Londoner's Diary
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"Londoner's Diary" is a
gossip column A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially in a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are written in a light, informal style, and relate opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities f ...
in the London ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
''. Since 1916 the column has provided readers with witty and mischievous insights into high society; from political scandals and
literary feud A literary feud is a conflict or quarrel between well-known writers, usually conducted in public view by way of published letters, speeches, lectures, and interviews. In the book ''Literary Feuds'', Anthony Arthur describes why readers might be i ...
s to the backstage gossip at fashion parties and film premieres.
Charles Wintour Charles Vere Wintour (18 May 1917 – 4 November 1999) was a British newspaper editor. He was the father of Anna Wintour, the '' Vogue'' magazine editor-in-chief, and Patrick Wintour, the diplomatic editor of ''The Guardian'' newspaper. Afte ...
, who edited the ''Standard'' throughout the sixties, once declared: "To go to a decent London dinner party without having read the Diary would be to go out unprepared for proper conversation."


History

"Londoner's Diary" first appeared on 11 April 1916. Arthur Mann, the ''Standard''s editor at the time, announced that it would consist of "three columns written daily by gentlemen for gentlemen" with a distinctive slant on politics, personalities and London based stories. The section was the first of its kind; as early as 1917 it was noted that "the best tribute to 'A Londoner's Diary' is the fact that it now has its counterpart in the other penny evening papers in London."


Lord Beaverbrook

In 1923, the ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'' was acquired by
Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...
, the wildly influential Canadian press baron who was gleefully parodied as the ruthless Lord Monomark in
Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
's ''
Vile Bodies ''Vile Bodies'' is the second novel by Evelyn Waugh, published in 1930. It satirises the bright young things, the rich young people partying in London after World War I, and the press which fed on their doings. The original title ''Bright You ...
'' and
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
's film adaptation ''
Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a group of Bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in London during the Roaring Twenties. The name was given to them by the tabloid press. They threw flamboyant fancy dress part ...
''. With London still reeling from the horrors of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Beaverbrook was the first proprietor on
Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
to understand how eager his readers were to be entertained by glittering gossip. However, he saw "Londoner's Diary" as more than just a means of profitably popularising the paper. Beaverbrook "regarded the nightly diary page in the ''Evening Standard'' as his own personal fiefdom … an armoury from which he could seize a weapon at will; bludgeon, cudgel and rapier lay at his disposal as he sought to fight his way to ever greater heights of power and influence in between-the-wars Britain." The Diary provided a mischievous platform for political gossip and upper crust scandal, regaling readers with titbits on the private lives of London's high society: their excesses, their pets and their dinner-parties – but never their love affairs.
John Junor Sir John Donald Brown Junor (15 January 1919 – 3 May 1997) was a Scottish journalist and editor-in-chief of the ''Sunday Express'' between 1954 and 1986, having previously worked as a columnist there. He then moved in 1989 to ''The Mail on Sun ...
– who edited the ''
Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'', another of Beaverbrook's papers – once pithily summarised his proprietor's opinion of sex in gossip columns. "All fucking is private", he told a new reporter, "Always remember that."


Pre-War

An extraordinary number of cultural and literary figures sharpened their teeth on the pages of the Diary. Before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, contributors to the column included
Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West. Early life and education Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the youngest son of dipl ...
,
John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...
,
Randolph Churchill Major (rank), Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer and politician. The only son of future List of British Prime Ministers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a ...
,
Malcolm Muggeridge Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was a conservative British journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, i ...
and Peter Fleming, brother of the
007 The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
novelist Ian. Gentlemen first and journalists second, not all of them had the makings of a good diarist. A young John Betjeman once came bursting into the editor's office in a state of great excitement. "Please, Sir, I think I've got one of those scoop things!" cried the future poet laureate. "Oh really", replied his editor, "and how do you know it's a scoop?" "Well, Sir, I've rung the ''Evening News'' and they haven't got it." Other diarists were a little more serious about the task in hand and veteran ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' journalist Donald Zec recalled being in a certain amount of awe when dropping by the Diary as a rookie reporter. "They generally wore horn-rimmed spectacles, hairy tweed jackets and corduroys and called each other 'Old Boy' a lot" wrote Zec. "Just to hover in the room where they worked – or plotted – was instructive." In 1928 the Diary's editor was
Robert Bruce Lockhart Sir Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart, KCMG (2 September 1887 – 27 February 1970) was a British diplomat, journalist, author, and secret agent. His 1932 book ''Memoirs of a British Agent'' became an international bestseller by telling of his exp ...
, a former spy known for his hard-drinking and semi-debauched lifestyle, who would later become a best-selling author with his ''Memoirs of a British Agent'' (1932). Lockhart had been Britain's first spy in Moscow and, despite having been caught and exchanged for a Soviet agent, remained on unusually cordial terms with the Russian Embassy in London, from whom he received an annual gift of caviar.


