Life

Grand Prix/1966

Sport and cinema do not mix. Quite simply a sport star is not an actor – nor an actor a sportsman or woman. There are exceptions – like Robert de Niro in Raging Bull and Richard Harris in This Sporting Life – but John Huston’s regrettable Escape to Victory with a pot-bellied [...]

October 6, 2022 // 0 Comments

Rugby Union – the concussion issue and the Premiership: an observer’s view

THE INHERENT DANGERS OF PLAYING SPORT From time to time over the years we on the Rust have reported upon developments in the world of rugby union, often with a decidedly English slant. I refer here to matters relating to the England national team, the administration of the game generally in England [...]

October 5, 2022 // 0 Comments

The funeral of Ken Howard

Yesterday I travelled up to London for the funeral of the painter Ken Howard. The service was at St Mary’s Church,The Boltons, and the burial in the cemetery between Brompton and Fulham Road. Organised religion occupies the key points in life: birth (the christening service), manhood confirmation [...]

October 4, 2022 // 0 Comments

Harlequins 35 Northampton Saints 29

The Premiership may be flawed, as Sandra McConnnell opined, but it does serve up great rugby… unless you are a Quins fan. As against Saracens and Exeter Chiefs the last few minutes were nail-biting. Quins’ 35 -15 lead had disappeared and one try and conversion would have won it for Saints. [...]

October 3, 2022 // 0 Comments

Robin Marlar

I was sad to hear of the passing of Robin Marlar whom I met just 2 weeks ago at Ted Dexter’s memorial. Most people cannot manage one successful career but Robin succeeded in three: distinguished cricketer for Sussex; Times cricket correspondent; recruitment consultant. In all three he was a [...]

October 3, 2022 // 0 Comments

The legend that is Marilyn Monroe

I do not like the word iconic but I cannot think of a better one to describe Marilyn Monroe. She was recently the subject of a podcast on Rest is History by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Better was the Discovering series in Sky Arts profiling her. In her time – the [...]

October 1, 2022 // 0 Comments

Come to think of it, you probably COULD make it up …

One of the catch phrases of the late and great English comic Frankie Howerd (1917-1992) – usually deployed after he’d taken his audience/viewers into his confidence and made some withering, disparaging, remark about some hapless individual that had prompted gales of laughter – was to [...]

October 1, 2022 // 0 Comments

Sensationalists: The Bad Girls And Boys Of British Art/BBC 2

The Sensationalists, broadcast last night on BBC2, is the story of the YBAs (young British artists) – a movement originating in Goldsmith’s College of Art – whose prime mover was Damien Hirst. They fulminated against the traditional values of the art world, epitomised by Cork Street [...]

September 28, 2022 // 0 Comments

Calling the shots/David Dein

David Dein is one of the most successful figures in football in the last 50 years and here he tells his story and his recipe for achievement. He acquired and subsequently lost a fortune in the sugar trade, went onto the Arsenal board where he formed – with Arsene Wenger – one of the [...]

September 27, 2022 // 0 Comments

You could hardly make it up!

I guess every one of us experiences incidents or periods in life when events, other people, instances of bad luck (and/or even the weather) conspire to thwart or flip upside down the most careful of best-laid plans, or even our actions taken after having accepted a modest degree of risk or gamble [...]

September 26, 2022 // 0 Comments

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ITV COVERAGE OF CHELTENHAM

March 14, 2026 // 0 Comments

I am in the camp of watching on tv rather than attending for the 3 Cs: cost , convenience and comfort. With the cost of travelling and attending Cheltenham and last [...]
Max Schmelling/ The Good German

March 4, 2026 // 0 Comments

In the unlikely event that I would be asked to nominate a Great Life on Matthew Parris ‘ show my choice would be the Black Uhlan Max Schmelling. In the 1930s thee [...]
The Tanner Report : Fulham 2 spurs 1

March 3, 2026 // 0 Comments

Prior to Fulham ‘s comfortable win over Spurs (2-1) I watched the big match Revisited featuring Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2 i guess in the early 70s It would be foolish to [...]
The Six Nations

February 24, 2026 // 0 Comments

The Six Nations continues to throw up surprises. England could not bounce back against Ireland , a resurgent Wales gave Scotland à close game with the Millennium Stadium [...]
Brentford 0 Brighton 2

February 23, 2026 // 0 Comments

The heat is off Fabian Hürzeler with Brighton ‘s 1st win in 13 games. Club owner Tony Bloom was not at the G Tech stadium due to a long planned family engagement but had [...]