Hallelujah! Access Interviews Has Dot Come.

Well, it was conceived about two years ago following an immaculate conception in my utterly brilliant mind and finally I am proud to announce the arrival of my new baby - a website!

All you wise men (and women) out there who have been frantically trying to follow a bright star on the internet to discover my site's location and form can now find it on the link below.

Please leave your precious gifts in the form of traffic and do pass on the good word of its address to all your friends and work associates.

The site is dedicated to interviews and interviewers and you can find it here: Access Interviews.


Happy Christmas to One and All!


RM

Breast Cancer Haven

Well, it's the season to be cheerful and helpful and all that, hence I found myself doing my bit for charity last night.

Strange things, comfort zones, aren't they? Put me in front of a major celebrity or politician and I will happily ask them the most awkward or personal questions within minutes of meeting them. It's what I do. But, I admit, I was inwardly anxious when it came to being a helper for the Breast Cancer Haven annual Christmas Carol Service at St Paul's in Knightsbridge. Handing people order of services, donation forms and ushering them to their seats is not really my game. Or, indeed is going round with the collection basket and handing out mince pies. But I soon got into the swing of it.

Chris Tarrant, Art Malik and Penny Lancaster (Mrs Stewart) all did their bit and read sweetly. Rod graciously kept a low profile on the front pew. About 500 others sang well and dug deep into their pockets. It was a wonderful night for a truly special organisation. It is based in Fulham and runs a highly professional, multi-layered support centre for women with breast cancer. It really is a haven for women in troubled times. Maybe it is a charity you could keep in mind when you next (come on now!) do a fund raiser and are in search of a lower-profile worthwhile cause to give a bung.

If you're really lucky you might get to hear my waitering wit at next year's event. Just you try and say No to yet another Christmas pastry when I greet you with my Rasta-styley one liner: "Your eyes are tellin' me lies. I know you want one of my mince pies!".

EXCLUSIVE - Coming Soon . . .

I am glad to announce to my loyal readers that this Blog will soon exclusively bring you an enthralling new feature...

"THE DIARY OF A WOULD-BE INTERNET ENTREPRENEUR"

[adopt gravel-edged movie trailer voice over]

Based on true events. The inspiring story of one man's struggle to create a stunning new website that will capture the imagination of the world. A tale of hardship, disappointments, grit and determination to find the courage to make his dream a reality and find, against the odds, the mythical prize of ... Web Wonga.

Coming to a computer screen near you soon. With a special world exclusive link to the new site.

Don't miss it.

Only at "Along the way..."


[THIS IDEA HAS SINCE BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE LEVEL OF WORK FINISHING THE WEBSITE]

Champneys Tring

Please allow me to indulge in a tiny piece of belated product placement.

Many months ago I enjoyed a one night stay at Champneys Tring. If I was a politician, I guess I would have to make various declarations, or - more likely - not make any declarations, only to have The Guardian tell me later that the bill was settled by someone else.

Anyway, if you are thinking you are in need of a detox to prepare for all those Christmas parties, or indeed you are planning a New You for the New Year, then you could do worse than book a mini health farm break at one of the Champneys resorts. The facilities at the one in Tring are superb. A sumptuous spa, immaculate grounds, great massages and numerous other treatments, excellent food and the giant bed in a Premier room gave me the best sleep in months. It was wonderful to see Frank Bruno happily clocking up the miles on the treadmill in the gym, although it was something of a shock to have Cherie Blair plonk herself down near me in the chill out zone in her white toweling robe.

Champneys is on its game and I'm told that the company will soon launch a number of city "Day Spas" across the country.

There you go, just a tip to lift any winter health blues.

A Right Boorish Charley

You can tell a lot about the true nature of a "famous" person when you observe them in the wild, as it were.

I am well versed in the charade of meeting celebrities for interviews, which is a time when, understandably, they are on their best behaviour. You have to take it all with a heap of salt thrown over my shoulder.

So, I was more than a little interested when Charley Boorman (he of the 'Long Way Up Ewan MacGregor's Biker Leathers' and my recent bilious review. See blog Page 956) pulled up alongside me and thudded his crash helmet on the counter at Pret in Fulham yesterday.

As he was at the till, his mobile went off. No crime. But he then proceeded to have a conversation, while lobbing the wrong money at the poor server. There was no attempt at an apology, or an embarrassed plea for understanding. No, Charley kept chatting while fumbling for the right cash, then took off still chatting with not so much a glance in his mirror to say thanks to the girl, or apologise to the people who had been behind him.

I then watched him tear off at speed on his (free) BMW superbike, with his Pret bag swinging from the throttle grip. Unfortunately, he swerved just in time as he exited onto a busy road into the path of a car. Shame, that.

Donald McTrumped

I have just read some great news: Donald Trump's plans to build a golf resort along a stretch of stunning Aberdeenshire coast have been thrown out.

I was up that way for a famous "pheasant-less shoot" last month and walked along the very beach he planned to build beside. It is one of the most beautiful stretches of beach (it has an unusual pink grain to it) and collection of sand dunes I have ever seen in the UK. From what I heard from locals, Trump's plans were gaudy, over-sized and driven purely by money without a passing thought for the damage his resort might do to the beauty of the untouched surroundings.

For once, a council has stood up to the developers and money did not win. Certain London councils - Kensington & Chelsea and the Lots Road development, for one - should take note.

The local Aberdeen farmer who stood to cash in and has been loudly bragging in recent months - "Mr Trump ese nice n deep-lay linin' mey puckets" - should hang his head in shame now that the deal has been tossed in the bin.

Every Little Bit (of Publicity) Helps

ASDA should be giving their in-house PR a nice bonus some time soon.

The chain got some great coverage in the newspapers today for selling Dom Perignon champagne at £30 a bottle.

I have never been to an ASDA store, but when I read that, well, I was nearly in the car within a minute. But I know an offer that is too good to be true when I see one, so I called my nearest ASDA first and had an hilarious chat with a guy in the wines and spirits department.

"There are no bottles left."

"Really? But you have just announced this amazing promotion. Surely they can't all have sold already. How many did you get?"

"Six bottles. We are expecting six more at some point, but no one knows when."

SIX bottles for a giant store. Hysterical.

Give a case of the stuff to the PR who came up with this wheeze.

Virgin On The Ridiculous 2

An up-date on my problems with Virgin Media.

I finally got through to Customer Services to register my complaints this morning. A pleasant chap typed away as I dictated. He then informed me that there was really no point in me doing this as no-one would read this complaint. Eh? "There's no need to read it. At least we have a record of the complaint."

What utter nonsense. And this is a company that states on its pre-recorded phone loop that it is the most popular portal in the UK. W

Er, why?

My Virgin friend then declared that to have a complaint actioned I would have to write to head office. Which I am now doing.

Expect a new email address for me shortly.

A very modern dilemma: Why do we use up so much energy trying to use things that save us energy?

Virgin On The Ridiculous

Right, that's it, I have had enough. I am having to resort to a Blog to get some feedback from Virgin Media.

I know Sir Richard Branson is busy buying Northern Rock, but I really think he needs to attend to this speck of his empire before making his next billion with that building society.

I have been with Virgin.net for years. There was no obvious reason for choosing them, except that I probably bought into the dependability and geniality of the Virgin brand way back when I started email and all this tech stuff that dominates our lives.

I've never changed provider. I suppose it's a but like not changing your bank account - you feel safer sticking with what you know and you can't really be bothered to change

Well, "what I know" is no longer good enough. My email has not been sending properly for weeks. It can sometimes take a dozen tries before a message finally disappears.

