Journalist, playwright and novelist Simon Blumenfeld has been formally presented with a Guinness World Record certificate for being the world’s oldest weekly newspaper columnist.
He received the honour at the offices of The Stage, where he still writes his column at the age of 96.
Blumenfeld joined the paper 50 years ago under his former nom de plume Sidney Vauncez before becoming light entertainment editor in the Sixties. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of his “Heydeys” column in the paper.
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Blumenfeld said: “I have never heard of a writer being mentioned in the Guinness awards, so this is an enormous honour.
“The gift of curiosity is extremely important in this business,” he added. “I have been all over and done everything in this business; it has been extremely exciting and interesting.”
Blumenfeld claimed he has had many offers to join other publications, but said he has always had enough to do at the newspaper.
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He insisted his work at The Stage won’t be finished “until they cart me off in a coffin”.
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