Welcome to The Fake Intellectual, a thoughtfully curated online journal of essays, reflections, and curiosities. Here you’ll find a quiet space for considered thoughts, shared interests, and meaningful distractions. Settle in and enjoy the slow pleasure of reading, published twice a year.

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when each issue is released and receive a bonus article curated just for subscribers.

We don't do social media, but if we did, we would follow our Editor Thomas W Coombs over on Instagram, expect wine, food and photography.

Issue 50; The Editorial, 1st December, 2025

What a milestone—fifty issues! The big 5-Oh. And 10 Years old. Honestly, how did we get here? What started as a couple of scrappy articles and some rough writing back in Issue 1, has grown into what you now know as The Fake Intellectual. From those humble beginnings, we’ve somehow ended up with hundreds of readers and a loyal following. It’s been a journey, and I couldn’t be more grateful. As always, if you’d like to help spread the word, we’d truly appreciate the support.
Now, you might think we’d throw a huge party for our fiftieth issue, champagne, celebrity contributors, the works. But in true Fake Intellectual fashion, we just carried on doing what we do best. We even had to send Leo back to Esquire—no need for glossy photoshoots here. Maybe when we hit Issue 100 we’ll throw that big shindig. Until then, here’s Issue 50, delivered to you just as we always have.
In this issue, Piers casts his eye across UK society, exploring the rise of right-wing voices “politics without the politics,” as he puts it. I share my new obsession with Padel (yes, the sport), wax lyrical about the joy of lunch, and reflect on the books I’ve been devouring over early mornings and toast. For our email subscribers, there’s also a short essay on film and television, Anything Good On?, which looks at the current state of entertainment. And if you’re not already signed up, there’s no better time, all new subscribers this December will get the extra content straight to their inbox with a re-issue of the email.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this milestone issue. And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, just drop us an email anytime mail@fakeintellectual.uk.
With gratitude,
Thomas W. Coombs
Editor-in-Chief