Plus, my broadband connection - sold to me as "up to 8meg" is nothing of the sort. Beware of the "up to" words. It is a blag. On a good day, I currently get around 2meg. Whoopee.

But why the Blog? Well, I have been watching my life disappear on emails, lists of tech instructions, and phone calls (25p per min) to Virgin Support. It is a nightmare and I am fed up. What is happening to this company?

In exasperation, I have tried to call Customer Service to complain and get some action. Can I get through? Can I hell. Clearly, the lines are jammed with other people like me tearing their hair out at the poor service they are getting.

Well, I think I have the answer. I have Sir Richard's personal mobile number, so I am going to call him right now and get him on the case.

And if I can't get through, then I will post his number here. I'm sure someone out there will get through to him some time and sort this mess out.

Dear Bill Deedes, RIP

Sadly, I didn't know 'Dear' Bill Deedes. I never even met him. I wish I had. The reaction to his death and respectful warmth to his phenomenal spirit and joyful character has been incredible to witness. Oddly, considering I did not know the man, I have found it all quite moving. Clearly, he was a truly fine chap. What a life. What a personal legacy. Oh, to experience, achieve and leave half as much.

Equally, I do not know Charles Moore, so there is no sucking up agenda here when I say that his fine address at the memorial service is worth a listen on the Telegraph's media player.

Just that.

Adieu

Parking Crime Watch

Please be careful of the steam coming from my head...

It's late, it's dark, half the residents' parking is closed off. You've had a long day. You make a mistake and park in the wrong bay. It turns out that there is a Disabled Only sign up somewhere high, out of immediate sight.

While you sleep, the Morlocks go to work. They give the car a ticket. Then a clamp. Then they tow the bloody thing.

The next day you get a shock, a pang of worry - Has it been nicked by the benefit funded vermin you help keep warm? - then the bitter bile of realisation begins to rise. You have had the idiocy to let your guard down in this unforgiving city.

Then you get the happy snaps of the Morlocks' fine work - and the £260 bill. TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY BLOODY POUNDS.

Where is that loot going? Who gets what from that swag bag of 21st century highway robbery?

The thing is, this didn't even happen to me, just to someone dear to me, but I am still steaming mad with the absurdity, the blatant theft of this system.

The upside is, I have come up with an idea to beat the clampers and tow merchants of this world. I will invite you all in very soon and we can win...

Until then: Don't you dare relax. Keep 'em peeled. Parking Warden crime affects every driver sometime. Don't sleep tight.


London. I love it.

Some Winter Travelling Tips

As I am sure you are beginning to make last minute arrangements for your winter or New Year holidays, can I just stop by with a couple of recommendations following a glorious trip earlier this year.

The Madikwe Lodge safari lodge in South Africa is sensational. Luxurious and beautiful private rooms are carved into the granite of the local rock formations, with heated floors and a private plunge pool. You even get a private outdoor bath and shower overlooking the bush. Well, totally private except for the elephants and lions looking on - in awe - as they drink at a nearby watering hole. The Madikwe staff are fantastic, as is the food. The game drives are terrific and we easily saw many multiples of four of the Big Five (the leopards eluded us) - thanks to our cheerful, eagle-eyed tracker Johannes. What a star - although one lion got a little too close and looked me square (meal?) in the eye. Most memorable sight, apart form the animals, has to be the Mars-red, iron rich earth. I even brought some home to create my own paint. (Exhibition to be announced soon).

Mauritius is only a four hour flight from Johannesburg and is an ideal place for a beach side crash out after an exhausting safari. I would strongly recommend the Hilton. I always expect the worst when I hear that name - an air-con, high rise, business hotel - but this one is part of the five star 'Hilton Worldwide' range. It is stunning and lacks the stuffiness of some of the other five star resorts. I finally cracked mono water skiing, thanks to Tom from the newly installed Mark Warner water sports centre, and I had the best acupressure massages in my life at the dedicated health spa.

Both these trips can be booked via the Virgin Holidays website or by calling: 0871 222 0307.

One last tip (plug): Virgin Upper Class to South Africa is superb. But make sure you give yourself a good two hours in the Clubhouse at Heathrow - just so you are, ahem, nicely relaxed for that strenuous flight.

Long Way Down The Pan

Always a shame, it is, when you get that sad, sickly feeling in your gut that comes with witnessing someone you sort of admire and like at a distance of a million miles, making a total arse of themselves. Step forward, in leather, Ewan McGregor.

I tuned into BBC2's The Long Way Down when I finally despaired of Michael Palin's creaking journey through wherever it is he was tasting odd food or doing odd things with odd people. I glimpsed McGregor's first motorbike world journey with Charley Boorman and stayed well away. I knew what it was in one twist of the gas: two lads blagging a monster freebie holiday on the back of one lad's big dollop of fame. Sunday night laziness and boredom brought me to this new show.

Funnily enough, I was at the London Book Fair in 2004 when McGregor announced the first venture. How many people could get a big book deal and TV tie-in for such a self-serving, vacuous venture? The publishing girls were going nuts as McGregor ambled through the trade fair. Hilarious. Now, the guy is a brilliant actor, no doubt, but, really, girls, would he be such an out-and-out hunk if you took away the fame?

Well, take away the fame from the Long Way Down and you really would have an average looking TV show with little sex appeal and no chance of getting on the air. I've always thought McGregor to be a cool, un-showy Hollywood star, something of a one-off. But in this he is more like one-off the wrist and comes across as supremely spoilt and self-centred. Quote of the night came as he sat on his new BMW freebie superbike: "Just think, from tomorrow, it is only me (Me, Me, Me) and my bike for three months". Well, yes: You and a film crew and a back-up team including a medic, drivers, fixers, tent erectors, arse wipers, and of course your big buddy Charley. Which bring me to Boorman. I worry for the man. He looks ill, unhappy and particularly strung out as he clings for all his worth to his star friend's famous leather coat-tails. The fact that Ewan's wife has invited herself along on the trip - and he has said he "can't wait" - promises some dark comedy.

The Long Way Down is almost worth tuning in to for its cringe factor. It is bike crash television.

Daylight Robbery

I've just witnessed a great British crime statistic - a double car smash 'n' grab. Not exactly front line reporting, I know, but it's kind of a micro shock to hear the smash of glass and the sound of alarms outside your office window at 2.50pm on a wet Chelsea afternoon.

Broad daylight, an open air office car park, just off the Kings Road, and in pedal two fearless white oiks. In unison, they smash the passenger window of a silver land cruiser and the rear window of a BMW estate at opposite ends of the car park. Very slick sychronisation. Clearly old hands at this kind of public daylight robbery.

Smash. Alarms. Various faces at windows and off our wonderful youth cycle off with a couple of bags at no great nervous speed. I caught the back of them, but didn't even have time to open the window and shout "Sod Off, scum." Would have been very heroic.

They went home to, no doubt, their fully supplemented abode, via the Kings Road. If anyone has been around these parts lately, they will know it has more cameras watching over it than a branch of Currys, so, catching these criminals will be a breeze. Yeah, right.

Now, if these scum had been driving their own cars, as opposed to robbing those owned by law abiding citizens, then I have no doubt that they would have felt the full weight of the law for the slightest infringement - such is the pathetic state of the police priorities in this country. And ....

... before I dismount this high horse, can I just say that I am still seething about the lack of sentence not handed out to that deranged piece of violent scum in Croydon. That bastard punched a gentle 96-year-old chap in the face. He blinded him and ruined what remains of his dignified, kind life. The punishment? Nothing. Just three years supervision. NOTHING! WHY?

