My great-uncle who died at the Somme after surviving Gallipoli: MICHAEL PALIN discovers the First World War diaries of his ancestor

My great-uncle who died at the Somme after surviving Gallipoli: MICHAEL PALIN discovers the First World War diaries of his ancestor

For me, part of the attraction of studying history was that it was all over. It could be something very good or something very bad, but at least it had happened and would never happen again.  When, in May this year, I lost my wife Helen, after over 60 years together, history was no longer … Read more

My life in food, Richard Osman: ‘A carvery is the epitome of excess and glamour’

My life in food, Richard Osman: ‘A carvery is the epitome of excess and glamour’

The game show host, 52, tells Tom Parker Bowles about the Nando’s takeaways that fuelled the filming of Pointless and why he’s still a 70s boy at heart. My first food memory was fish fingers, along with spaghetti hoops on toast, and baked beans on toast. I was a child of the 70s, and the … Read more

The West London Thai restaurant that can match Bangkok’s finest for £25 a head is revealed by TOM PARKER BOWLES

The West London Thai restaurant that can match Bangkok’s finest for £25 a head is revealed by TOM PARKER BOWLES

EATING OUT  Tom lives the Thai life at a little West London restaurant to match Bangkok’s finest Phet mak mak. Three words to use with immense caution. Unless, that is, you’re after thrills of a decidedly incendiary hue. Because this seemingly innocuous Thai phrase, meaning ‘very, very spicy’, can get one involved in a whole … Read more

Five unisex fragrances that work for men and women

Five unisex fragrances that work for men and women

Back in 1994, Calvin Klein launched CK One, the first scent to be marketed as unisex. Fresh, citrussy and universally appealing, it was an instant hit, making more than five million dollars in its first ten days. By the time the noughties came along, however, the perfume industry had gone back to traditional gender norms: … Read more

Usher opens up about the Beckhams, Bieber… and how he’s swapped strip clubs for gardening as he talks about overcoming tragedy and temptation in an exclusive interview

Usher opens up about the Beckhams, Bieber… and how he’s swapped strip clubs for gardening as he talks about overcoming tragedy and temptation in an exclusive interview

It’s a quiet Thursday lunchtime at a cigar lounge in suburban Atlanta, just a few hundred feet from Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.  Usher, one of the biggest R&B stars in the world, is telling me about his bromance with David Beckham. ‘David’s been to many shows of mine, he’s always … Read more

Boys breakfast club: How a chance meeting at a cafe led to a friendship between three men that has lasted for a quarter of a century, writes DAVID AARONOVITCH

Boys breakfast club: How a chance meeting at a cafe led to a friendship between three men that has lasted for a quarter of a century, writes DAVID AARONOVITCH

By the time I was in my mid-40s I had lost every one of my close male friends. And I had done it without noticing. I was coupled up, kidded in and careered out. I had no time for the other boys and they had no time for me.  My best friend from school had … Read more

‘We never had intimacy coordinators in my day:’ MICHAEL CAINE calls being woke ‘dull’ and says every young man should do national service ‘because it truly makes a man of you’ as he reflects on acting at 90

‘We never had intimacy coordinators in my day:’ MICHAEL CAINE calls being woke ‘dull’ and says every young man should do national service ‘because it truly makes a man of you’ as he reflects on acting at 90

It’s a sunny late-summer afternoon and I’m being entertained by a nonagenarian (Sir Michael Caine, 90) and an octogenarian (John Standing, 89).  Full disclosure: I’ve been married to the latter for 40 years. I have a ringside seat – ostensibly interviewing them both about The Great Escaper, a new film they are starring in alongside the … Read more

Man, you’ve changed! We asked you, dear readers, to nominate your other half for a makeover. Here’s what happened when four unsuspecting husbands and partners showed up at our studios

Man, you’ve changed! We asked you, dear readers, to nominate your other half for a makeover. Here’s what happened when four unsuspecting husbands and partners showed up at our studios

GARY MILLIGAN, 65 Newly retired Just 24 hours before his makeover, Gary retired. He’d spent ten years in the military, then did a stint in banking before working for 30 years in HR.  After decades of wearing suits Gary was baffled by how to do casual wear: ‘I think I’d become institutionalised and formal. I’d … Read more