Harold Nicolson

It was Lockhart who – having been promoted to a more wide-ranging role by Beaverbrook – suggested that his friend the aristocrat, ex-diplomat and writer
Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West. Early life and education Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the youngest son of dipl ...
might be the ideal man to take over the Diary. But the easy pleasure that Nicolson took in socialising for its own sake quickly evaporated when forced to attend festivities in search of stories. "Work fruitlessly, superficially, futilely upon the Londoner’s Diary" he wrote in his private journal. "The difficulty is that the only news I get is from friends and that is just the news that I can't publish." Although the money was good, the aristocratic Nicolson disapproved of his shamelessly power-hungry proprietor and found Fleet Street "culturally degrading". His superior attitude did not go unnoticed. "Harold’s tastes are not the public's tastes", lamented Lockhart. "He is all too precious." Beaverbrook however, did not agree. In June 1931, the newspaper magnate offered Nicolson the editorship of the entire paper. Instead of accepting, Nicolson took the opportunity to jump ship and quit.


Randolph Churchill

Randolph Churchill Major (rank), Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer and politician. The only son of future List of British Prime Ministers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a ...
, son of Winston, had an unusually checkered relationship with the gossip pages. Eager to be seen as one of London's glamorous '
Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a group of Bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in London during the Roaring Twenties. The name was given to them by the tabloid press. They threw flamboyant fancy dress part ...
', in May 1932 he personally telephoned the Diary to provide them with advance details of his 21st birthday and its glittering society guest list. But he flew into a rage with Beaverbrook when another of the press baron's papers, the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'', singled him out in a story on the sons of great men, which sneeringly observed that "major fathers as a rule breed minor sons, so our little London peacocks had better tone down their fine feathers." "The function of the gossip writer", wrote Randolph, "is not among those which commend themselves mostly highly to my generation". A few years later the young Churchill performed an amusing about turn, becoming editor of Londoner's Diary and one of the best-paid gossip columnists on Fleet Street. In 1938, during the
Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the German annexation of part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudete ...
, he was briefly called up by the Army and asked his father if he would mind filling in for him on the paper. This is how, improbably, the 64-year-old Winston Churchill – just two years before he would assume the role of Britain's wartime
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
– became editor of the Londoner's Diary for a week, filing stories about the political career of
Lord Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (5 December 1905 – 3 August 2001), known to his family as Frank Longford and styled Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and social reformer. A member of the Labour Party, ...
and shooting at Balmoral with the King.