It beggar's belief and quite makes one want to find a criminal and punch one oneself. Very, very hard.

And the winners were ... les touts

And, so, I thought I would be the only Englishmen heading back on the Eurostar last Saturday, just as our fine rugby players took to the battle field. Not so.

Oh no. Who should I find myself amongst but none other than an all-conquering contingent of Britain's finest, most cynical, avaricious bastards. No, not the England football team. Ticket touts.

Yep, a pack of them took over the restaurant car to knock back the 1664s while 'aving a count up after their triumphant excursion. And, bloody 'eck, what wads they had. To a man, they had chunks of notes in varying currencies the size of bricks. There must have been forty-fifty grand's wurf between them. A right nice earner. They were the only true English winners of the day.

Now, I am all up for the reward of genuine entrepreneurial endeavour, so good luck to the touts for having the energy and balls to do a dirty job. I also know touts are impossible to control, and they have their uses to their customers, but tell me this: if the government , or the police cannot stop these geezers doing the business, then why the hell can't they are least make sure they pay 'effing tax on their grotesque profits.

With 4.5 million CCTV cameras watching our every move (with only a fraction doing a single thing to solve crime), then why can't the police pick out the touts at various venues (what could be easier detective work than finding a tout at work?), then get their names, check their bank balances and tax records.

I only ask this because I happened to eaves drop with utter dismay when three of the bloated scrum on that Eurostar lamented about the busy week ahead of them - then whinge about what an "agg'" it was that they had to sign on some time. Oh, what an awful inconvenience for them to have to turn up to scribble their name for some free money.

Touts: lying, dodgy scum, the lot of them. It quite makes one want to get off the train early. At high speed.

SACRE BLOODY BLEU!

What's the definition of Good Luck, Bad Luck?

GOOD LUCK: Booking a business trip to Paris two months ago, only to discover you have prized Eurostar tickets taking you to the French capital on the day England play in the World Rugby Final.

BAD LUCK: Discovering your non-transferable return ticket has you booked on the Eurostar departing at 7.20pm - forty Froggin' minutes before the bloody kick off.

MERDE!

The Brown Stuff

It takes quite a bit to get me interested in politics, but I can't tell you how much I'm loving all this Gordon Brown fucking-it-up stuff.

I've always looked upon politics as a sinister, lethal microcosm of the showbiz world. With politicians you have vainglorious, narcissistic liars playing with people's lives and the wealth of nations, as opposed to celebrities simply greasing their careers, banks balances and general emptiness.

I'm always getting asked what a certain celebrity is really like after I have interviewed them. Naturally, many are insecure, self-obsessed egomaniacs with incurable delusional syndrome, but in general they are decent enough folk. It's the people around them you've got to watch.

The agents and managers are the worst. These are the ones in the middle, milking it, scheming, shafting everyone, playing a double game, sucking up to their "talents" while all they care about is their 20%.

This is why I'm loving the Brown comeuppance that he is receiving square on the nose from the media and the country. Brown richly deserves this, for all his Machiavellian, super snide tendencies that have finally been exposed. If he has any metal, this should make him a more honest man and a better leader. I won't hold my breath.

But it is the people behind him that I can't help thinking about, indeed chuckling at. Imagine the bollockings from Brown - "But YOU told me to do this, you little git?". Think of all the sycophants who have been telling their Emperor how wonderfully dressed he is since his faux coronation, how must they be feeling now? Deeply rattled, for sure, and maybe - but very unlikely - just a little bit ashamed.

They have all been caught out - big time. It's a bit like suddenly being back at school and seeing a coterie of teacher's oily pets finally getting caught cheating in tests and getting royally bollocked in front of assembly. Wonderful. If only it wasn't all so serious when it comes to politics.

Baltic Restaurant SE1

A simple, quick tip on a fabulous restaurant I visited last Friday: Baltic. It's been there for about six years and already has a huge following and great reviews, but has only just beeped onto my radar. Always up to speed, me. (Apparently, AA Gill slagged it originally, but has been seen back there many times).

The theme of the restaurant is Eastern European and has the most amazing, mouthwatering original menu. If I only I could remember the names of the dishes to make your mouth water. The trouble is, the tradition at Baltic is to serve a variety of head-banging home-made vodkas throughout your meal. Slam dunk those on top of some superb Meursault, Margaux and a Brunello to boot, then you know you will have to relive the experience just to anchor it properly in your memory.

That said, the Scottish Rock Oysters (er, is Scotland near the Baltic?) were silver slick, the Siberian dumplings with veal and pork were sweet and moreish and the bleeding lamb was so tender I started stamping the ground like thumper. For the life of me I cannot remember what I had for dessert. I blame the pre-pudding strawberry vodka.

B-Baltic is a b-brilliant, b-buzzing restaurant. Go there for a b-big b-blow out. It is so good it is almost memorable.


Note: I have just noticed that Baltic has made into the Evening Standard's restaurant critic Fay Maschler's top 25 London restaurants in today's (3rd Oct) paper.

"Hospital Finds Cure For Dull Awards Ceremonies"

And, so, to Covent Garden and The Hospital for The 2nd Hospital Club Awards. After embracing such fine hospitality, it seems only fair to do a bit of product placement for what is an outstanding private members club. (1st grovel).

It began with a Veuve Clicquot reception, then we retired to the basement TV studio for a simple, yet fine dinner (dressed crab, shepherd's pie and peas, summer pudding, Montagny 1er Cru, Grand Cru St Emilion. Merci). The guests were a select, high-end media crowd, plus some celebs - Thandie Newton, Sadie Frost etc. I was next to Jimmy Nesbitt on PR supremo Alan Edwards' table (am I sounding enough like Michael Winner yet? apologies).

I've gotta say Nesbitt was great, which was quite a revelation considering how much I have privately loathed him thanks to those bloody Yellow Pages ads. Tracey Emin joined us later and did what she always does best - snarled at everything. A memorable moment from the night was probably meeting Liz Murdoch's impressive cleavage. Well, not her bust as such, but the stunning, naked tear drop diamond swinging heavily above it. Clearly a fake. It has to be said that this 'thrill' was almost trumped by suddenly becoming unwilling witness to a contretemps between one well-known media executive and a star scribe. The said writer collared the said exec' - in clearly a rare meeting - and complained bitterly (but playfully) about not getting any lurve from the office. No phone calls, no emails, no lunches. Bleet, bleet. Nothing to say how wonderful the said writer's work is (except, of course, a big fat cheque for not a lot, thank you). Ahh, and to think that even the much-loved, stellar names yearn for big ego fluffs from the big boss - yet still get blanked.

The awards, which celebrate talent across the creative industries, followed dinner and were also something of a revelation. No stage, no gushing trailers, no lectern, just Mariella Frostrup trotting around the room with a mic, chuckling and ad-libbing neatly to hurry things along so she could get back to relieve the babysitter. She introduced a judge, the judge presented the award at the winner's table. Brief, modest speeches followed, although most winners declined to talk. Applause. Fros-trot. Next. Repeat as before. All done in half an hour. Bosh. Get on with chatting and drinking. Cool.

So, The Hospital has discovered the antidote to long-winded, dull awards ceremonies. Bravo.

Mariella and her mic for the BAFTAS and Oscars, please.

Imagine: No Alan Yentob

To the tune of John Lennon's 'Imagine'.
A mournful John at the piano and an empty chair beside him.
ACTION!


Imagine no Alan Yentob
It's easy if you lie
No big time presenter needed
Just pre-shot hmms and a sigh
Imagine all those expenses
Living for freeee... (aside)... oh lucky me!

