To think AA Gill must be the most joyless journalist on the planet.

[Vintageclock]

He just moans and drones about everything. His restaurant reviews are almost unreadable and he seems to make a point of despising the kind of television programmes that the Hoi Polloi love. Why doesn't he just go and live on top of a tree someplace where he can look down on the rest of us, lip curled with total disdain.

Yes hackmum I like some of his reviews - but only the bad ones.

They sometimes used to replace him with The Sun's Jane Moore, who'd always list prices and tell you exactly what she and The Bloke had eaten.

That's not restaurant-reviewing. If I want to know what's on the menu I'll look at the website. I want to be entertained.

I like Jay Rayner's food reviews. That man likes food. I like that in a man. Or a reviewer.

Agree w/ HackMum that it is a joyless task. Maybe that explains his misanthropic ways.

Writing I enjoy? I like the NY Times for news, The Grauniad and the hard news of the Times. The Observer on Sunday (especially the excelllent food magazine) and the Grauniad Book Review on Saturday. I was very upset when the Times changed its Saturday book supplement to a general populist Review magazine and still miss it, especially Jeannette Winterson's editorial which was consistently excellent. That is partly what I mean about dumbing down. The Grauniad Money supplement on Saturday is written in an easily understood manner and I have encouraged my children sit and read it each week. It is a great introduction to money and Finance for beginners and several of my teacher friends use it in school for this reason.

The Financial Times book review pages are excellent. Polly Toynbee has always been a writer whose byline catches my eye. I cannot bear Hugo Rifkind (nepotistic averageness) or Daisy Waugh. I turn the pages very quickly. Olivia Williams in the Telegraph mag writes well. Lynn Barber has written some great features too.

I'm not that big on most £££ paid Op-Eds. I was sent a copy of Sarah Vine's first Wednesday column and I couldn't believe she was being paid to write about the dog eating her shoes. Unbelievable.

There is some fantastic writing in American Vogue. The 'Upfront' and 'Lives' sections often feature writers of excellence-This month Delia Ephron writes about Nora. I love how Jeffrey Steingarten uses his legal training to research the subject of his monthly food writing column. Lynne Yeager and Hamish Bowles write exquisitely upon fashion culture and history. People who call it fluff have obviously never read it, especially its tradition of commissioning novelists to write editorial.

Justine Picardie is a fine writer too especially on Fashion history. She has revitalised Harpers since taking over as Editor.

The Sunday Times may have been intellectually demanding once upon a time Darcey, but that has certainly not been the case in recent years. In the Irish version on Sunday there was a sickening article about a missing woman whose body was found recently, having been missing for a year. It went into totally unecessary details about her sex life and must have been horrific for her bereaved family and well as hugely disrespectful to the memory of the dead woman. It was like the Daily Mail and its worst.
We are also regularly treated to the spite of Camilla Long who seems to have a huge grudge against the royal family and everyone related to them. And their Style magazine is absolute rubbish.
Intellectual? I don't thinks so.

Arabesque I find the Wardrobe Mistress in the Style magazine hilarious. She has budget blindness. Whenever a person writes in requesting help w/ finding an item of clothing and gives an upper figure for the budget, she always ignores it. She also specialises in suggesting sleeveless items for women asking for upper arm coverage and pastel items for women asking for bright colours. Unintentionally hilarious.

I also do not find Janice Turner and Giles Coren intellectually rigorous enough to warrant being given a prime OPED space in Saturdays Times.

I used to devour the ST but haven't for years.

I think the hideousness of Camilla Long (cough sleeping with the editor cough hence the meteoric rise) and the ghastly plump smugness of Eleanor Mills got on my tits as well.

Rod piddle is unspeakable isn't he.

What made me laugh were the sad face families on the cover of the financial sector 'high speed rail link will blight the value of our 2 million pound house' looking like middle class equivalents of take a Break sob stories.

AA Gill's overbite is a bit frightening. I am sure he thinks he has a James Bond level of appeal, bless him.

It's the healthy living features in Style magazine that make me giggle or angry, depending on the mood I'm in. Whoever writes them must have managed to go through school without doing a single biology or chemistry class. The nonsense that gets published there is unbelievable.

Oh dear god at Daisy Waugh. I had forgotten about her and her myopic opinions. And Minette Marin

I loved Lisa Armstrong's column in the Saturday magazine. Think she is at the telegraph now.

The mistake they all make is to market themselves (or allow themselves to be marketed as) 'personalities.' when they are ciphers.
The Observer is particularly bad at this.
Inevetably they all drone on about their personal lives.
Mariella Frosty-aren't I marvellous having a baby at 83
Jay Wotsit and William Leith-we were fat bloaters who got thin (and are now fat again, but le's skim over that as well as the fact I am only here because of my mum)
Katherine facelikeasmackedarse- I can't keep any relationship together
Gabby wotsit-aren't I marvellous holding down a job and kids

The ONLY one who always makes it about the subject matter nad only the subject matter is the lovely Nigel Slater. The only reason I ever buy Observer.

I like Rod Liddle though and Spectator folk (apart from awful Taki) as they do not take themselves too seriously as Lefties invariably do.

Oh yes, the physiological roulette as DH calls it Gracelo.

