Following the sad passing of legendary bonkbuster queen Jackie Collins yesterday, you will undoubtedly read millions of pieces by people claiming her books taught them about sex. It probably sounds over-sentimental, but there's more than a grain of truth in it. While it would be an overstatement to say jackie Collins taught me everything I know about sex – I consider myself still to be an enthusiastic apprentice – it certainly made me aware there was a whole load of disappointing sex out there waiting for me. People who haven't read Jackie Collins...

I don't mind selfie sticks. I think they get a bad rap. It's so drearily predictable people would moan about them, too, isn't it? I heard someone the other day say that selfie sticks were "end of civilisation as we know it". Not the refugee crisis, or war, or transphobia or Hollyoaks, but selfie sticks. Even Brooklyn Beckham – whose every word I hang on, believe me – has come out against them in his iconic guide to Instagram that had my eyes rolling so hard they played the tune to...

Apologies if you have clicked through or scrolled past the title expecting some top tips on achieving coolness. I have no idea. I have existed for all my 39 years on the periphery of something that can barely be called tepid, let alone the ice white coolness  we all seem to crave. It is a cruel truth we reveal to ourselves when we admit we are not, and will never be, cool. What we don’t understand is that coolness can only be awarded by other, less cool people. You can’t...

Another sporting star came out at the weekend. How good it feels to say that almost mundanely, like I’m reading out cricket scores or recounting a chicken-pox outbreak at the local nursery. The fact is, of course, that Rugby Union star Sam Stanley’s decision to come out in an interview with the Sunday Times is anything but mundane. Coming as it did just a fortnight after the coming out of another rugby player Keegan Hirst, you could be forgiven for thinking this was no big deal, but if anything, Sam’s...