Imagine jetting to any country
It isn't hard for Al and his Pals
No need to Meet or Question
And no Researching too
Imagine all those people
Taking the total piss...

You may say I'm a schemer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join TV
And the world will blag as one

Imagine no commissions
I wonder if Blue Peter can
No need for Socks or Cookies
A Network without phone-in shams
Imagine no more telly people
Deceiving all the world…

You may say I'm a schemer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will do Noddies at no-one



(With respect to JL).

Fat Knacker Night

Monday night veg-out saw me tuck into a double portion of gut-churning culinary TV turkey, 'Nigella Express' and 'Hell's Kitchen'.

I had just rustled up a vegetarian shepherd's pie, then failed to answer the closing questions on University Challenge, when up popped Nigella. At times, I wonder what onyx stone I have been living under because the entire Nigella Goddess phenomena-thingy pretty much passed me by, but suddenly here she was, in super nauseating close up, super glammed-up, and oh-so-super, super-sized in her super home.

Really, this programme had me spluttering on my lentils from start to finish. It was an unexpected, unintentional comedy gem. I found myself waiting for Nigella to suddenly double up over her spare tyre with laughter as the camera pulled back to reveal Richard Curtis, script in hand, directing a Comic Relief special. It is beyond parody.

Nigella, oh-so-busy, oh-so-stressed, hopping into a black taxi to the Waitrose in Belgravia, then back in a taxi to her hellish Eton Square home, then cooking frantically in her Mayfair restaurant-spec kitchen for her family and chums. I'm sure the stress of the taxi trips resonated with all those who struggle on the bus to the local Lidl with ten quid to feed five.

But it was Nigella's menu that had me tickling the belly lard with mirth. Pork chops fried in oil with a double cream mustard sauce and gnocchi, or deep fried calamari with garlic mayonnaise. The gut-busting coupe de grace was Nigella coming home to twinkling Christmas lights after a liver full of champers, to curl up in bed with a couple of stale croissants baked in cream and egg. And, then, she came back for more with EXTRA cream before settling down for a late night heart attack. Hilarious. Rename this show 'Nigella's Express Taxi Route To Becoming A Fat Knacker'.

Another fat knacker turned up in ITV's Hell's Kitchen - Mark Peter White from Leeds, aka Marco Pierre White. Marco kept going on about the fact that he hadn't been in a kitchen for seven and a half years. By the size of him, he couldn't have been far from one. If anything, he looks like he's spent the best part of his resting years on a park bench, or in a box on the Embankment. Marco sounds addled and looks so poorly he can only be a packet of fags or a Nigella pudding away from a defibrillator.

I presume the intention behind such a "Legend" doing this crass - and, it has to be confessed, pathetically addictive show - is to re-heat the souffle of his former glory. Well, by the sight of this opener, it ain't gonna rise an inch. Would your taste buds get wet at the thought of Marco sweating and wheezing over your grub, his infested hair swooshing around while he man-handles it all with his grubby savaloy fingers? (I never realised just how much grease-ball chefs handle the food until these shows. Urgh).

Oddly enough, Marco didn't come across as the beast that everyone at ITV expects, indeed insists. If anything, he seemed nervous and genuinely encouraging and avuncular to his hapless "celebrities", rather than truly nasty like Ramsay. Maybe this genuine nicer side of him will gradually come across more and save his bacon.

But there is only one way to beef up Hell's Kitchen and make it a dish worth serving: bring in Nigella.

Note: Since writing this blog, it has been revealed that Nigella's home shots are a big fat porky pie and actually filmed in a studio in South London.

For the Love of God, Your're Taking the Mick

Hail be to Damien Hirst, Lord of the Blag-n-Swag, the leading Taking The Piss-Artist of the 21st century, he has sold his diamond encrusted skull to a group of Bandwagon Believers for $100million. Bravo, and what a snip for them, I say. And to think, they don’t even own all of it – Damien still owns a slice. Incroyable! Really, I do doff my diamante Von Dutch trucker’s cap to him.

Well, in a scoop of journalistic enterprise to rival Damien’s 29-carat chutzpah, I have managed to snag the interview all those vile media people wanted – a chat with the real owner of the skull. Yes, after a flurry of calls to contacts in the Afterlife, I managed to track him down to a silver lined cloud, playing his platinum harp, for a full and frank talk. A genuine out-of-this world exclusive.

Naturally, as the progenitor of this interview idea, I really should not have to be arsed with actually doing the bloody thing myself. Like Hirst, I am generally minded to get serfs to do the tiresome nitty-gritty of creativity for me, to save my energies for photo calls, preview nights and, of course, money counting. Unfortunately, all my writing slaves are currently hard at work in my Word Factory in Wapping compiling articles, film scripts, plays and novels for me to bask in the glory of their creation at a later date. Hence, it fell to me to conduct this work. Yawn-bloody-yawn, work, what a mug’s game. If there was already such an interview in existence I would have just copied it, but alas No.

I discovered that the real owner of the skull was a young man called Mikel Sumjuans-Rippunmeov, who heralded from the darkened nether regions of Central Europe in the early 18th century. He was something of a star in his day, rising from humble roots in Bristolianav to become a celebrated alchemist. However, it all went a bit pink pear-shaped when the tricks of his trade were revealed and people realised that he was not making gold after-all, but instead a yellowy worthless lead. Ultimately, he died a premature and violent death, but more of that later.

I meet Mikel – who prefers to be called Mick - at a secret location. Tired and little bit grouchy at the skulduggery of recent events, he opened is heart to me.

RM: Well, Mick, welcome back to Earth with a bump. How are things for you at the moment? I see you are not wearing a head today – is that a fashion statement on the Other Side?

MS-R: Yeah, being headless is a bit in vogue ‘round my neck of the woods, but I’m not a big follower of fads – it’s all bollocks. I’m not wearing my head simply because some chuffing sheister nicked it centuries ago and I never found a decent replacement.

RM: Hmm, ouch, I see. What happened to it?

MS-R: I don’t really want go in to it because it all feels like another lifetime to me. I’ve moved on since then. But, basically, a group of gravediggers called the Shite Cubists dug me up and took my head. They were a big bunch of crooks at the time and got up to all kinds of shit.


RM: But surely that was illegal? Why weren’t they caught and hung, drawn in pencil and dunked into gooey liquid and put on show at the Sarky and Malarkey gallery for violent offenders?

MS-R: Well, they managed to blag everyone that they were recycling body bits in the name of Art. I mean, how anyone fell for it, I don’t know. But people were pretty stupid back then. Not much has changed, that's for sure.


RM: How do you feel about your skull now being made of platinum and encrusted with diamonds and sold for a moderate Earth fortune?

MS-R: Not good, I can tell you. No.1 - I could do without the flaming publicity. I was chilled out on Cloud 9 before all this. And No.2, I’ve had it up to here (Mick raises a rotten hand to his collar) with being exploited. I mean, these people are messing with my head - literally. And who is this bloke Damien Turdst, what right has he got to bleed my image rights dry? How the hell would he feel if I came down to his castle in Devon with a big rusty sickle and said, “Alright, mate, I’m here for your head because I’ve got this exhibition coming up in Heavenox Square in St James's and my manager Dank Dumpy needs something a bit fresh. Swoosh. See you later.” Not happy, I bet.

RM: I see that the celebrated art historian Rudi Fuchsup has called Hirst’s skull “celestial” and a “victory over decay”. You’re clearly someone who knows about decay, do you agree?

