost a week has passed and still I can't shake that image of Tom Watson looking suddenly haggard, eyes brimming with tears, as the swing that had served him so well for 72 holes finally caved in - 25th July
 * measure up to the true heavyweights?'' - "He looks great," said Sam Torrance during the television coverage of the Open Championship on Thursday afternoon, as the camera zoomed in on John Daly in a shirt and trousers of luminous green, the kind of outfit that Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch would have rejected as a little too flamboyant - 18th July
 * clever to fit Freddie in with dessert'' - When the chap next to you at a Test match asks you which US state shares no letters with the name George W Bush, and you counter by challenging him to name the English Football League club which shares no letters with the word mackerel, it is fair to assume that the cricket is not exactly pulsating with excitement - 11th July
 * winners skip charm school'' - Earlier this week I asserted in a column that we British embrace our doughty losers more warmly than our feisty winners. I wasn't exactly sticking my head above the parapet; loads of examples spring to mind - 4th July
 * or Sharapova? That's a double-fault in the love match of life'' - 27th June
 * forget fair play now Murray has a shot'' - The British sense of fair play will recede at the same rate as Murray's progress - 20th June
 * day my colleagues caught a bad dose of Ronaldo-mania'' - 13th June
 * lesson from Colin Croft on how to live life in the fast lane'' - 6th June
 * VI gave Sir Rowland a licence to crenellate...'' - ... a privilege overdue a revival - 4th June
 * duo still pull no punches'' - the return of Saint and Greavsie - 30th May
 * not to look down on this rollercoaster'' - the relegation battle - 23rd May
 * little job insecurity can go a long way for managers'' - 16th May
 * Pakistan's exiles settled into a palatial new home'' - There are more Pakistanis in Dubai than any other nationality except Indians, hence the popularity of cricket here - 9th May
 * your pink shirt on United and Murray'' - 2nd May
 * boys (and dads), nothing beats winning on penalties'' - 25th April
 * Tiger's on the prowl, golf turns into a contact sport'' - 18th April
 * this hero fails it's tragedy on a biblical scale'' - Whatever you say about Alan Shearer – and I have said a fair amount myself, the temporary Newcastle United manager is unequivocally his own man - 4th April
 * and adverts go together like Capello and Redknapp'' - Niall Sloane, the former head of BBC football, has joined beleaguered ITV as head of sport. Sloane is a highly competent operator and I'm sure he will rid ITV Sport of the lingering whiff of Tic-Tacs, but he will nevertheless have to get used, like Lord Desmond of Lynam before him, to the blasted inconvenience of the commercial break - 28th March
 * stretched to the limit by squash's race for Olympic prize'' - Until Wednesday morning, I hadn't played squash for more than 15 years, having given up when I decided it was doing me more harm than good - 21st March
 * fans should not cross the line between love and hate'' - influential young men like Rooney should never, ever use the word "hate" in reference to football, whether jokingly or not - 14th March
 * to play Australia in England'' - When terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on Tuesday, they dealt a devastating blow to the future of cricket on the subcontinent, where the 2011 World Cup is due to take place - 7th March
 * refusal to resign insults English cricket lovers'' - Clarke says he did not begin to entertain thoughts of resignation, and will not, even should the massive fraud allegations against Stanford be proven. Mea Culpa, to men like the ECB chairman, is an Italian film starlet - 28th February
 * cheers for hypocrisy or red-rose-tinted spectacles'' - a letter published in The Independent this week, suggesting that I owe Welsh rugby an apology... - 21st February
 * still leads the way to a sporting nation's heart'' - It was at the winter Olympics in Sarajevo 25 years ago today, on Valentine's Day 1984, that Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated into immortality to the stirring strains of Ravel's 1928 ballet composition Bolero - 14th February
 * the haka does us all a favour'' - The trademarking of the Maori ritual sets me thinking about other dances - 13th February
 * 'tictacal' error proves a bittersweet Everton mint'' - 7th February
 * sleepless in St James' can give you a bad name'' - Charles N'Zogbia has reportedly refused to play for Newcastle United again at least while Joe Kinnear is manager - 31st January
 * we learn from Moyes' value system? Yes we can'' - The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States unarguably gets the nod as the most exhilarating spectacle of the week, but not far behind in the cheering stakes were Everton's spirited draw with Liverpool at Anfield - 24th January
 * score from Les is worth more than City's millions'' - let me, in the week in which football finally appears to have taken leave of what remained of its senses, share with you a reassuringly wholesome tale rather improbably connecting Newcastle United, amoebic dysentery, Les Ferdinand, turkey sandwiches and a £20 note - 17th January
 * year is perfect time to look back and remember the titans'' - This column's traditional new year challenge is to attempt the neat metaphysical trick of looking forward to that at which, over the next 12 months, we will be looking back - 10th January