Post-War

In 1946 Beaverbrook handed the Diary to Tudor Jenkins, who did much to shape the column's short, informative style. "No fine writing please", he would instruct his staff at the Standard's "raffish and noisy" offices off Fleet Street. His stance created a section that was "sometimes unreliable, occasionally incomprehensible, but always lively". After nearly fifteen years on the column he was replaced by the precocious 27-year-old
Nicholas Tomalin Nicholas Osborne Tomalin (30 October 1931 – 17 October 1973) was an English journalist and writer. Tomalin was the son of Miles Tomalin, a Communist poet and veteran of the Spanish Civil War. He studied English literature at Trinity Hall, Camb ...
, who would go on to become a pioneering war journalist. Lauded by Beaverbrook, his "dynamic and energetic" style reflected the excitement of a sixties London that was just starting to swing. In 1962, Tomalin was succeeded by Donald Edgar, a battle-hardened journalist who had spent most of the war in a prisoner of war camp and returned to work for the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' and then the Standard as a roving reporter, usually in war-torn areas of the globe. He covered the Cyprus troubles and got to know Archbishop Makarios well. Tomalin's elevation to editor of the Diary came as something of a surprise to him, but he soon found that he enjoyed the challenge. He always kept the
Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...
as an assignment for himself, and was able to write not only about the people who visited the show, but about the flowers and gardens themselves. Tomalin had a keen eye for talent, bringing many future Fleet Street stars onto the column, from
Mary Kenny Mary Kenny (born 4 April 1944) is an Irish journalist, broadcaster and playwright. A founding member of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement, she was one of the country's first and foremost Feminism, feminists, often contributes columns to the ...
and
Paul Callan Paul Stanley Lester Callan (13 March 1939 – 22 November 2020) was a British journalist and editor. He was known for his flamboyant manner and distinctive attire. Early life Callan was born on 13 March 1939 in Redbridge in Essex to an Irish ...
to
Magnus Linklater Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE (born 21 February 1942) is a Scottish journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor. Early life and education Linklater was born in Orkney, and is the son of Scottish writer Eric Linklater and arts campaigner Marj ...
and future ''Standard'' editor
Max Hastings Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings (; born 28 December 1945) is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of ''The Daily Telegraph'', and editor of the ''Evening Standard''. ...
. The drawling "Old Boy" attitude that Donald Zec had observed thirty years earlier was still very much alive; Kenny recalls that when she arrived "not only was I the only girl on the column, I was part from Max Hastingsthe only person who hadn't been to
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...
." He was succeeded in 1965 by the debonair Roger Berthoud, who was already known to have a gift for extracting high-class gossip. In the summer of 1963, while reporting for the ''Standard'' from Paris, he discovered that
General de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
had been avidly following the
Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model ...
in the British newspapers, turning to an Elysée aide to remark: "That will teach the English to try and behave like Frenchmen."


Recent years

Sarah Sands Sarah Sands (née Harvey; born 3 May 1961) is a British journalist and author. A former editor of the ''London Evening Standard'', she was editor of ''Today'' on BBC Radio 4 from 2017 to 2020. Early life and education Sands was born in Cambrid ...
became the Diary's first female editor in the late 1980s. After Sands, Rory Knight Bruce, who had come from ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'', edited the Diary in the 1990s, giving a start to many of today's leading journalists and authors, including
Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...
,
Sam Leith Sam Leith (born 1 January 1974) is an English author, journalist and literary editor of ''The Spectator''. After an education at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, Leith worked at the revived satirical magazine '' Punch'', before moving to the ...
, James Hanning, Vincent Graff, Nick Bryant, Philip Kerr, Imogen Lycett Green and Robert Tewdr Moss. Knight Bruce broke many stories at a time when the ''Evening Standard'' was selling almost 700,000 copies a day, often changing the page in its entirety for the noon edition. He taught the team valuable lessons as Sam Leith discovered, when shifting on the column in his gap year. The first was 'the editor is always right'. "As he rewrote one of my stories, I pointed out a grammatical error he had introduced. Pause. 'Look, Leith,' he spat, 'if you want to be an academic, fuck off to
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
. If you want to be a journalist shut up and do what I say.'" Knight Bruce was also at this time the joint master of a pack of foxhounds in
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
. His eccentric lifestyle was allegedly the inspiration for
Martin Amis Sir Martin Louis Amis (25 August 1949 – 19 May 2023) was an English novelist, essayist, memoirist, screenwriter and critic. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and '' London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Mem ...
's character Rory Plantagenet in his novel '' The Information''. In 1998, Sebastian Shakespeare took over the column, entertaining Londoners for the next fifteen years, through four editors and three prime ministers. After consecutively winning ''Editorial Intelligence''s 'Diary of the Year' award in 2009 and 2010, he remarked:
"Diarists pride themselves on being insiders. They get access to all the best parties while the photographers and news reporters are left on the doorstep. And we also gently nibble the hand that feeds us canapés... Mischief is our mission and mockery is our weapon. In this age of spin, diarists have never been more important."
Shakespeare departed in December 2013, and the column was then edited by Other Club founder Joy Lo Dico. Ayesha Hazarika was appointed the column's editor in July 2019.