M-SR: Fuchsup is talking out of his big fat decay tube. I tell ya, man, these art people make me want to kill myself. The bullshit they come out with. And people believe ‘em!

RM: Now that the skull has been bought, do you have any message for the buyers and indeed Mr Hirst.


M-SR: Oh, yeah. For the love of God give me my fucking head back, you little shits.


Part Two of this interview “The years before I lost my head” continues soon…

Fair Plays To Yee

As much as it pains me not to be moaning in a Monday morning Post, one must give credit where credit is due: the wretched Ryanair seems to be on top of its game and provided a faultless service from Stansted to Oslo at the weekend. Easy check ins, on time departures, early arrivals both ways. All for sixty-something quid per head. What more could a penny-pinching passenger wish for? They now even have a fully functioning "Priority Seating" plan which kept the Artist and I out of the demeaning seat scrum for a few extra pounds.

A couple of minor questions: why would owner Michael O'Leary spend $10 billion on a stack of new planes - and boast about all this in the rubbish in-flight magazine - when he totally messed them up on delivery. Tell me now, who in their right mind would splash out that kind of dosh and then say: "D'yee know what dees planes need to loiven dem up is some broight yellow head-rests and panels. Dat'll froighten de loife out of dem fecking passengers."

Seriously, who the hell thinks screaming canary yellow fittings are a good way to decorate a plane. Pass dat derre sick bag.

And is it really necessary to fleece your customers so gratuitously for the in-flight refreshment service? A sky-high £2.80 for a micro tin of Bavaria piss lager? Only an idiot would pay so much.

That'll be me then.

Lighter Than Ryan Air

Wish me luck, I'm heading off on a Ryanair flight today. This is despite vowing two years ago, after a miserable journey from Pisa, never to travel with them again.

Back then, I said I would happily pay whatever extra it costs to avoid being buffeted along by the elbows and shoulders of sweating, wheezing fellow travellers, as we were herded to a shock yellow seat for the joy of flying to the appalling shrill of in-flight advertising over the Tannoy. What a way to treat your customers.

But what did it for me with Ryanair was the baggage weight charade at check-in at Pisa. My relatively minimal holiday baggage had beefed up a touch, thanks to a paltry, single case of fine Tuscan red I had sourced from a small vineyard outside Montepuliciano. To take it home, I would have to pay excess baggage which negated any previous saving. The Artist and I shuffled off and re-arranged the bags to sneakily spread the load into our hand luggage. It felt cheap and pathetic, yet while we did this, we watched several people check in without a hitch after us despite clearly having eaten their life's quota of pizza and pasta while on holiday.

Tell me, where is the fairness in penalising passengers who might be, hmmm, on the slimmer side for carrying a few extra pounds in a bag, when Mr and Mrs Golightly are packing an added, say, ten stones between them around their midriffs and derrieres?

Well, I'm heading off on Ryanair for this weekend break because no other airline goes to this destination at anything near a reasonable rate. To avoid putting bags in the hold and to keep within the hand luggage weight, I have studied the baggage dimensions and restrictions on the Ryanair website like a swot in A-level week. God help me. Consequently, I am travelling lighter than ever in my life. Robair - no frills indeed.

Fifty Quid's Worth of Bile

On such a glorious morning, after such a privileged chance to jog by the river to awaken my world, I really should apologise for stopping by to let my bile dribble across your screens. But I must return to the chuffing C-c-CON-gestion Charge (Blog 1476a/delta.doc).

I got a nasty, neat note from the bastards running the big bad Transport For London computer yesterday demanding fifty quid. It was a shock and it took some remembering, but then I realised that Yes I should indeed be fined - for having the imbecilic indecency to be human for a moment last week and behave spontaneously.

I fleetingly re-routed a weekend escape trip out of London to buy presents for some children. A modest little something that took me to a toy shop on the Kings Road before I headed out of the Smoke. My mind temporarily slipped from the disgusting Big Brother programme that has been forcefully up-loaded into the brains of all K&C residents since the introduction of the Extension Zone last February: think, plan, pay before you do anything. Or they will stick it to you.

This is no way to live. I know I should have taken my unfair punishment in one instant hit by paying a year's subscription to the Thieving F-uffing Liars when this sorry lie was first spun. Instead I have let them mug me whenever my guard is down. You see, I have forgotten before and I will probably forget again. Because that is what humans do and what machines will never do.

Tell me, why is it not possible to alert you when you have been in the Zone? A text message, an email? Surely this is possible but, of course, not profitable, so why would they do it. TFL rely on people being human, so they can get you. Well, they can shove my fifty quid right up their big fat Ethernet port. I hope it makes them happy. Ken, you are a complete C-c-con.

I hate this scheme and I hate the people behind it. Above all, I hate the way it makes me feel. Watched. Powerless. Robbed. Angry.


Thank you for listening. Do send me the bill for the rag to wipe away the bile!

Phew, I'm not so vein afterall

"I'm so vein, you'll probably think this Blog is about me ..."


It's not often you get an invitation to be a guinea pig in the name of cosmetic science research. A righteous cause if ever there was one. "Rob, do you fancy getting your veins zapped?" asked Sarah Chapman, a dear friend and respected skincare therapist (soon to be tycoon). "Erm, well, super offer, thanks. But are you saying I actually have veins that need to be zapped?" As if I didn't know.

Now, amongst the legion of freebies I have shamelessly accepted in the course of journalistic enterprise, this has to be one of the oddest. (Actually, a week on the QE2 with Terry Duckworth takes some beating). Naturally, like all well-trained free-loading hacks, I said Yes - although my real motivation, you see, was to help Chapman train a new therapist and had absolutely nothing to do with the red insignia gradually appearing upon my cheeks and nose following years of strenuous bar work.

And, so, I stretched out on a treatment bed at the 'Skinesis' clinic in Chelsea, with the sound of clinking crystal from Daphne's below drifting through the window, while three women examined my face with a special glow lamp to reveal the tracks of my decadent past. Much to my amazement, my broken veins are not bad at all and my fears that I am heading for payback in the shape of a port nose that could light up the Embankment are ill-founded. That's not to say my hard partying has gone unnoticed. Heaven forbid.

For about 20 minutes, the new assistant deftly ran a laser probe across various patches of my face and nose while I "Ooh'ed" and "Argh'ed" like a wimp at each and every light nip of the skin. And then it was done.

Today, those areas are red and blotchy, like I have had a good go at some spots in the mirror, but by tomorrow they will be gone. And, then, I will be free to go out in pursuit of new badges to represent my partying heart.

OK, call me vain, but at least you won't call me veiny.

First Sight of the Proms

So, what's a newly married man supposed to do when he gets his first night away from the new wife? Go on a heavy session with the lads and re-tread old haunts? It's a bit soon for nostalgia for me, so last Friday I did what any self-respecting bloke without a functioning telly would do - I took a long slow walk to the Royal Albert Hall, via the Anglesea, for my first Prom.

I thought I would sample a last-minute "gallery" ticket for a fiver to listen to some quality classical music at feet tingling altitude amongst the "Prommers". Puffing slightly, I finally arrived at the top deck of the RAH and knew immediately this is not the way I want to listen to Beethoven's 9th, a much-loved personal favourite.

I'm all up for new experiences, me, but up there I found it infested with a hairy bunch of unkempt, bare-or-soily-sock-footed, picnic-munching,soap-swerving fuddy-duddies and trainee old-before-their-timers. It was like an airport lounge during the French air traffic controllers' annual strike, with Prommers stretched out on chequered blankets guarding their six-inch sections of laced iron balustrade like sentries in Stalag 17. Elgar's notes crawled up gasping from below to wrestle for ear-space with the crackle of crisp packets, the fingering of strawberries in creased plastic punnets, and embarrassed usherettes hissing at people to drink their chardonnay contraband outside. Tell me, what is the F-flat point of coming to a classical concert if all you want to do is stuff your big fat furry face? How will you ever know your arse from your oboe if you've got a gob full of Walkers?