Articles: 2008

 * fire: how 'The Power' rekindled arrers of desire'' - Phil "The Power" Taylor at the PDC Darts championship - 20th December 2008
 * aboard for the annual Christmas prize quiz'' - more fiendish than usual, partly in a bid to nutmeg those of you who use internet search engines to find your answers - 13th December 2008
 * perfectly shows sport's uncertainty principle'' - 6th December 2008
 * theatre replaced drama of cricket for captain Coney'' - 29th November 2008
 * messiah complex based on simple arrogance'' - what might it feel like to one day hear the Gallowgate End resounding to cries of "Shearer out!"? - 22nd November 2008
 * should learn ropes about quitting while ahead'' - 15th November 2008
 * Gayle honour the house that England built?'' - 8th November 2008
 * my money, Harrington is Europe's best on merit'' - 1st November 2008
 * denied a sporting chance in the game of life'' - 18th October 2008
 * thrust upon two of Ireland's football giants'' - 11th October 2008
 * the walk is secret weapon of all-time greats'' - 4th October 2008
 * the US missed the Ryder Cup'' - 27th September 2008
 * Cup looks super to us but is superfluous in US'' - 20th September 2008
 * take credit for slick first act in new Capello opera'' - 13th September 2008
 * turn from Bedser proves cricket is not just a batsman's game'' - the ten surviving centurions - 6th September 2008
 * Six of Sobers impossible without half a dozen of Nash'' - 30th August 2008
 * Gold is more precious than any gong'' - Should young Becky Adlington, our splendid double gold medallist swimmer, be given a damehood in the next honours list? - 23rd August 2008
 * game can make you sane again'' - You don't have to dislike football to welcome the new Premier League season with arms firmly folded - 16th August 2008
 * medals for taking moral high ground'' - 9th August 2008
 * Irishman's incredible double created from spirit and nerve - Once a man has one major under his belt, he knows he can add another - Monday, 21st July 2008
 * Racket of today drowns out slow brilliance of Borg - 5th July 2008
 * Tiger has a bad knee... the Goose, foot in mouth - 21st June 2008
 * Trouble in Toytown as sporting gods play - 14th June 2008
 * Absence really can make a fan's heart grow fonder - 7th June 2008
 * I'm electrified by this man of 10,000 whats - Wednesday 4th June 2008
 * A bygone era of gentlemen and pulmonic wafers - 24th May 2008
 * Germany says auf Wiedersehen prat to a great anti-hero - 17th May 2008
 * The naked truth about football, not a pretty picture - 10th May 2008
 * A knight to challenge Sir Alex in footballing derring-do - 3rd May 2008
 * The mystery is how Goss and his crew find courage - 26th April 2008
 * Does Tiger burn too bright to keep up with Jones? - 5th April 2008
 * History is bunk so Everton must put hoodoo to bed - 29th March 2008
 * Beattie breaks the mould ... 27 years after the event - 22nd March 2008
 * Cup runneth over with true spirit of “Fantastic Four” - 15th March 2008
 * Raise a glass – or six – to Uttley, a true rugby spirit - 8th March 2008
 * Drogba's theatrics adding insult to Eduardo's injury - 1st March 2008
 * Ashes to Ashes, Trescothick and the “taliswomen” - 23rd February 2008
 * Closer our idols fly to the sun, more we enjoy their falls - 16th February 2008
 * Masterclasses in sporting life from the old school - 9th February 2008
 * Poulter's mouth joins his trousers in being a bit loud - 2nd February 2008
 * FA mandarins leave sour taste in mouth again - 26th January 2008
 * Eden, Easter and reincarnation, with revelations in full - 12th January 2008
 * From Munich to Bradman... a year of anniversaries - 5th January 2008



The Independent: 'Society'
Column remit: Society, Poliics, Current Affairs

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:b.viner@independent.co.uk b.viner@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Brian Viner

Commissioning editor:

Day published: varies

Regularity: Irregular

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2010

 * liberal parents just hypocrites?'' - The same kids who have spent the last 10 years not being allowed to play in the woods for fear of a paedophile strike or a pond disaster, are now being packed off to music festivals - 12th August
 * all the wrong buttons'' - Alexander Graham Bell would turn in his grave if he knew how many people have come to regard his great invention as the enemy - 22nd July
 * other sport is as virtuous as golf'' - 15th July
 * Murray is a Brit when he wins and a Scot when he loses'' - When the Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle won the US Masters, everyone south of Gretna thought of him as a Brit - 2nd July
 * about none for the road?'' - My daughter Eleanor turns 17 the day after tomorrow, which means that she will soon be learning to drive - 17th June
 * all round as ITV yield early advantage to BBC in broadcasters' battle'' - View From The Sofa: To miss one goal may be regarded as misfortune; to miss two looks very much like carelessness - 14th June
 * poor Beckham. Actually, don't'' - All good things come to an end. This one might be timed fortuitously - 16th March
 * vigilantes the FA doesn't need'' - Terry's dalliance should not have a bearing on the England captaincy - 2nd February



Articles: 2009

 * horses gallop into our hearts'' - Our relationship with racehorses is simpler than with other sport stars - 28th December
 * those machines back in their place'' - Let's replace gadgetry with basic endeavour and common sense this festive season - 22nd December
 * up. You'll feel better for it'' - Why confess if you can get away with it? Well, for a very good reason... - 9th December
 * sporting events are woven into our culture'' - The FA Cup final, Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Grand National are woven into our culture - 13th November
 * and away with you, critics'' - There are certain films we are almost arm-locked into admiring - 3rd November
 * is a hotbed of SAS types – although they wouldn't tell us that'' - 8th October
 * band's audience comprised neighbours and a local chicken farmer'' - 17th September
 * Brians are an endangered species'' - There are solid names overdue a revival. Trevor, Colin, Keith... - 10th September
 * the autocue, ride the storm'' - Fronting today's bulletins is not nearly as easy as Terry Wogan thinks - 4th September
 * of racial abuse are the latest chapter of a refuse saga'' - Rubbish is the new Leylandii, the principal source of antagonism between neighbours in this green and pleasant, if increasingly litter-strewn, land - 13th August
 * the old order finally be upset?'' - Pre-season events have been both hugely dispiriting and rather uplifting - 13th August
 * glories are ultimate human drama'' - Sportsmen and women should be lionised by a sense of perspective - 22nd July
 * the parcel has become pass the alcopop at my children's parties'' - From teenagers consuming too much alcohol to grown-ups not consuming enough, our garden has seen it all lately - 15th July
 * need to be losing to be loved in SW19'' - The Centre Court faithful had never wholly embraced the driven Scot - 1st July
 * tricky art of effective complaining'' - A new book, The Joys of Complaining, addresses this peculiarly British area of ineptitude - 26th May
 * wake me up, I'm a teenager'' - Who doubts that the teenage body clock is not like other people’s? - 10th March
 * are all copycat comedians'' - As soon as a joke is uttered on stage, it becomes public property - 18th February
 * teenagers and pornography'' - I cannot equate a 1977 Playboy centrefold with what is now online - 20th January
 * a grip, Kate. You're embarrassing us'' - A sensible girl from Reading succumbs dreadfully to awards-itis - 13th January
 * has befallen our market towns?'' - The fate of places like Leominster should be a source of national shame - 8th January



Articles: 2008

 * Obama, we were all young once'' - It is the inalienable right of all 19-year-olds to look idiotic - 19th December 2008
 * It's Christmas card time again'' - If a card is all that’s keeping you in touch, at least use it to say something - 5th December 2008
 * not to like? Plenty that I hear'' - We all seem to have words and phrases we can't stand - 28th November 2008
 * share Fay Weldon's bafflement'' - Is the literary analysis industry made out of blancmange? - 7th November 2008
 * first law of interviewing is listen, don't talk'' - 4th November 2008
 * to do when family duty calls'' - 22nd October 2008
 * can exclusively reveal why the banks collapsed'' - Nobody yet seems to have connected the collapse of Lehman Brothers with the development of the Large Hadron Collider... - 17th September 2008
 * always used to tackle the litter louts. But no longer – I am just too scared'' - Tuesday, 12th August 2008
 * 'If Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes by a brass band don't evoke England at its best, I'd like to know what does - 9th July 2008
 * Don't despair: polite people do still exist - Wednesday, 23rd April 2008
 * Mark Speight and the shattering of a child's illusions - Thursday, 17th April 2008
 * If Gordon's in the South Seas, could his bubble burst? - Thursday, 21st February 2008
 * The set of odds that all gamblers ignore - Friday 15th February 2008
 * Will the British ever break free of class? - Thursday 10th January 2008



