Beard Bags Pin-Up Prize

Newnham fellow Mary Beard has been announced as The Oldie magazine’s Pin-Up Of The Year.

The award was presented to the classicist by Sir Terry Wogan, who said she had “triumphed against adversity and battled ungentlemanly comments.”

Beard had recently been subjected to a torrent of Twitter abuse and was even criticised by all-purpose moron (and Daily Mail writer), Samantha Brick, who said: “The greatest tragedy isn’t Ms Beard’s wild hair, ungainly posture or make-up free face: it’s the fact that the BBC didn’t offer her guidance on her appearance in the first place.”

The professor remained defiant in the face of the abuse. She told The Guardian: “It was so ghastly it didn’t feel personal, or personally critical. It was such generic, violent misogyny. In a way, I didn’t feel it was about me.”

But the 58 year-old fellow has certainly had the last laugh by scooping this prestigious award.

The Oldie’s James Pembroke said: “Mary is a striking lady. When she walks into a room she has got poise she has got charisma.”

He went on to say: “This award is really saying ‘leave people be’. She’s a gem, leave it at that.”