I immediately regretted not buying a £35 best seat in romantic pursuit of a new experience, so I did the next best thing - I craned over a coleslaw and tomato salad box to scope the arena below for an empty seat. I spotted a cluster of six-or-so near the stage. Years of events experience has taught me that there is no such thing as a 100% sell out, even the First Night of the Proms. And, one tip, if you are ever going to jib in and risk the humiliation of being the only lemon left standing in a fully seated arena, you may as well shoot for the best of the best seats.

So, while the mob was getting stuck into dessert during the interval, I ghosted into the main auditorium and took up position in my new swivel velvet aisle seat in Row 7 - right next to the choir, behind the violins, beside the percussion man and the nervous fellow checking the position of a tiny triangle for the hundredth time. If I had been any nearer to the orchestra, I would have been taking precise instructions from the conductor. But the best thing of all, I was about 3,000ft below the fetid munchers.

And there I waited, indeed sweated, to see if anyone would claim this sensational seat. It was an anxious wait as late-comers piled in for the main event and the vacant cluster was reduced to just one single spare - mine. I have never been happier to hear the opening bars of the 9th. But, my oh my, was it worth the worry. What followed was one of my personal all-time great entertainment pieces, 70 minutes of unadulterated, goose-bumping joy. There are few things in life more inspiring and uplifting than seeing a full orchestra playing in unison.

I've "seen" the 9th a few times before and it always makes me cry. Not in a blubbing, hanky-soaked style, but in the simple welling up way. Such is the power of this piece live that my eyes had filled up again within a few minutes of this performance. And the aural power surge when the magnificent double choir - TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT OF THEM! - stood up for the finale almost lifted me out of my free seat to join in. Even watching the high pressure moment when Triangle Man's moment cometh was truly memorable. He successfully filled the Albert Hall with his little instrument and I saw the relief on his face from about four feet.

Anyway, don't take my word for it. The piece is playing again during this Prom season. My advice: Go, see, hear it for yourself. Forget the gallery. Leave them to their dinner. Spend more, get a good last minute seat. It was the best thirty five quid I never spent.

Intermission Announcement

"We apologise for the recent extended Intermission in this Blogging service. This has been due to some much needed technical improvements to Rob McGibbon's life.

He is now fully rebooted after being installed in a new home, a new office and, indeed, in a new life - as a married man.

Hence, the previous erratic blogging service will start and stop again very soon.

Thank You."

A F-f-few F Words For Gordon

A good while back I suggested to Gordon Ramsay's publicist that his client is in desperate need of new recipe for his flabby, over-cooked public persona. He basically told me to eff off and stop being so stupid.

I was vaguely interested in Ramsay for a short time, long ago, but I knew that distant fascination had turned very sour recently when I was out choosing new crockery. I came across the Ramsay range and raged to my dearly beloved, "There is no way I'm having that git's branded crap in my house. I would rather smash every one of them and eat off the carpet than have his name under my fucking dinner." We went for Vera Wang Something-or-Other and Jamie Oliver's Teflon pans instead. Now, Jamie, he's a nice, genuine lad, I could cook with him. Ramsay, I would just want to beat to death with the heaviest pan in the collection.

I watched the return of the F-Word to see if it had improved. Starting from such a low heat, it didn't have far to rise, so I felt it might be better. Oh dear, no. This has got to be the biggest, nastiest dinner any dog has ever been served. Here are a few alternative F-words for this show: Fundamentally Fake, Facile, Faeces.

I wish Gordon well with his empire. No doubt he is a madly driven, great businessman, he might even be a truly brilliant chef, but when it comes to telly, his ridiculous swearing, yobbishness, bullying, bare-chested, vainglorious nonsense is about as appealing as a burger made from manure with a rabid dog's piss dressing.

Hey, Big Boy, could you do me, Channel 4 and everyone else a big favour and Fuck Right Off?

The answer you are looking for, mate, is: Yes, Chef.

Jive's Alive - and so am I!

A few quick steps back to the Blog to let you know I'm still alive. People do worry. All is well. Indeed, I am all-a-jive.

After a week of brash, high volume showbiz 'n' media, exchanged over tepid Veuve Clicquot, cold canapes and tickling spit in my ears, I headed to groovier, more wholesome entertainment last Saturday: The Rivoli.

This was an impromptu, last minute call - often the best - and what a night to cherish. The Rivoli dance hall in Brockley is a proud relic of the 1950s, a fragile, time-warped shelter of crushed crimson velvet, flaking fake gold leaf and dust laden ceiling lanterns. But despite the delicate museum nature of its contents, the Rivoli has a strong, passionate beating heart and, on this night, an equally loud swing band.

These days, I would normally require a keg of beer with an oak aged barrel chaser of wine before I start dancing, but I was up there, doing my stuff on the smooth parquet after no more than a sip of Krononbourg (£2.30 a pint. Positively 1950s prices compared to the rip off Royal Borough bars, where it is, I think, £3.40). So, I got to jive with my mum, a couple of sisters and an aunt and another girl picked at random. What a hoot. And what a sweat. The ballroom is tantamount to a tropical gym with spinning and hopping people doing manic five minute interval training sessions. I caught one guy, clearly a dedicated dancer, changing into his third shirt of the night in the loo. "You can't have too many," he said sagely.

What you notice most at the Rivoli is the laughter and smiles. The people on the dance floor are a vision of grinning faces, as are those looking on. There is a huge age range - early 20s to 70s, maybe even 80s - and everyone seems bonded by a deep sense of nostalgic innocence and an over-riding quaintness. For a few hours, you are not exactly transported to a time that may have been better - when people, possibly, never had it so good - but you certainly feel happily disconnected, however fleetingly, from the claustrophobic complexities of digitalised life in the 21st century. The modest, threadbare room and simple bar erases all pretension: you can sip a cup of tea here with a bread roll, or tuck into champagne, it's all fine; guys can ask a girl to dance without appearing to be on the pull. And girls say Yes - they even form a polite queue at one end of the floor. Imagine something similar in a posing modern club. Never.

The Rivoli has a definite, enduring magic. Thankfully, its owner turned down £4 million from McDonald's to preserve it. Good on him, a modern hero. I was born a few hundred yards away and my mum and dad used to go there in the early '60s. It was always cheerily pointed out during drives into town when we were kids. Now I have been and I've even jived there with mum. Very cool.

Maybe you should go, too. Take your mum. The Rivoli is a delightful departure from wherever you are in 2007. Go. Swing. Sweat. Smile.

Sally On The March

Some pleasing news on the progression of the Sally cards. My March statement from Peartree Heybridge shows we sold 4,260 in our first full month. Pretty good going. The team are so happy that at a meeting in London yesterday we agreed to add four new cards to the range and bring out a branded weekly planner and a spiral notebook. The Sally duvets and liveried Beetle are a year or so away.


Ps: Can I dispense with a few items of clutter in my head from that Easter break?

