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Credit for image is: Photo: © Birgit Kleber 2012

Tom Assheton is an editor, producer and presents the Bloody Violent History podcast.  His career spans time in the army, as a land agent and owner of a cigar and coffee company.

Mary Killen is a very well-known and prolific journalist and the author of several books. She’s instantly recognisable today for being on Gogglebox with her husband Giles. She’s The Spectator’s agony aunt and a regular contributor to The Oldie with a column on beauty and fashion.

Writing Love From Venice has "literally given me a new lease of life" – Gill Johnson speaking at The Oldie lunch


Gill Johnson told The Oldie, 'I have never published a word in my life, never have I had any ambition to do so, so how did a over 90 year old non-celebrity first time author get to write a book?'

Gill stayed seated and delivered a evocative speech about Love From Venice, her book focused on her 25th year of her life, when she left The National Gallery in pursuit of her love David Ross who had 'an exotic Russian Scottish heritage'.

Gill found herself working for a grand Italian family in Venice and all the stories that ensued.

The book has 'literally given me a new lease of life' as Gill fought away tears, sitting next to her brother and highly esteemed wine writer Hugh Johnson (to whom she had dedicated the book) and her son, writer, Rory Ross. Rory held the microphone for Gill. The Oldie audience applauded.

As the 5th July beckons, how topical that Geoffrey Wheatcroft spoke to The Oldie about 'Bloody Panico: Or, Whatever Happened to The Tory Party'. The election is more 'send in the clowns' than 'things can only get better'.

Geoffrey retorted, 'I have never felt more gratitude to anyone than I do to Rishi Sunak, calling this election just as my book is published!'

Liz Truss was due to be speaking at the Oldie Literary Lunch, but pulled out due to election commitments in Norfolk. Liz was due to speak about how the Tory party can save the world, but Geoffrey Wheatcroft would be one person that does not agree.

Liz Truss's time as Prime Minister reminded Geoffrey of 19 years ago, when he published his book 'The Strange Death of Tory England' to which his latest book is a 'kind of afterthought'. The book was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Book Prize. 'Some bright spark doing the publicity' thought that it would be amusing to have a Booker prize style dinner and Geoffrey sat next-door to the leader of the Conservative party at that time, Michael Howard, leader of the Opposition. They made light banter and the same bright spark who was doing the publicity, thought it would be a good idea to film the judges of the prize in their deliberations and to show it on a huge screen. 14 years ago Geoffrey was a judge for the Orwell prize with Ferdinand Mount and 'thank god our deliberations weren't filmed'. The screen showed the judges discussing the different books. Geoffrey confided to the audience that had to listen to Michael Howard speaking in the 'most contentious tones' about his book, 'whose author he was sitting next to'.

Geoffrey said that although he was teased for writing the book at the time 'without being too self-congratulatory' it was ahead of its time!

Geoffrey seriously said the Conservatives weren't just heading to 'a severe defeat, but towards something a lot more terminal'

Geoffrey went on to speak about Boris Johnson, whose real name is, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson and uses the stage name Boris 'a bit like Beyonce, or Sting!' In 2014, Boris had dinner with Spectator journalist, Anne Applebaum, whom he told that no one sane would ever leave the European Union. Two years later, he went back on his word. Geoffrey said 'it was a sad day for British Politics' when the UK decided to leave, due to an 'unprincipled opportunist'.

Since Brexit, the Tories have 'staggered from one disaster, to one screw-up' said Geoffrey, 'they don't know who they quite are anymore'.

When Liz Truss pulled out of The Oldie Literary Lunch, leading classicist author, Daisy Dunn, stepped in.

Daisy, who wrote the Ladybird guide to Homer, has just written 'The Missing Thread', which is a new history of the ancient world through women.

Daisy set the record straight that in no way was this a history, where she had shoehorned 'some girls into the grand narrative of ancient history for the sake of equality and branding it woke, to which I respond ladies and gentleman, I write for The Spectator'.

Following Geoffrey Wheatcroft's speech, Daisy told the audience:

'You will notice that I'm not Liz Truss either, for which I'm sorry. Or maybe I'm not.'

Daisy met Liz Truss for the first time 'about 9 months after she left Downing Street or to put it another way, about 10 months after she arrived at Downing Street and she was actually very friendly so I am sort of sorry not to see her in some respects.'

Daisy came to The Oldie lunch thinking of something that Liz had once said that 'nobody wants to be in a room, or their business to be funded, because they are a woman. Of all the things that Liz Truss has said, I happen to agree with that one'.

Charlotte Metcalf is a journalist, editor, award-winning documentary film-maker and was co-presenter of the Break Out Culture podcast.   She is Subscriptions Editor and a frequent contributor at The Oldie.

John Humphrys is the legendary BBC journalist who presented Radio Four’s Today for 30 years.  He talks about his Welsh upbringing, how Superman inspired him to become a journalist and what it was like digging for truth from the dominant politicians of our time, notably Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.