Yes Lisa Arrmstrong writes well. Interesting that some of the best and most fluid writers have a fashion background LeGav. She writes that fashion ed in the Telegraph 'Stella' magazine. In fact the Saturday Telegraph magazine is great. I do love my weekend magazines.

I am amazed at the pure envious venom that Camilla Long gets published-and in the leading magazine column too. Talk about setting a (pond mud) tone. It is little more than a string of vicious insults generally aimed at Women. Even when she makes a worthy point (Liz Hurley's association w/ the Chechyan leader), she damages it by adding a bitch-sting that makes her look like a jealous back seat of the class mean girl.

Moon I too would throw my Parka over a puddle for Nigel. Everything he has achieved is via his and only his sweat. No posh connected parents (Henry Dimbleby is another success-via-family tree because that is why he got his finance for his businesses) to introduce him to their editor.....

Nigel's new book is out today I think. He has gone back to the 'easy fast food' concept. Did you read his schedule in last Sundays Food Monthly? Nigel, please slow down and take more holidays. You'll kill yourself at your work rate.

I don't understand how Camilla Long still gets willing victims to interview.

If I was famous and approached by the ST and told that Camilla Long would be the interviewer I would tell them to piss off. She only does hatchet jobs.

I never buy the telegraph (read it online though) but Lisa Armstrong's columns were very good, I will pick one up Saturday. She wrote very well indeed, and although her columns wee mostly about high fashion she made it sound accessible and didn't seem to take herself seriously.

Mignonette, no I didn't get it last week but will look online.
Note he NEVER mentions boyfriend or who he is messing about with.
LisaArmstrong writes well but as total aside, looks a bit of a misery and wear too much eye make up.
Who is that awful one in Guardian. Jess Morley Carte or something?
#She has never looked good in any of the clothes she wears.

Who is that character who does the food reviews in the Evening Standard?

Hair cross between Caitlin Moran and Madge from neighbours.

I think Lisa Armstong realises that she has a petulant face, I remember laughing when she started one column with the words 'what do you mean, hatchet-faced'

Isn't it that Fay woman?
She needs putting out to grass.

Late to this thread. I love what newgirl said ' a good brain wasted on criticising good and TV'.

That is so true.

I think someone should email and tell him.

Nigel is very private. The article talked about his new series which is apparently based upon him living on a farm. He mentions (and acknwledges) his assistant and photographer who have both worked w/ him for ages (always a good sign). He is lovely.

Jess Cartner Morley is the Guardian Fash-hack. She is married to one of The Groove Armada men. She absolutely slaughtered Kate Moss in her writing last week. Do you remember that interview KM did w/ Vanity Fair in which she stated her husband had said she must never look like a 'Mum' and that was the foundation of her fashion choices? Well Jess wrote that Kate Moss had lost her fashion edge and now dressed like a 'Rock Chick Mum who spends too much in All Saints'. Miaow. KM has obviously pissed her off at some point!

Agree that Lisa does look miserable. Have seen her a couple of times IRL and she is une serieuse. I imagine in private she is different. I think they are so aware of fashion being depicted as fluff that they try to combat this by cultivating a 'Fashion or Death' facial expression.

Her writing lacks the knowledge base of Lisa Armstrong/Hamish Bowles/Justine/ and seems very one dimensional. And yes, the outfits always look odd. The fashion PR's must groan when her assistant calls in an outfit to be featured because she does not sell any of them to me.

Fay Maschler......The high priestess of food criticism...

Still, he's done well for a dyslexic.

I really really have to take issue with this comment from darcybissell on p.2. how about inserting 'sp*stic' or 'black' in place of dyslexic. Reads so nicely doesnt it...

Anyway, back to Gill: he used to be brilliant, but so nasty these days.
I guess it comes with the territory of being the ST 'go to' boy for feature pieces.

Ones I like: not sure 'like' is the right word, but Rod Liddle always me laugh or swear. Adore Boris in the DT. Mrs. Mills is the only real reason to buy the ST.

No not Fay Maschler.

She is young. In her 30s or something. Tiresome looking. Hang on.

I loved it when Fay Maschler was outed for using a 30 year old picture byline. I think she tried to explain it away by saying it was necessary in order to remain undercover. A likely tale.

I was addicted to Alexandra Shulman's column in the Mail a number of years ago. It was utterly dotty and completely at odds with a mid-market paper. I think the subs used to whack it in without reading it.

Anne Robinson lampooned her for puffing mates and blagging after she'd featured a beach dress from a Notting Hill shop but neglected to mention that it cost £1,500.

Grace Dent.

Alexandra Shulman surprises me. Is that a particular fashion aesthetic to look like you are wearing a cardigan extracted from the dog basket and hair like you have just dragged a comb through it whilst at red lights in your car on the way to work?

TV is a completely legitimate subject for criticism.

I think A A Gill can be good at it, especially on the subject of lazy, clueless commissioners. I don't understand his mean pot shots at Mary Beard or Clare Balding, though. Nasty.

My favourite was The Sun's Ally Ross.

I don't particularly like Clive James but I'm not going to say the man doesn't understand TV, amongst lots of other subjects, and write well on them.

Same with Charlie Brooker. I find him samey now, and compromised because he made TV while commenting on it. I think he might have given up the commentary now. But there's no argument that many of his columns were inspired.