The Times

If it’s one thing I love to do at the weekend, it’s to sit down and read a newspaper at my leisure. I find it so difficult during the week, what with working and stuff. Of course, the national newspaper market is a crowded one with both tabloids and broadsheets clambering for the public’s attention and money. Over the years I’ve tried various newspapers including The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and even The Sun (Lord help us) but my newspaper of choice is the stiff-collared Times. I will explain why but for anyone that’s not heard of the world famous publication: The Times has been published daily in the UK since 1785 adopting its present name way back in 1788! ...  Read the complete review

Well - what can you buy for thirty pence these days? A third of a lottery ticket. A packet of wine gums. Two potatoes and a carrot. Or... boost up your weekend experience by investing that hard earned six bob in the Saturday Times. Now I don't know about you, but during the week I wouldn't touch the Times with a stick. I'm strictly a Guardian/ Scotsman/ Express if there's nothing else kind of girl - mainly cos I love *features*. You know - lifestyle/ human interest articles with lots of pictures, graphs, quotes etc. As opposed to 'hard news' which I do read, but only in the way that you eat up all your mince at your ...  Read the complete review

The Times has recently changed its format - it is now tabloid size, but still very much broadsheet in quality. It calls itself a compact to distinguish itself from other tabloid papers such as the Daily Mail, and there is a clear distinction. Stories are reported in an in-depth, non-sensationalist and balanced way and The Times does not try to disguise opinion as news. It is this quality of journalism which has earned The Times the reputation of being Britain's "paper of record". Its rivals are the newly-compact Independent and the broadsheets Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. It is my paper of choice because of its compact size and balanced ...  Read the complete review

I must admit to never having read any single paper for many months in a row before, preferring to rotate around several of the better quality papers. But recently I’ve been taking The Times, and not just because it only costs 35p, but because I’ve found it quite entertaining and lively, yet also with enough food for thought to keep me interested. And its no longer a Tory house-newsletter. The Times has a reputation of being the establishment newspaper, very Tory and read by vicars and barristers. Above all boring and rather dull, full of law reports and business news. That was certainly my impression but I discovered when I began to read it that ...  Read the complete review

Like charliew, I have been buying The Times since I was a student (do they still do that half-price for students offer?). For a balanced, informed and entertaining news report, I think it is unrivalled among daily papers. The standard of writing is consistent, with few irritating errors in fact, grammar or even style. Opinion is generally kept well out of news reportage, and confined to columns where it is expected. Feature writers are excellent. Matthew Parris's political sketch, when it appears, is extremely witty. John Diamond continues to write on Saturdays with dry humour in the face of considerable personal adversity. There are many more.... ...  Read the complete review