Sharp-tongued wit and wisdom...

AA Gill was known for his acerbic take on life, Here, compiled by HARRY MOUNT, the Mail presents some of his most memorable lines:

PUNISHING PUTDOWNS

‘I’m put off by how much gape-acting David Tennant [the Doctor Who actor] does. The mouth is permanently gurning. It’s like watching someone who is half Time Lord, half haddock.’ ‘Celine Dion is a symbol of cultural rot, a corny, calculated act for clueless, obese fans.’ ‘Prince Charles’s vocal cords are plainly trying to strangle him. He may well become the first monarch to lose his head from the inside out.’ ‘Morrissey [the singer] is plainly the most ornery, cantankerous, entitled, whingeing, self-martyred human being who ever drew breath. And those are just his good qualities.’ On Mary Beard: ‘The hair is a disaster, the outfit an embarrassment. If you are going to invite yourself into the front rooms of the living, then you need to make an effort.’

ON FOOD

‘Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life.’ ‘Proof that God has an odd sense of humour – after inventing haute cuisine, he gave it to the French.’ ‘This lobster bisque… was as silky as a gigolo’s compliment and fishy as a Chancellor’s promise.’ ‘Spinach is the Kate Moss of vegetables. Goes with everything, boils down to nothing.’ ‘Dinner parties are the work of the devil.’ ‘Food and pubs go together like frogs and lawnmowers.’

ON THE ISLE OF MAN

‘Everyone you actually see is Benny from Crossroads or Benny in drag… The weather’s foul, the food’s medieval, it’s covered in suicidal motorists and folk who believe in fairies.’

ON THE NORTH

‘Manchester is a city that drinks first and eats after, with its mouth open.’ ‘Cheshire is easy to mock – but then that’s hardly a reason not to.’

ON WALES

‘You can easily travel from Cardiff to Anglesey without ever stimulating a taste bud.’

ON PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY

‘Ours is a sh **** system, but it’s better than all the other sh **** systems.’

ON THE BBC

‘I have a huge fondness for the BBC, though like a lot of English things you wouldn’t invent it now.’

ON PRS

‘They are the headlice of civilisation.’