I think I am a little bit in love with Ian Hislop

[SleeplessinSouthwold]

I mean, fearlessly slaying BS for Britain since forever, or what!
No one's too scary, too rich, too big or too pompous for Ian. He has encyclopaedic recall and is quicker and wittier than anybody. (His cute little shaky-shoulders laugh!)

Not an obvious crush, maybe, but when watching IHGNFY of a wintry night, next to a more classically handsome and averagely entertaining DH, I catch myself musing about what could clearly never have been. Reminiscing about being young and dismissing a lovely chap or two because their looks were a little unusual. My loss, probably. It's not always the obvious ones. Somebody knew the decent, intelligent thing to do and married him - Victoria Hislop - the clever clogs! Can she ever be bored? Surely not?

So Ian Hislop: the (moderately, in my case) Thinking Woman's Crumpet?

Can you think of people that - with hindsight - you wished you'd given more of a chance?

Disclaimer(s): I have never met Ian Hislop in RL. But I wish I had. DH and I are doing fine. I am no great catch myself.

Back off please.😠

there's something a bit grim about always looking for the worst That's the point, someone's got to do the dirty jobs, not many volunteer

Yes true that not many volunteer to stick their heads above the parapet, but there are compensations: a dose of gleeful superiority that comes with the territory? And caché from being the one that knows all the secrets?

Another long-term IH fan over here!

I just think he's lovely. And razor-sharp.

He epitomises my bloke’s assertion that sex appeal is situated between the ears. I adore Hislop and would fight you for him any time @SleeplessinSouthwold.

I find him totally unfunny and a bit of a prat but each to their own

He's earned it. 😍

Considering the amount of arrogance, entitlement, evasion of responsibilities and rewarded mediocrity flying around on our dime.

He was lovely when I met him in real life . Makes a really decent cup of tea too !

We could go on a double date, OP, you and Ian, me and Paul ♡

Calling out the establishment can't damage his career because that's all his career is. HIGNFY feeds nicely into Private Eye and gives it publicity. But it was Cook who established Private Eye in the 60s and it was he and Ingrams really who did the brave challenging. By the 80s, when Hislop joined PE, it was de rigeur for comedians to attack the establishment.

Bad behaviour gets called out all the time. Newspapers even make up bad behaviour so they can call it out. I don't see anything brave about it all.

What's brave about challenging the establishment in the UK, though? It's not like we're in China or Russia

Joking apart, on reflection. I think there is an inherent risk in taking on the establishment nowadays. You may not be tortured but there will be lots of people willing to discredit you, or damage you financially. There are some very powerful vested interests in the UK which are probably not very comfortable to have as enemies. Boris Johnson was a journalist with a lot of influential friends in high places in the press. And recent governments have not been overburdened with honest or decent people, they have a lot of vested interests and there have been quite a few corruption scandals which PI has challenged: eg Robert Jenrick and housing scandal, Owen Patterson and cash for honours to name but two.

Credit where credit is due to Cook and Ingrams, but not just anyone could steer PI through decades. He has that rare thing: staying power.
Plus there are things in PI that you do not see anywhere else with comparable distribution.
(Maybe I could be his assistant PR's assistant?)

I get you OP, and in those photos he was not unattractive as a younger man. Private Eye is also one of the few places that is not in thrall to transactivism.

I'm reminded of the notion about how when we are teenagers there are the cool lads that everyone wants to go out with - the ones that are the first to have a car and are usually bunking off and smoking behind the bike sheds- when you fast forward 10 or 15 years those men are stuck in their home towns, have put on weight, and have lost their youthful charm. Whereas the uncool lads, who did their homework, now have moved on with their lives, have interesting jobs if not necessarily rich, are well educated and much more attractive than the erstwhile cool lads.

I think IH is an example of this! And that the more grown up you are, the more you appreciate wit and intelligence vs physical attractiveness. Not that he's bad looking by any means

Nah that's Gavin Williamson

Yes @StillWeRise exactly.

@Blossomtoes Hear! Hear!

@Firesideassembly Relieved you're being sensible now, he IS brave. There's something about Dara too, I agree. (I am such a slut)

He carried
my elderly
mum’s suitcase for her at King’s Cross. He is a god in our house

Makes a good cup of tea @plominoagain AND carried @Mumsnut 's mum's suitcase.
What's not to love?

He's great.

And it's heartening to read (in the link somewhere upthread) that Piers Morgan was unable to dig up any revenge dirt on him at all.

(Errhm, just discreetly slipping back into my thread's name...)

Is that so? @MassiveWordSalad Even more impressed, now.
By the way I hear PM is a lovely, lovely, lovely to be around in RL.

I met Paul Merton once at a party. He’s very tall and unassuming.

Love him, but I'm picturing M&S white Y fronts and socks held up with garters. 😁

Have you checked YouTube?

Ah, but @waltzingparrot it's not his body we find sessy. 😁

I’m with you OP. He’s cute, clever and entertaining, what’s not to love?

I long to meet a man who is as engaged and informed. Someone who is willing to risk court for speaking the truth. Men like that are few and far between.
Money helps eith the courage and influence I imagine. Non the less I'd rather see Ian than some preening idiot

Sadly I have never had an episode 2 of the dream but we are adults, I am sure we would deal with it maturely, with nothing more than a split second of extra eye contact when we said goodbye at the end of the evening.