Richard Ingrams

Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine Private Eye, and founding editor of The Oldie magazine. He left the latter job at the end of May 2014.

Quotes

 * It is wonderful to be able to let off steam in the Eye. Wonderful, when someone annoys me, to say "let's have a go." I rely much on my instincts. When you bear in mind the material we have printed over the years, I have to rack my brains to think of stories I regret. We have tended to pick the right targets.
 * I am the first to admit we have dropped a few clangers — partly out of carelessness, partly out of an overzealous wish to run a story. The Eye's success has made us more cautious recently, particularly about business news. One has to be more careful about people in the City than when writing about, say, Margaret Thatcher, when one can be more knockabout.
 * "Mammon: Lord Gnome speaks out" The Observer (23 March 1986), p. 39
 * Ingrams had announced he was standing down as Private Eye editor in September 1986 to be succeeded by Ian Hislop.


 * I have developed a habit when confronted by letters to the editor in support of the Israeli government to look at the signature to see if the writer has a Jewish name. If so, I tend not to read it.
 * "Richard Ingrams' week: I'm still on the train", The Observer (13 July 2003), p. 28