*My first visit to the boat race was nearly a sinking stinker. My crew got clogged up amongst the mob by the pubs at Hammersmith Bridge, or as I now call it, "Hammered-twats Bridge". It was choked with people getting so totally wasted that I reckon the Spanish Armada could have sailed by and they wouldn't have noticed a thing. Why does every sporting event in Britain revolve around people getting blotto? Not that I can talk, mind. Anyway,the day was saved by wading back up (or is it down?) river nearer Fulham. I have to say that it was nothing short of joyous seeing those boats and those fine - and truly blessed - men s'oaring for all their worth. The sun blazed high above the old Harrods Depository and danced over the water as the two boats passed by a few feet apart. A stunning freeze frame image to treasure. (Oh, and the rose wine was cold and delicious, too).

*Gary Lineker seems a decent bloke and he has an amiable enough telly delivery, but he just doesn't fit with golf and The Masters. Call me a southern jessie but that (Leicestershire?) accent of his irritated me like hell each time his voice over came on to say "The Masss-tas" with some clunking round up. Bring back the smooth, knowledgeable Steve Rider. And will someone tell Peter Aliss to takes his bloody clubs home. Really, enough.

*I got stuck in an hour-plus, eight mile traffic jam on the M23 with the rest of the day out mob on Sunday. Weight of traffic, road works, an accident? No, nothing so predictable. There was a stock car rally on some waste ground by the motorway near Gatwick. No hoarding or screens up, so you had thousands of drivers slowing down for a quick look. There was even a police car there to monitor the jam - with the cops also watching the races. I have never experienced such a ridiculous, annoying, easily avoidable traffic jam. Get the organisers to put up some screens, or it will be a stock car race on the M23 next time.

*I do my bit to be ecologically well behaved, but really, I do despair. What is the bloody point in me putting up energy saving bulbs at home when every single motorway light pylon is at full beam at midday on a sunny day? Give me a break.

Ahh, that's better. Thank you for sharing all that with me!

Happy Discipline

I've never been much of one for doing the giving up stuff for Lent. I've always seen it as a bit like those New Year's resolutions - novelty discipline for the weak willed that is doomed to failure. Well, that's what always happens to me anyway. And, besides, I live my life by deadlines, so why create yet another one with Lent.

For some reason I found myself giving up things this year. Don't ask me why. Maybe I am becoming bi-religious-curious, or something. I thought long and hard about what form my hair shirt would take and chose two luxuries I consume regularly and would miss badly: chocolate and beer. Chocolate is always there to cure the boredom and beer finds its way into my life on most days, normally as an instant sedative in the casualty ward (aka: a pub) where I check into after a rubbish day.

Amazingly, I have not had a drop of beer since Lent began. It has been suprisingly easy and quite fulfilling. Discipline is good, I recommend it, although I admit I have drunk probably twice as much wine, so what have I really achieved? I had also not touched chocolate until a few hours ago when I walked past Charbonnel et Walker in Mayfair and was seduced by a man with a tray of champagne truffles. A free truffle? Don't mind if I do, thank you. Only as that divine, dusted ball disappeared in one gulp did I realise that I had suddenly failed my fast. A moment's memory lapse and I had messed up, fallen splat with the finishing line in sight. I cursed myself, then went into the shop and bought of few boxes of truffles as presents, which earned me several more freebies. I swallowed them hungrily with pleasure. If you are going to fail, fail with a flourish.

But, I'm still OK on the beer front. I can hold out until Sunday, no problem. So, Easter for me will mean everything. It will mean a big decision - like lager or bitter? Lager and bitter, probably. Very spiritual, I'm sure.

Happy Easter.

"Canvas One"!

I realise there has been much anticipation for the unveiling of my first ever work of art on canvas. That time is upon us. Steady. This could be one of those moments that is fondly referred to in art history in 100 years from now. Then again, it may not. I hereby give the blogo world "Canvas One".

Many people may question what my inspiration was for this piece. Just as many may not. All I can reveal is that I was invited into an impromptu art class with two teenagers a few weeks ago. While one painted a daffodil and another the silhouettes of trees - both children calm and quiet - I found myself slipping into an abstract abyss and being a wholly disruptive student. It was all a most enjoyable exercise and one that I would highly recommend. Eventually, after much layering of acrylic paint in front of the telly and unwarranted, ridiculous angst, my canvas was complete.

I will not be displeased with those of you who draw sincere comparisons with neo-plasticism and Mondrian's geometric grid compositions. I concede that the visual interplay between the lines and the "vortex" circle create a sense of pain and tension that is neither symmetrical or systematic. The work is both mysterious and timeless and, indeed, it has been said that there is a sense of the spiritual within this piece, with a counterpoint of hopelessness. Yes, I agree, it is pure abstraction, but at its heart this work is nothing but Truth.

At other times, I step back and I know that one thing is clear: I have painted a bloody flag.

And my flag should be rotated a quarter turn to the right, but I can't effing load it that way.

Art: it is pure pain.

Celebrity Changing Rooms

A full and varied week has just drawn to a close with a surreal moment.

Now, I'm fairly used to celebrities in my local health club. I've had the likes of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant spread out beside me on the stretching mat and, you know, they wince just like the rest of us folk in the gym.

But it was a slightly more unusual sleb sighting earlier as I stood in the changing room in only my unters watching the cricket. A guy came in, alighted right next to me and stripped off in a flash. It was none other than Ralph Fiennes. Like all good reporters, I made my excuses and looked away.

Now, if I had experienced this a few weeks ago, I might have been minded to annoy Ralph by validating his performance in The English Patient (year?), or more likely for his stunning Hamlet which I witnessed from Row A in Hackney (year? Oh, the memory doth failest me). But, as he stood next to me and we did all we could to avoid eye contact, my mind began racing with a string of disrespectful, inappropriate questions, one of which included: "Hey, Ralph, would you recommend the in-flight entertainment on Qantus?".

Terrible things, tabloid newspapers. They quite change the way one thinks.

British Press Awards

The hangover has just about cleared and I am wondering what I can report from the British Press Awards. The reason I'm slightly at a loss is that it was quite a dignified, if not muted, affair. Quite extraordinary, really, when you consider the Great Room was packed with around 700 journalists. But, I'm sure it is better this way than the feral rattle pit of the Hilton in years gone by.

Press Gazette did a fine job and I think the winners were a fair and balanced reflection of talent and achievements. Certainly, I was satisfied with the outcomes in my two judging categories - Scoop and Interviewer (Daily Mirror's Prezza Affair and the Daily Telegraph's Jan Moir respectively). I feel that Robert Crampton deserved a commendation - he is an excellent interviewer and writer who had a good year - and I was relieved that the Sunday Times won Team of the Year for their cash for honours expose, which evened out missing the Scoop award.

I was delighted for Roger Alton. He has worked wonders with The Observer, but deep down I felt the Mirror had shaded it and had been my pick for a stand out year. I understand that Roger modestly, graciously said as much, too, but the Mirror had plenty to cheer about.

The award winning drunk of the night was won hands down by Nick Cohen who hugged me like a long-lost brother (we've never met) while glugging white wine with an unquenchable thirst. Lord knows how he felt the next day.

But one of the highlights of my night has to be an impassioned chat with *******************. I don't remember a single bloody word of it. Now that's what I call a result!

Wembley 2

I don't want you thinking that I'm some Wembley groupie or anything, but here's a quick chip in following a second visit for the U21's game against Italy.

This time I got to mix with the mob by going on the Tube and walking up Wembley Way, then sit in the family area. There is definitely a sense that the new Wembley is being easily accepted with a similar, if not greater degree of affection and mysticism as was afforded to the old gaff. People were excitedly yelling into mobiles that they were there, or posing for pictures. There were plenty of grumbles, too, about the food prices. And there was a visible sense of shock in the gents loos when some bloke (probably mistakenly) started the hot air hand dryers. They are tuned to such a volume and force that you feel you suddenly on the tarmac nearing a charter flight to the Balearics.