The Independent: 'Home and Away'
Column remit:

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:b.viner@independent.co.uk b.viner@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Brian Viner

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Thursday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * is not all it's cracked up to be'' - Until last week, the greatest footballer of all time was Pele. Or possibly Maradona - 8th April 2010
 * been warned about pickpockets in Barcelona – and then I was robbed'' - 1st April 2010
 * all columnists, I'd rather be abused than ignored by my readers'' - 18th March 2010
 * saw a mouse so large, it may even have been a small you-know-what'' - 11th March 2010
 * in-joke barely makes us laugh now...'' - ... It's just an instinctive one-liner - 4th March 2010
 * have now been in the country for as long as we ever lived in the city'' - 25th February 2010
 * and their pubs seem to have volatile marriages these days'' - 18th February 2010
 * mistranslations can cause big problems on foreign exchanges'' - 11th February 2010
 * about the free brie and cranberry sandwich, I declined it'' - 4th February 2010
 * English compensate by being boldly kissy in emails'' - 28th January 2010
 * a weird experience watching actresses audition to be your wife'' - 21st January 2010
 * in deepest Shropshire, butter for the royal slice of bread'' - 14th January 2010
 * listen to the weather forecast to get an idea of conditions in the corridor'' - 7th January 2010
 * New Year's Eve, lower your expectations. You're more likely to enjoy it'' - 31st December 2009
 * December we marvel at the smugness of the round-robin letter'' - 17th December 2009
 * it going to be like in a theatre, seeing actors grappling with being me?'' - 10th December 2009
 * would my children collect sticks when they could be on Facebook?'' - 12th November 2009
 * as it pains me to say it, Yorkshire is the best source of unusual words'' - 5th November 2009
 * opened fetes, named beers, judged gardens, fairy cakes and perry'' - 29th October 2009
 * I was going to jump out of a plane, I'd avoid Friday 13 and Halloween'' - 22nd October 2009
 * a big fan of haggis, even dished up using an old ice-cream scoop'' - 15th October 2009
 * there is a society devoted to the abolition of plastic lapel badges'' - 1st October 2009
 * of mobile phone crimes are to be pitied as much as reviled'' - 24th September 2009
 * not sure when I turned from hero into old fart in my daughter's eyes'' - 6th August 2009
 * grub, on the whole, is not one of the country's myriad charms'' - 23rd July 2009
 * approach summer fêtes with excitement and some trepidation'' - 9th July 2009
 * mangoes lend a jauntily cosmopolitan air to a chap's pantry'' - 2nd July 2009
 * O-levels, acquired 31 years ago, have had no bearing at all on my life'' - 25th June 2009
 * friend thought we were evoking Livingstone by moving to Crouch End' Holmfirth'' - 18th June 2009
 * aren't many words that sound better in English than French'' - 11th June 2009
 * a Trevor, you can chortle at silly names. As an Iolanthe, you can't'' - 28th May 2009
 * is it that cars turn perfectly ordinary people into pitiless bastards?'' - 21st May 2009
 * punch bag keeps me fit – and I can belt it when I get an annoying email'' - 14th May 2009
 * by train offers a vivid insight into the British condition'' - This week's Home And Away is brought to you from carriage G, the Quiet Carriage, of the 09.09 First Great Western service from Newport to Paddington - 7th May 2009
 * love, murder – this church's history makes EastEnders look tame'' - 30th April 2009
 * the Krays. Round here it's the crows who put the frighteners on us'' - 23rd April 2009
 * haven't made up the crawfish-bread pudding. Or the spoon biscuits'' - 16th April 2009
 * leaves an enduring legacy, in the form of the annual Great Egg Race'' - 9th April 2009
 * and I deal with similar themes – love marriage, death, moles...'' - 2nd April 2009
 * knew that waste disposal could turn into a comedy of social niceties?'' - 26th March 2009
 * whole thing was what you might call a baa-baa ha-ha hoo-hah'' - 19th March 2009
 * surprising number of good stories come out of railway lavatories'' - 12th March 2009
 * play will tour village halls – and perhaps even be staged on Broadway'' - 5th March 2009
 * Bathological tendency to tweeness afflicts bits of England's loveliest city'' - 26th February 2009
 * don’t know why reading on the loo is a solely male practice, but it is'' - 19th February 2009
 * one ferret was dropped, there was panic: "Get your bike clips on!"'' - Ferret-racing was a new one on me until I was invited to The Pheasant pub - 12th February 2009
 * streets paved with celebrities that I miss, now London is not home'' - 5th February 2009
 * parties in rural Herefordshire certainly keep you on your toes'' - 22nd January 2009
 * never thought I’d one day get my kicks from a kitchen-garden catalogue'' - 15th January 2009
 * 'My Delia dish was ruined and there was only one explanation – sabotage''' - 18th December 2008
 * 'What, some might ask, is so awful about filling in forms? Where do I start...''' - "The forms, the forms!" I wailed, in the manner of Charles Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 11th December 2008
 * I've paid to have a chicken put to sleep, I'll be more of a laughing stock'' - 4th December 2008
 * 'Over here, haggling is not quite cricket; over there, it makes the world go round''' - a trip to Marrakech - 27th November 2008
 * do you kill three hours in Walsall?'' - It's not as hard as it sounds - 20th November 2008
 * 'They just wanted to pick up the rabbit – and avoid a fourth 60-mile trip''' - 13th November 2008
 * 'Like Obama, I used a new puppy to help my children move home''' - 6th November 2008
 * Jane assures me that table-manner dogmatism like mine is a dad thing'' - 30th October 2008
 * daughter knows I'm a tourist in the world of MSN, and that I will swallow any old tommyrot''' - 23rd October 2008
 * 'The trouble with visitors' books? Negative remarks are there for posterity''' - 16th October 2008
 * 'You don't have to be barking to be British – but it helps if your pet is''' - 9th October 2008
 * 'Perfumed chickens are fine for us, but ferrets would be a step too far''' - 2nd October 2008
 * Special Relationship with America never fails to leave me agonised'' - 25th September 2008



