Heard it through the grapevine: The rise and fall of the Fleet Street diarist

Once trusted confidant to princesses, pop stars and politicians, whatever happened to the newspaper diarist? David Lister, erstwhile diary writer of this esteemed organ, laments the passing of such a fine and noble tradition

David Lister, who once filled the role of Independent diarist, settles down to high tea at Cliveden in May 1999 (The Independent)

In 1986 the then editor of the Daily Express, Sir Nicholas Lloyd, killed off the William Hickey column. Though it was later resurrected (and then killed off again) this demise of the oldest and most famous of newspaper diaries was met with dismay among Express staff. Yet anyone walking down Fleet Street on that day would have seen a remarkable sight. There opposite the Express building was the celebrated Daily Mail diarist Nigel Dempster, in black coat and top hat, dancing on the “coffin of Hickey”.

The great diarists had great rivalries. Dempster, in one of his more lyrical moods, once included in his diary the death of his beloved pet chihuahua, Tulip. “The Dempster household is in mourning… Christmas will never be the same again,” he lamented. The next day the Hickey column in the Express had an item which read: “The diary is in mourning. Nigel my pet ferret has passed away after 25 years of faithful service. I shall miss his little nose sticking out of the bars of his bespoke cage. We shall not see his like again.”

Dempster was beside himself with rage. Those were the days.