Opinions of superior excellence

The Three Old Hacks discuss the power of the people. Recorded the day after the chaotic Gaza vote in Parliament, they consider the safety of MPs, the leverage voters have to influence them, the impact of a powerful grassroots movement supported by social media and also the power of TV drama to galvanise public opinion, as evidenced by the TV drama Mr Bates and the Post Office.

They discuss the leadership of the Conservative Party. "It always used to be said that the great success of the Tory party was that the membership didn't really have a say on anything" says Nigel. "Now the membership has a voice through Conservative Home and they have a say in choosing the party leader. That's something you can't put back."

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

The intrusions into the private lives of celebrities rehashed by the phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry against Mirror Group Newspapers represent a "dreadful low" in the history of British journalism, says Mihir Bose.

The High Court ruled that Harry was a victim of phone hacking on multiple occasions, as were his friends. Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir discusses the "cheap and tawdry" tactics of their fellow hacks with Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast.

Thank you to Bill Kay for writing in and you can view his full letter here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Bill-Kay-Letter-1.pdf

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

The Culture and Media Secretary Lucy Frazer has intervened to scrutinise the sale of the Daily Telegraph to a company backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family, over concerns around public interest.

Would they interfere with the editorial in pursuance of their interests? It wouldn't be the first time a newspaper owner had tried it, with more or less success. The Three Old Hacks, aka Sunday Times Economics editor David Smith, political analyst Nigel Dudley and former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose,  compare notes on interfering owners with whom they have worked over their long careers. 

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast with The Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, and political analyst Nigel Dudley, has been described as ‘the modern equivalent of Jerome K Jerome’s book Three Men in a Boat‘ by broadcaster and journalist Lucy Beresford.

Like George, Harris and Jerome they are old friends who consider themselves overworked and in need of a holiday (always). Like the River Thames, they have a tendency to meander. Theirs is not so much a travel guide as a commentary on the state of British journalism based on their experiences over the past 40 years, delivered with warmth and humour and that slight edge of competitiveness that journalists never lose.

This week it is the rich hinterland of Nigel’s knowledge which they rely on to discuss the situation in Israel, as he has spent many years reporting from the Middle East. They disagree on whether the BBC was right not to label Hamas as ‘terrorists’ and lament the vogue for ‘showbiz personality’ foreign reporting, while praising some of the outstanding reporting from those on the ground in Gaza.

Listen to the podcast on all the usual podcast platforms or on The Chiswick Calendar website. https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-37-three-men-in-a-boat-navigating-british-journalism/

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

 Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley continue setting the world to rights with their podcast Three Old Hacks. This week their subject is spies, and how the journalistic profession lends itself to approaches from foreign powers. 

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

Much has been written and said about the Nigel Farage ‘debanking’ story. Thinking a client is a ‘disingenuous grifter’ or a xenophobic racist is not supposed to be a good enough reason for a bank to deny someone an account.

But what about the journalism involved in breaking the story? Was the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack right to have broadcast a story based on the word of a very senior figure within the bank?

Yes, the Three Old Hacks - aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley - are unanimous that he should have been able to trust the word of the chief executive Dame Alison Rose, and yes he should have published the story.

The British public wouldn’t know the half of what went on without such leaks to journalists. But how does a journalist know when they are being led up the garden path?

The Three Old Hacks have broken many stories and all at some time or another followed that well-trodden path. 

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, aka Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith, former Sports News editor at the BBC and author of many books about sport, Mihir Bose, and political commentator Nigel Dudley, have been chewing over the week's news - in particular the cricket, and whether or not the Australians have behaved abominably.

Warming to their theme, they discuss gamesmanship, colonialism, the Just Stop Oil protests and the efficacy of protests at international sporting fixtures in general, recalling disrupted matches now lost in the mists of time. (And yes, irritating though they may have been, they were quite successful). 

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

 Flags flying upside down, Rishi Sunak being criticised for 'not being grounded in our culture' despite his perfect reading from the scriptures at the coronation, and Nigel being accused of being a Marxist for taking the dog for a walk during the ceremony.

The Three Old Hacks chew over the coronation, the national anthem (time for a new one?) and the admirable state of Penny Mordaunt's biceps.

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

From Gwyneth Paltrow to the protests in France and Israel and the perennial subjects of Boris Johnson’s career and the state of the economy, the Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, discuss the week’s news.

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

As the war in Ukraine marks its grim one-year anniversary, the Three Old Hacks, aka former Sports News editor at the BBC Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, discuss whether we have clear aims in this war and how it might end. 1:09

They talk about the SNP leadership battle and whether religion and politics mix in the 21st century. 13:25

They look at the Roald Dahl controversy and compare the re-writing of his books with Thomas Bowdler’s attempts to sanitise Shakespeare and language used by George Orwell which most certainly would not be published today. 24:18

Finally, the conversation turns to football, as it often does, and their thoughts on who is a fit and proper owner for an English football club. 38:13

Listen to the podcast on The Chiswick Calendar website or any of the usual podcast platforms.

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!