Maureen Lipman

Latest from Maureen Lipman

Read on for the best-laid plans of mice, men and Maureen

An actor named McCarthy withdrew from the reading because he could not countenance my political views. I couldn’t resist wondering whether this might be the “New McCarthyism”

4 min read

Joseph Welch (left) questioned by Senator Joe McCarthy (right) on June 9, 1954. (Image: Wikipedia)

I still feel like Paula Radcliffe at the wobbly end of a marathon

5 min read

First responders gather near a crater left by an Iranian missile on March 24, 2026 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Image: Getty)

Does the world have any idea of how tired the people of Israel are?

5 min read

The film Yentl was, in its way, a masterpiece of kitsch and charisma

4 min read

He sat there, staring into space, worrying about his brothers in arms

‘Sometimes,’ our soldier wryly remarked, ‘the solution comes to you before the problem.’ So, you might say Esther, the solution, was already there before the problem evolved

4 min read

March 12, 2026 13:58

Vintage colour lithograph from 1882 of Esther beseeching King Ahasuerus to revoke his decree against the Jews (Image: Getty)

I think my genes contain not one iota of athleticism

My own failure to compete was probably because my brother was so much better than me at everything, arguably, with the exception of my Eartha Kitt impersonation – or as he called it, my showing off – so I opted out

5 min read

March 5, 2026 13:41

Boxer Daniel Mendoza in an open air ring. (Image: Getty)

Our friends bear scars of more disc hits than Stevie Wonder

Some are anxious about forgetting words and some are visiting “Fall Clinics”. Some are faffing with hearing aids which require phone tapping

4 min read

February 26, 2026 16:06

I haven’t even mentioned the life-sized stuffed tiger and the furry sloth collection. Sigh…

The sobering task of clearing my home left me gazing into space worrying about the vanished whereabouts of those precious years.

5 min read

February 19, 2026 15:37

The man who personally saved the lives of 1,000 musicians

Bronislaw Huberman was an infant prodigy who, by the time he was 12, had played Brahms on his violin… er… to Brahms.

4 min read

February 12, 2026 11:11

Arturo Toscanini and Bronislaw Huberman after the 1936 inaugural concert of the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, later renamed Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Beresheet Hotel was a glorious setting for our delayed honeymoon

The Foreign Office had warned us not to come here unless our travel was essential. Well, it is. It‘s essential for the soul

4 min read

February 5, 2026 16:32

Beresheet Hotel overlooking the Ramon crater in the southern Israeli Negev desert (Image: Getty)

Oddly enough those watching on Zoom seemed to get the joke

I managed to make some mileage out of my failure to amuse and the rest of the speech frolicked apace

4 min read

January 29, 2026 10:51

Vintage engraving of barges in England, 19th century (Image: Getty)

Mayor Khan’t, as I call him, has been the worst antagonist by far

In the last 15 years, Transport for London with its bicycle-obsessed leader, has deliberately, with the strident aid of the last three London mayors, made life for cab drivers unbearable

4 min read

January 22, 2026 15:37

A black cab and a red London bus passes beneath Union flags in central London, on April 30, 2023 (Image: Getty)

Sometimes I wonder: would it be possible for Jews to go on strike?

Let’s put a moratorium on Bernstein and Sondheim and Hammerstein and Hart and Menhuin and Baremboim and Bette and Barbra.. take down those Chagalls, Modigliani’s and Soutine’s…need I go on?

4 min read

January 15, 2026 15:34

‘Eleanor’ wore its Jewishness lightly – a rarity in these times

The flawed script – it veers into improbability at a bat mitzvah – hardly matters: the acting is superb and Scarlett Johansson’s direction makes it linger

4 min read

January 9, 2026 11:45

(L-R) Chiwetel Ejiofor, June Squibb, Erin Kellyman and Scarlett Johansson of "Eleanor the Great" during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 07, 2025. (Image: Getty)

I need a man to find the dipstick but still find Citroën’s story fascinating

A trip to see Ballet Shoes and some musing about cars

4 min read

December 30, 2025 15:08

There I was, childishly delighted to drink my own face

In the Orient Hotel in Jerusalem I was presented with a cappuccino with my likeness on it. In froth. Don’t ask me how they did it or why I was singled out for special treatment

5 min read

December 18, 2025 10:24

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Maureen Lipman

Latest from Maureen Lipman

Read on for the best-laid plans of mice, men and Maureen

I still feel like Paula Radcliffe at the wobbly end of a marathon

Does the world have any idea of how tired the people of Israel are?

The film Yentl was, in its way, a masterpiece of kitsch and charisma

More from Maureen Lipman

He sat there, staring into space, worrying about his brothers in arms

I think my genes contain not one iota of athleticism

Our friends bear scars of more disc hits than Stevie Wonder

I haven’t even mentioned the life-sized stuffed tiger and the furry sloth collection. Sigh…

The man who personally saved the lives of 1,000 musicians

Beresheet Hotel was a glorious setting for our delayed honeymoon

Oddly enough those watching on Zoom seemed to get the joke

Mayor Khan’t, as I call him, has been the worst antagonist by far

Sometimes I wonder: would it be possible for Jews to go on strike?

‘Eleanor’ wore its Jewishness lightly – a rarity in these times

I need a man to find the dipstick but still find Citroën’s story fascinating

There I was, childishly delighted to drink my own face