“Like the periwig and the bowler bat, the plus-four and the bow-tie, the blazer is on the way out, and those who persist in wearing it do so with a smattering of self-consciousness, a touch of obstinacy, even a pinch of camp.”
“Over the years, the idea seems to have grown up that brightly coloured flowers are vulgar, and that the only flowers to be admitted to the walled garden of good taste are discreet and pastel-hued.”
“People think of waves as going in an orderly crash - whoosh - crash - whoosh, but in fact there are lots of different crashes and whooshes, all at different stages, and all going off at the same time.”
“Speaking for myself, I spend a good ten minutes a day deciding whether or not to read the results of new surveys, and, once I have read them, a further five minutes deciding whether or not to take them seriously.”
“When I was a boy, I used to stay with a school friend in Bexhill, in Sussex, which was then well-known for being the town with more oldies than any other. Aged ten, I felt slightly embarrassed by this, though I'm not sure why.”
“By and large, the artistic establishment disapproved of Margaret Thatcher.”
“Alan Whicker may be the last Briton to have worn a silver-buttoned blazer with complete confidence.”
“For some reason, it is always thrilling to spot your home town in the news.”
“It is only if you happen to be a newscaster that the tongue-twister spells peril.”
“Like many men, I am highly skilled in the art of losing things but prefer to outsource the recovery process.”