Steve Pittard: England slow bowler by day and gentleman thief by night, A.J. Raffles, is cricket’s most enduring fictional character. His exploits shocked late Victorian society, who found it unthinkable that a burglar might play cricket – a sport synonymous with ‘fair play’. A.J. resides in bachelor chambers at Albany (just off Piccadilly). He can… … Keep Reading
“Inspired by the Olympiad,” writes Mark Skinner, “I have taken my first faltering forays in Chapdom. Any hints that I am heading in the right direction?” Sir, you are standing far too close to a market stall selling T-shirts to be heading in the direction of Chapdom. A true Chap would steer well clear of… … Keep Reading
The Chap, in collaboration with expert cook Clare Gabbett-Mulhallen, has written a cook book aimed at reviving the lost art of British cookery. Cooking For Chaps trawls through the greatest British recipes from the last 200 years to bring you the finest selection of meals to prepare for breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, high tea,… … Keep Reading
Following a 43-date UK Tour and sell-out run at St James Theatre, European Arts Company is delighted to announce that The Trials of Oscar Wilde is transferring to Trafalgar Studios for a strictly limited four-week run. The production will open on Monday 13th October, in celebration of Oscar Wilde’s 160th birthday that same week, and… … Keep Reading
The Umbrella Shop Official suppliers of rain cover and jousting equipment to The Chap Olympiad, this formidable company deals in sturdy brollies of all prices by mail order only, thus maintaining competitive prices. Some of their brollies are aimed at commissionaires and doormen, but since these days a gentleman is often left to fend for… … Keep Reading
Nathaniel Adams: You might be surprised by how well crickets pair with brie. Wrapped in a sushi roll, their carapaces’ pleasant crunch counterbalances the creamy squish of the cheese. I’m not a foodie – the only celebrity chef I admire is John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Yet there I was, munching away on exoskeletal… … Keep Reading
A group of American schoolboys all wore suits, ties and hats as a show of support to a younger pupil at their school who was being bullied for his speech impediment. Danny Keefe, aged 6, has a condition called Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), a motor speech disorder that prevents his brain from coordinating properly… … Keep Reading
Nathaniel Adams: There are placards, designed in a Charles Rennie Mackintosh Glasgow School-style font, placed near the entrances to Disneyland in Anaheim California, which read: “Warning: The Disneyland Resort contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.” The claim of a state with so many… … Keep Reading
Hip-hop was invented by languid 1920s socialite Edith Sitwell, argues Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer. Hip-Hop, that much maligned and derided of cultural phenomena, officially turned 40 years old last summer. In August 1973, a chap called Clive played some records at a party in a recreation room on Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx, to… … Keep Reading
Emma Hughes: Nowadays, there really is no such thing as a free lunch. Working days are interminable, BlackBerrys keep their owners tethered to the office and professions that were once looked upon as a gentle form of day-care for the feckless and inept are tightly regulated. Even journalists, for whom a gruelling shift traditionally consisted… … Keep Reading
G Robert Ogilvy, a North American citizen, unashamedly passes judgement on the manner in which the people of today clothe themselves. A few weeks ago I was sitting in my car in a parking lot outside a drugstore – I had just read a trend piece in the New York Times lifestyle section and found… … Keep Reading
Steve Pittard: England’s ill-fated Ashes campaign featured an entourage worthy of a gangster rapper. Also, the team’s ridiculously detailed dietary nonsense – piri-piri breaded tofu with tomato salsa, if you please – equalled any precious pop diva’s riders. Yet nobody addressed the most elementary consideration of all… selecting players capable of growing a moustache. Captain… … Keep Reading