11 SEPTEMBER 1993, Page 23

. . . the Times

`SOME DAY,' grumbled Northcliffe, 'there will come a limit to my capacity to stand Times annoyance.' The figures were dismal and, to compound his misery, the paper had printed Lord Desborough's obituary instead of Lord Bessborough's. The aggrieved survivor picked up the telephone and got through to the editor's secretary: see in the Times that I'm dead!' Excuse me, my lord, but where are you speaking from?'