This year the legendary Chap Olympiad, instead of taking place in London, moves to a country location. At 1pm on Saturday 10th August, the Tournament of Tomfoolery will occur at Firle Vintage Fair in East Sussex. This year’s repertoire includes classic favourites Umbrella Jousting, Cucumber Sandwich Discus, Tug of Hair and Tea Pursuit, as well… … Keep Reading
Panzer Tanks look much more authentic in rivers of mud. The weather had turned dramatically in late July, from the hottest day on record to weather that felt more like 1942 by the fifth and last day of the War and Peace Revival. Visitors to the Hop Farm, Kent were greeted by rivers of mud… … Keep Reading
On Sunday 14th July, a group of flâneurs assembled before the statue of Beau Brummell on Jermyn Street, London at midday. At precisely the same hour, another group of German flâneurs assembled in Dusseldorf, while yet another group in Los Angeles prepared to set off when the London walk reached its destination. This proved impossible,… … Keep Reading
“The crowd is his domain, as the air is that of the bird or the sea of the fish. His passion and his creed is to wed the crowd. For the perfect flâneur, for the passionate observer, it’s an immense pleasure to take up residence in multiplicity, in whatever is seething, moving, evanescent and infinite.”… … Keep Reading
On 17th May 2019 The Chap publishes its 100th edition. This landmark special anniversary issue features all-time Chap icon Terry-Thomas on the front cover, with an in-depth look at the actor and bounder’s life and career, with some never-seen family photographs kindly provided by T-T’s niece. Our main interview is with another bounder/actor Leslie Phillips,… … Keep Reading
London’s Cinnamon Club is something of an institution, set in the former Westminster Library and teeming with politicians, journalists and ladies who lunch. Its sister establishment in Oxford, Cinnamon Kitchen, is situated in the rather less grand-sounding Westgate Shopping Centre. But this is Oxford, where everything is nice and shopping centres are nothing like other… … Keep Reading
To mark publication of our 100th edition in May 2019, and celebrate 20 years of The Chap, we are giving readers three opportunities to mark these two milestones, occurring throughout the summer and autumn of 2019. 14th JULY: THE GRAND FLANEUR WALK A mass stroll in London on Sunday 14th July to celebrate the art… … Keep Reading
This year The Chap celebrates 20 years of publication, with the 100th edition published on 17th May 2019. To mark this pair of highly significant milestones, we are hosting a spectacular party on Saturday 8th June in London. Long-established WWII-themed shindig The Blitz Party, hosted by Chap Olympiad partners Bourne & Hollingsworth, will provide an… … Keep Reading
You know when you get a new pair of brogues, and then all your other brogues suddenly look tired, old and worn-out next to them? Acquiring a Sussex Tweed cap has the same effect on all your other tweed caps. My collection of bakerboy caps numbers only a modest seven, but when The Windover joined… … Keep Reading
“Disposophobics can’t, don’t or won’t make fast value judgments about their ‘stuff’,” says Ron Alford of Disaster Masters, Inc. ‒ a New York-based ‘crisis management’ service specializing in solving anomalous mess. “So their solution for their dilemma is to keep everything. If you put a $5 note, a magazine, a diamond ring and two dozen… … Keep Reading
Hercule Poirot is an iconic character. What was it that drew you to the role and why did you want to play him? In this case it was the three scripts that Sarah Phelps wrote. I thought that they were very well written, the character was interesting, Hercule Poirot was perhaps not very happy and… … Keep Reading
In Stanley, A Man of Variety you play a range of British comedy legends such as Max Wall, Tony Hancock, Max Miller. Were they your comedy influences? They are people I grew up with, watching on the telly. There were only two channels when I was a kid. On a Sunday and it would be… … Keep Reading