The Independent: 'Country Life'
Column remit: Coping with Country life after a Metropolitan existence, see: Tales of the country (city.kawarthalakes.on.ca)

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email:

Website:

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Wednesday

Regularity: Fortnightly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * affectionate laughter rippled through the audience, we could relax'' - A night at the world premiere of Tales of the Country - 15th April 2010
 * by the pig farm beats going to school'' - The view from the country - 7th January 2010
 * we saw a Land Rover trundling towards us, we feared the worst'' - 10th September 2009
 * me tell you about Mr Barker'' - 'A man of enormous charisma, kindness and rectitude, Mr Barker was pivotal in the life of the school' - 7th September 2008
 * tedious bias of restaurant reviewers'' - 3rd September 2008
 * were never far from my mind'' - When I used to spend the summer in Cornwall I never had the same level of vegetable separation anxiety - 20th August 2008
 * We were by far the most cheaply educated people under the Giffords Circus big top in Cirencester - 23rd July 2008
 * Like plenty of other naive souls, we left the city in search of a cheaper as well as a simpler life. What a laugh! - 25th June 2008
 * If your house has to be haunted by someone who's 400 years old, it might as well be a serving wench - 11th June 2008
 * Weekends are for lie-ins, ironing and going to the supermarket, not for outings to busy tourist attractions - 28th May 2008
 * We'll always have Paris – and our bikes - 14th May 2008
 * Our friend has electrified fencing, but some foxes still slip through the wires. They do a pleasure-pain calculation - 30th April 2008
 * My face was all but obliterated by a gooey mess. It was not comforting that Robert Mugabe had suffered similarly - 16th April 2008
 * As Périgord is for truffles, Bresse for chickens, and indeed Barnsley for chops, so is Herefordshire for snails - 2nd April 2008
 * In Herefordshire, where practically every town has a top-notch butcher, Delia has slain the sacred cow - 19th March 2008
 * I was going to visit Miss Whiplash the other day, but she advised me not to, as the police were coming - 5th March 2008
 * On BBC Hereford & Worcester, people can promote their own events. This is radio at its best - 20th February 2008
 * If the existence of 37 foxes rather than 37 schools were at stake, metropolitan Britain would doubtless be outraged - 6th February 2008
 * Is there any other country where an inn would give sanctuary to a wet dog, but turn away wet humans? - 23rd January 2008
 * Rural bliss has much to be said for it, but warm bedrooms are not part of the bucolic package - 9th January 2008

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