The news of the sad death of Jilly Cooper brings to mind the report in the Archive on the Sunday Times and other quality newspaper circulation trends in the sixties. This was illustrated by a hand-drawn chart, as this was before the invention of Powerpoint.
As can be seen, in the late 1960s the circulation of the Sunday Times was soaring ahead of other quality newspapers under the guidance of Harry Evans, its distinguished Editor. But he was under severe pressure from colleagues working alongside Jilly to get rid of this eccentric and talkative lady so they could concentrate on their more serious journalism.
Hoping to find evidence to justify letting her go, he asked to see the results of the research department’s weekly survey among readers. However this showed that both men and women in large numbers were finding their way to Jilly’s column in the Women’s Section, and it was one of the most widely read in the whole paper. Armed with this evidence, Harry could not justify sacking her, and this paved the way for her lifetime role of adding to the gaiety of the nation.
Contributed by Peter Bartram
Date posted: 8th October 2025
Photo: Erman Gunes / Shutterstock.com