To Chandos House, where Private Eye gave a lavish send-off last night to its long-serving frontwoman, Hilary Lowinger — secretary/factotum over several decades to Ian Hislop and Richard Ingrams. Hislop praised her to the skies, pointing out that at Private Eye not many people are regarded with affection: “Mother Teresa? No... Nelson Mandela? No, hate his shirts... Archbishop of Canterbury? No, terrible beard. But we all love our Hilary.”
Her posh telephone manner would deal impeccably with informants, whistleblowers and loonies; she would then replace the receiver and say “Arsehole”. One of her duties was organising all those lunches at the Coach & Horses, said Hislop. “What was it someone called her? ‘The face that lunched a thousand shits’.”
