Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937 in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, London) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

magazine ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent critici ...

'', and founding editor of '' The Oldie'' magazine. He left the latter job at the end of May 2014.Ben Quin
"Richard Ingrams resigns as editor of the Oldie over dispute with publisher"
''The Guardian'', 31 May 2014

Early life and education

Ingrams's parents, who had three other sons including the banker and opera impresario Leonard Ingrams, were Leonard St Clair Ingrams (1900–1953), O.B.E., an investment banker from a clergy family, who worked as a government official in propaganda, economic warfare and the secret services during World War II, and Victoria, the daughter of

Sir James Reid Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet (23 October 1849 – 28 June 1923) was a British doctor who served as physician-in-ordinary to three British monarchs, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. A physician, a Scotsman from Aberdeenshire and ...

, private physician to Queen Victoria. Through his maternal grandmother and her ties to the

Baring family The Baring family is a Germans, German and British people, British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the ''Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. History The fa ...

, Ingrams is a direct descendant of the 19th-century prime minister

Earl Grey Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscou ...

.Leonard Ingrams
by Paul Levy, The Independent, 1 August 2005. Ingrams was educated at the independent preparatory school West Downs in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire, followed by

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

, where he met Willie Rushton and edited the school magazine. Before attending Oxford, he did his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the army ranks after failing his interview for officer training, something which was unusual for someone from his background at the time. At

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

, where he read Classics, he shared tutorials with

Robin Butler Frederick Edward Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, (born 3 January 1938) is a retired British civil servant, now sitting in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. Early life and family Butler was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, on ...

, later Cabinet Secretary and sometimes referred to as a "pillar of the Establishment". More importantly, he met Paul Foot, another former Shrewsbury pupil not yet the left-wing radical he became, who was to be a lifelong friend, and whose biography Ingrams wrote after Foot's death.

Career

Along with several other Old Salopians, including Willie Rushton, Ingrams founded ''Private Eye'' in 1962, taking over the editorship from

Christopher Booker Christopher John Penrice Booker (7 October 1937 – 3 July 2019) was an English journalist and author. He was a founder and first editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'' in 1961. From 1990 onward he was a columnist for '' The Sunday ...

in 1963. It was a classic case, he claimed on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' in 2008, of the "old boy network". ''

'' was part of the

satire boom The satire boom was the output of a generation of British satirical writers, journalists and performers at the beginning of the 1960s. The satire boom is often regarded as having begun with the first performance of '' Beyond the Fringe'' on 22 Aug ...

of the early 1960s, which included the television show ''

That Was The Week That Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pr ...

'', for which Ingrams wrote, and

The Establishment ''The Establishment'' is a term used to describe a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization. It may comprise a closed social group that selects its own members, or entrenched elite structures in specific institution ...

nightclub, run by Peter Cook. When ''Private Eye'' ran into financial problems Cook was able to gain a majority shareholding on the proceeds of his brief but financially successful venture. Ingrams vacated the editor's chair at the ''Eye'' in 1986, when

Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz sho ...

took over. In 1992 Ingrams created and became editor of '' The Oldie'', a now monthly humorous lifestyle and issues magazine mainly aimed at the older generation. As of 2005 he was still chairman of ''Private Eye'', working there every Monday,Rob McGibbo
"Richard Ingrams interview"
''

Press Gazette ''Press Gazette'', formerly known as ''UK Press Gazette'' (UKPG), is a British media trade magazine dedicated to journalism and the press. First published in 1965, it had a circulation of about 2,500, before becoming online-only in 2013. Publis ...

'' 15 December 2005. spending four days a week in London. He was television critic for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' from 1976 to 1984, though he rarely showed much enthusiasm for the medium. He was a regular on the radio panel quiz ''

The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History ''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart f ...

