menu_open Columnists
Matthew Donnelly

Matthew Donnelly

The Spectator

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

The madness of British sunbathing

‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.’ The phrase’s origin is somewhat disputed, but it was made famous by Noël Coward’s song of...

11.05.2026 10

The Spectator

Matthew donnelly

Camping’s great lie

Picture the scene: a field somewhere in the Midlands on a Tuesday evening. It has rained continuously for seven hours. You are in a tent that took 45...

02.05.2026 10

The Spectator

Matthew donnelly

The problem with Mandelson, Maxwell and Oxford University

Peter Mandelson — twice-resigned Cabinet minister, architect of New Labour and, until recently, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States —...

20.03.2026 30

The Spectator

Matthew donnelly