Editors

*
Robert Bruce Lockhart Sir Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart, KCMG (2 September 1887 – 27 February 1970) was a British diplomat, journalist, author, and secret agent. His 1932 book ''Memoirs of a British Agent'' became an international bestseller by telling of his exp ...
(1928) *
Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West. Early life and education Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the youngest son of dipl ...
(1930) *
Randolph Churchill Major (rank), Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer and politician. The only son of future List of British Prime Ministers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a ...
(1938) *
Tudor Jenkins Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, Welsh and English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England and Wales coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor a ...
(1946) *
Nicholas Tomalin Nicholas Osborne Tomalin (30 October 1931 – 17 October 1973) was an English journalist and writer. Tomalin was the son of Miles Tomalin, a Communist poet and veteran of the Spanish Civil War. He studied English literature at Trinity Hall, Camb ...
(1960) * Donald Edgar (1962) * Roger Berthoud (1965) *
Magnus Linklater Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE (born 21 February 1942) is a Scottish journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor. Early life and education Linklater was born in Orkney, and is the son of Scottish writer Eric Linklater and arts campaigner Marj ...
(1967) *
Paul Callan Paul Stanley Lester Callan (13 March 1939 – 22 November 2020) was a British journalist and editor. He was known for his flamboyant manner and distinctive attire. Early life Callan was born on 13 March 1939 in Redbridge in Essex to an Irish ...
(1969) * Jeremy Deedes (1971) *
Max Hastings Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings (; born 28 December 1945) is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of ''The Daily Telegraph'', and editor of the ''Evening Standard''. ...
(1976) * Adrian Woodhouse (1978) *
Geoffrey Wheatcroft Geoffrey Albert Wheatcroft (born 23 December 1945) is a British journalist, author, and historian. Early life and education Wheatcroft is the son of Stephen Frederick Wheatcroft (1921–2016), OBE, and his first wife, Joyce (née Reed). He w ...
(1985) *
Richard Addis Richard Addis (born 23 August 1956) is a British journalist and entrepreneur. He is a former editor of the ''Daily Express'' newspaper, a former novice Anglican monk and founder and former Editor-in-Chief of '' The Day''. Addis was educated ...
(1986) *
Sarah Sands Sarah Sands (née Harvey; born 3 May 1961) is a British journalist and author. A former editor of the ''London Evening Standard'', she was editor of ''Today'' on BBC Radio 4 from 2017 to 2020. Early life and education Sands was born in Cambrid ...
(1988) * Rory Knight Bruce (1990) * Susannah Herbert (1995) * Sebastian Shakespeare (1998) * Joy Lo Dico (2014) * Charlotte Edwardes (2018) * Ayesha Hazarika (2019) * Robbie Smith (2020) * Robbie Griffiths (2022) * Ethan Croft (2023)


Quotes

"The Diary and its team of clever young writers were in a way Beaverbrook's spies, sending out signals to the world about the trivial details of great or celebrated people". – A. N. Wilson, ''Betjeman'' (2007) "The Londoner's Diary should, on the whole, try to avoid treating its readers like ignorant idiots. An innocuous paragraph about
Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...
is ruined today by the patronising remark: 'Moore is now regarded as probably the greatest sculptor in the West'."
Charles Wintour Charles Vere Wintour (18 May 1917 – 4 November 1999) was a British newspaper editor. He was the father of Anna Wintour, the '' Vogue'' magazine editor-in-chief, and Patrick Wintour, the diplomatic editor of ''The Guardian'' newspaper. Afte ...
, editor of the ''Evening Standard'', letter to the editor of Londoner's Diary (1974) "The Londoner's Diary was always the central feature of the paper, a touch of class in something of a workaday wilderness ... Its readers have always included both the humble and the mighty, for the Standard circulates widely through the corridors of power." – Roger Wilkes, ''Scandal: A Scurrilous History of Gossip'' (2002)


See also

* ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
''


References


External links


Evening StandardLondoner's Diary
{{UK regional daily newspapers London newspapers Daily newspapers published in the United Kingdom Free daily newspapers Gossip columnists London Evening Standard