'' for its first twenty years and contributed a column to ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' for eighteen years. In late 2005 he moved to ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', considering ''The Observer'' to have gone downhill, particularly as a consequence of its support for the Iraq war. In his 27 August 2011 column, he announced that he had been sacked by the newly appointed editor of ''The Independent''. Shortly after the death of

Jimmy Savile Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and '' Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well kno ...

, Ingrams' ''The Oldie'' was the first publication to break the story of Savile's history of child abuse, after several national newspapers had been unwilling to print it. After a series of clashes with James Pembroke, owner and publisher of ''The Oldie'', Ingrams left the magazine at the end of May 2014 having resigned as editor. His most recent book is a biography of

Ludovic Kennedy Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy (3 November 191918 October 2009) was a Scottish journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans an ...

Personal life

Ingrams married Mary Morgan on 24 November 1962; they had three children: a son, Fred, who is an artist; a second son, Arthur, who was disabled and died in childhood; and a daughter, Margaret ("Jubby") a mother of three who died in 2004, aged 39, of a heroin overdose in Brighton. Ingrams played the organ for many years in his local

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

church in Aldworth, Berkshire, each Sunday. The

Romney Marsh Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about . The Marsh has been in use for centuries, though its inhabitants commonly suffered from malaria until ...

Historic Churches Trust was formed under the patronage of Ingrams and the then

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

Robert Runcie Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been Bishop of St Albans. He travelled the world widely ...

. In 2011 he announced he had converted to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Ingrams currently lives in Berkshire with his wife (who is also his god-daughter) Sara, a medical researcher. Before they married in 2011 he had a “long-term partner, Debbie Bosley, a waitress-turned novelist 27 years his junior” ‘Richard Ingrams In Love: Is He Serious?’, Elizabeth Grice, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 3 March 2011 His sister-in-law (wife of his late brother Rupert, a publisher) was

Davina Ingrams, 18th Baroness Darcy de Knayth Davina Marcia Herbert Ingrams, 18th Baroness Darcy de Knayth (10 July 1938 – 24 February 2008) was a crossbench member of the House of Lords, continuing to sit after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999 as an elected peer. Biography ...

; his nephew Caspar is the present baron. A biography, ''Richard Ingrams: Lord of the Gnomes'' () by Harry Thompson, was published in 1994.

Books by Ingrams

As author

* ''Mrs Wilson's Diary'' (with John Wells) 1965 * ''Mrs Wilson's Second Diary'' (with John Wells) 1966 * ''Mrs Wilson's Diaries'' (with John Wells) 1967 * ''The Tale of Driver Grope'' (with

Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator best known for his collaboration and friendship with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures, cartoons and picture ...

) 1969 * ''The Bible for Motorists: By Old Jowett'' (with

Barry Fantoni Barry Ernest Fantoni (born 28 February 1940) is a British author, cartoonist and jazz musician of Italian and Jewish descent, most famous for his work with the magazine ''Private Eye'', for whom he also created Neasden F.C. He has also published ...

) 1970 * ''Harris in Wonderland: By Philip Reid'' (pseudonym of Ingrams and Andrew Osmond) 1973 * ''God's Apology: A Chronicle of Three Friends'' 1977 * ''Goldenballs'' 1979 * '' Dear Bill: The Collected Letters of

Denis Thatcher Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, (10 May 1915 – 26 June 2003) was an English businessman and the husband of Margaret Thatcher, who served as the first female British prime minister from 1979 to 1990; in turn, he became the first male prime m ...

'' (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 The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countryside The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ...

: 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:

'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 John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Michael Morton, better known by his preferred abbreviation J. B. Morton (7 June 1893 – 10 May 1979) was an English humorous writer noted for authoring a column called "By the Way" under the pen name ' Beachcomber' i ...

'' 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 Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

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

References

External links

Richard Ingrams interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingrams, Richard 1937 births Military personnel from London 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century British journalists 21st-century British 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 People from Chelsea, London Private Eye contributors The Independent people The Observer people The Spectator people Writers from London