Richard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 1937 Chelsea, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, magazine editor |
| Known for | Co-founder and second editor of Private Eye; founding editor of The Oldie |
Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937) is a British journalist renowned as the co-founder and second editor of the satirical publication Private Eye, as well as the founding editor of The Oldie magazine, a position he held until May 2014.
Early life and education
Ingrams was born to Leonard St Clair Ingrams (1900–1953), an investment banker and government official who played roles in propaganda and intelligence during World War II, and Victoria, daughter of Sir James Reid, who served as Queen Victoria’s private physician. Through his maternal grandmother’s ties to the Baring family, Ingrams is a direct descendant of Charles Grey, the 19th-century Prime Minister.
He received his early education at West Downs preparatory school in Winchester, then attended Shrewsbury School where he edited the school magazine and formed a friendship with Willie Rushton. After completing National Service in the army ranks—a rarity given his social background—he pursued Classics at University College, Oxford. There, he studied alongside Robin Butler, future cabinet secretary, and developed a lifelong friendship with Paul Foot, about whom Ingrams later wrote a biography following Foot’s passing.
Career
In 1962, Ingrams co-established Private Eye with several Old Salopians including Willie Rushton. He assumed editorial leadership from Christopher Booker in 1963. On the 2008 episode of Desert Island Discs, he characterized the magazine as an outcome of the "old boy network." Private Eye emerged during the early 1960s satire boom, alongside television programs like That Was The Week That Was, for which Ingrams contributed writing, and venues such as Peter Cook’s The Establishment nightclub. When financial challenges threatened Private Eye, Peter Cook acquired a controlling interest through his successful enterprise.
Ingrams relinquished the editor role in 1986, with Ian Hislop succeeding him. He launched and edited The Oldie magazine in 1992, targeting an older demographic with humor and lifestyle features. By 2005, he continued serving as chairman of Private Eye, contributing weekly while primarily based in London.
Between 1976 and 1984, Ingrams was television critic for The Spectator, despite expressing limited enthusiasm for television. He was a frequent panelist on the radio quiz show The News Quiz during its first two decades and penned a column for The Observer over eighteen years. Discontented with The Observer's editorial stance on issues such as the Iraq war, he transitioned to writing for The Independent in late 2005. In August 2011, he announced his dismissal by the new editor of The Independent. Following Jimmy Savile’s death, Ingrams’ publication The Oldie was notably the first to reveal Savile’s history of child abuse after other major newspapers hesitated.
After disagreements with James Pembroke, owner and publisher of The Oldie, Ingrams resigned as editor in May 2014. His latest bookTemplate:When is a biography on Ludovic Kennedy.
Personal life
On 24 November 1962, Ingrams married Mary Morgan; they had three children: Fred, an artist; Arthur, who died during childhood; and Margaret ("Jubby"), who passed away at age 39 due to a heroin overdose in 2004.
He regularly played the organ at his local Anglican church in Aldworth, Berkshire. Alongside Archbishop Robert Runcie, he helped establish the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust. In 2011, Ingrams converted to Roman Catholicism.
Currently residing in Berkshire with his wife Sara—a medical researcher and also his god-daughter—Ingrams had previously been in a long-term relationship with Debbie Bosley, a novelist twenty-seven years his junior.
His sister-in-law was Davina Ingrams, 18th Baroness Darcy de Knayth, married to his late brother Rupert; their son Caspar holds the barony.
A biography titled Richard Ingrams: Lord of the Gnomes by Harry Thompson was published in 1994. Additionally, his life was satirically depicted in "Richard Ingrams Writes his Memoirs," featured in the Summer 2020 issue of The Fence.
Books by Ingrams
As author
- Mrs Wilson's Diary (co-authored with John Wells) 1965
- Mrs Wilson's Second Diary (co-authored with John Wells) 1966
- Mrs Wilson's Diaries (co-authored with John Wells) 1967
- The Tale of Driver Grope (illustrated by Ralph Steadman) 1969
- The Bible for Motorists: By Old Jowett (with Barry Fantoni) 1970
- Harris in Wonderland: By Philip Reid (pseudonym for Ingrams and Andrew Osmond) 1973
- God's Apology: A Chronicle of Three Friends 1977
- Goldenballs 1979
- Dear Bill: The Collected Letters of Denis Thatcher (with John Wells) 1980
- Romney Marsh and the Royal Military Canal (with Fay Godwin) 1980
- The Other Half: Further Letters of Denis Thatcher (with John Wells) 1981
- One for the Road (with John Wells) 1982
- Piper's Places: John Piper in England & Wales (with John Piper) 1983
- My Round! (with John Wells) 1983
- Bottoms Up! (with John Wells) 1984
- Down the Hatch! (with John Wells) 1985
- John Stewart Collis: A Memoir 1986
- Just the One (with John Wells) 1986
- The Best of "Dear Bill" (with John Wells) 1986
- Mud in Your Eye! (with John Wells) 1987
- You Might as Well be Dead 1988
- Still Going Strong (with John Wells) 1988
- The Ridgeway: Europe's Oldest Road 1988
- Number 10 (with John Wells) 1989
- On and On (with John Wells) 1990
- Muggeridge: The Biography 1995
- My Friend Footy: A Memoir of Paul Foot 2005
- The Life and Adventures of William Cobbett 2005
- Quips and Quotes: A Journalist's Commonplace Book 2011
- Ludo and the Power of the Book: Ludovic Kennedy's Campaigns for Justice 2017
- The Sins of G. K. Chesterton 2021
As compiler and editor
- What the Papers Never Meant to Say: Private Eye's Second Book of Boobs 1968
- The Life and Times of Private Eye 1961–1971 1971
- Beachcomber: The Works of J. B. Morton 1974
- Cobbett's Country Book: An Anthology of William Cobbett's Writings on Country Matters 1974
- Private Eye's Book of Pseuds: A Mood Statement 1975
- Private Eye's Second Book of Pseuds 1977
- The Penguin Book of Private Eye Cartoons 1983
- Dr Johnson by Mrs Thrale: The "Anecdotes" of Mrs Piozzi in Their Original Form 1984
- England: An Anthology 1989
- The Bumper Beachcomber 1991
- The Oldie Book of Cartoons 1996
- More Cartoons 1996
- I Once Met: Fifty Encounters with the Famous 1996
- Jesus: Authors Take Sides: An Anthology 1999
- The Oldie Book of Cartoons, 1992–2009 2009
- The Oldie Book of Cartoons: A New Selection 2013
External links
- Pages with script errors
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- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1937 births
- Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- People from Chelsea, London
- 20th-century British Army personnel
- 20th-century English journalists
- 21st-century English journalists
- Alumni of University College, Oxford
- British Army soldiers
- British magazine founders
- Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
- English Roman Catholics
- English magazine editors
- English male journalists
- English radio personalities
- Living people
- People educated at Shrewsbury School
- People educated at West Downs School
- Private Eye contributors
- The Independent people
- The Observer people
- The Spectator people
- English columnists
- British humorous columnists
- British satirical columnists