I did further seating research by wandering around the stadium checking out views and there doesn't seem to be a particularly bad seat in the house, although I have some reservations about the press box. It is neat and functional and obviously brilliantly placed, but it is a little bit cramped. I fear for the comfort of some of Fleet Street's more fuller figured scribes when they try to squeeze their indulged forms into the fixed swing chairs. Actually, I don't give a toss. I hope they get chronic cramp as they watch some of the best football from the best seats in the house, the lucky bastards!

Certainly, all seems more than well for Wembley. One thing for sure made me realise I was back came when a sneering, pot-marked weasel stood in front of me and snarled: "Ticket? You need a ticket?" We had a momentary chat and he offered me a £10 ticket for £60 - "OK, giss'a a bullseye." Yes, of course, please let me. Then I heard another lizard from the abyss hiss: "'eds up, Frank. Old bill."

Some things never change.

Dr Who, 3rd series Premiere

I will quickly go back in time and give you a squint at last night's Premiere of Dr Who, the 3rd series. The word "premiere" seems a bit grand for a TV sci-fi show, but I guess we're in National Treasure territory.

Certainly, there was quite a media scrum when I arrived at the Mayfair Hotel. Late, I turned up just as David Tennant and new girl Freema Agyeman arrived. We walked in together, past the pack of paps and adoring Who fans. I expect they have a proper group name. One - with teeth from the middle ages and hair specially doused in Castrol GTX for the occasion - asked for my autograph. Such is fame. He must have thought I was an alien from the new show. Did he think I was in, or out of costume? I would like to think he was in.

There were a few faces there who appear in various guises of the new series. Dawn French, Michelle Collins, Catherine Tate, Roy Marsden. You know, the domestic loved ones from the BBC archives. The booze was red/white plonk from Oz, beer, and the spread of food was, um, pistachio nuts. Yes, on their own. I expect the Beeb believes these nuts will be all humans will need to survive in the future.

Jonathan Ross - there with all his family - sat behind me for the screening of the first two episodes and ...

more follows later. I need to pop out to the 1860s...

(Well, I can tell you - the 1860s aren't all they were cracked up to be. Where was I...)

... I do admire the man's enthusiasm. He clapped and cheered and wriggled in his seat like an over-excited 10 year old, getting up for the loo twice, loudly scoffing two tubs of popcorn etc. The Ross family en masse are quite crew. Full of fun and affection, they seem to throw themselves into a party. Mum Jane even smuggled the newest edition to clan into the screening under her coat - a tiny puppy called Sweeney. I'm not good on dogs, me, but it was one of those little bug-eyed ones with bandy legs. I think the old dear in EastEnders had one sometime last century.

Anyway, back to the Tardis. I was a Dr Who fan in my younger years. Jon Pertwee, the Brigadier and the Master was my time. I remember liking the dinosaurs and London scenes, but I was never a really Who-spod. (What are they bloody called?) I interviewed Jon once, over a Thai lunch in Soho in around 199-not-so-sure. Hilarious. I also interviewed his son Sean a couple of times back in The Chancer years in 199-oh-I-don't know. A good bloke.

Anyway, back to the new series. I haven't seen a single shot of the recent revival. Can't see the point, really, not on my sonic radar, so I came into this way off-the-pace. It's very good, a real inter-galactic romp with wit and action, as well as - naturally - a plot that never changes. I liked Tennant, although I suspect his arching eyebrow and beady eyeball will become quite tiring by Ep13.

The special effects are very good, but I can't help thinking that this new Dr Who is almost too good. I'm sure that is a well-aired, weary complaint from my generation, all dewy eyed for wobbly sets and badly painted table tennis balls. But, actually, I don't yearn for any of that tat, it's just that all this blue-screen digital enhancement smothers natural imagination. Terry Gilham made such a point, far better than me, at a fantastic lecture at the Artworkers Guild recently.

But there I go, drifting back to the past again. Time for the present.

And let me put this to you, too . . .

The morning haze drifted over me while I listened to the brilliant John Humprheys get precisely nowhere with Gordon "Uncle Joe" Brown and it reminded me of a previous post.

By repeating myself, I am in danger of sounding like a politician, but let me put this to you, if I may, in the clearest of terms: What really is the fucking point in interviewing Gordon Brown?

Purge these thankless political interviews. Now.

En passant . . .

Two very quick little tips.

Dinner last night at Cafe du Marche in Smithfields was, well, merveilleux. It was my first visit to its downstairs restaurant, Le Grenier. Four us. A bottle of Montagny 1er Cru helped us through some fine starters. Mine was faultless fish soup. Then my mate and I chomped like ravenous game reserve beasts through a spectacular, bloody cote de boeuf - it is made for two - with a bottle of Chateau Sarget St Julien 2000. The girls had skate wings and venison. Pear tart to finish for me. A duo on piano and double bass tinkled and plucked away sweetly in the background. A cosy venue on a freezing night. Immaculate service, no attitude and no needless frills. Allez!

Something I forgot to mention: the small but perfectly formed collection of Gwen John's work is worth a squint at Browse and Darby in Mayfair. I went to the private view last week. Her light, pencil portraits and drawings - torn from pages of sketch pads she probably meant never to be exhibited - are like whispers from her mind. Her work is in short supply. It's not exactly expensive, so why not drop in and buy something, if there's anything left, that is.

In case you have been wondering, my first canvas is nearly finished and will be exhibited here soon. Thrilling, non?

The Wembley Coliseum

It was good to be back at Wembley on Saturday. I say "back" because it gifts me the chance to throw in a favourite anecdote fom the annals of my (insert an adjective of your choice) life. By all means skip the next par or two.

The last time I was at Wembley was in November 1999 when I scored the winning goal in the final of a cup competition. Do let that sink in. This puts me in a very rare club. I make no apology for this shameless boast, although it does need a touch of earthing, some qualification.

The final was in a media game. Twenty minutes each way with every player pulling up regularly to gasp for air, hands on hips and face to the scared Wembley turf, before limply booting another misguided pass. I was a ringer for the News of the World and we had got through various rounds to play GQ in the final. I was up front. I can still see all the "action" of my goal now. It was as if it happened in slow motion. In fact, at our pitiful, schoolboy-strength of play, it was slow motion.

In the first half, a cross came over from the right and one of my brilliant team mates - let's call him Pele - headed it back across the goal. Well, it ricocheted off his shoulder and he fell over, as if hit by a sniper. The ball bounced ahead of me in the six yard box and seemed to freeze. It was an invitation to immortality. A ball, a few yards from me, in front of a goal, at WEMBLEY. I lunged for all I was worth, the keeper scrambled, but I managed to connect with the ball first with toe and studs and gave it a desperate little poke. It dribbled into the right corner, barely troubling the string of the net. But it was a goal. Ultimately, the goal. The crowd (can you call 100-max in a stadium a crowd? OK, the gathering) went wild. The commentator called out my number (8) on the Tannoy and then, after a pause as he looked me up on the team sheet, my name echoed - literally - around the hallowed stadium.

My celebrations were curtailed. There was no excited, fatty-boy jog to the fans because in my desperation to stretch and score I had ripped my right hamstring to shreds. In total agony, I could hardly walk and immediately had to go off. (The sub was the NoTW's "official" striker and he has - quite seriously - hated me to this day for stealing what he considered his moment in history). Whatever the merits of my skill, that was the goal wot won it. We followed our inspirational player/manager, Jimmy O'Leary, up the famous steps to collect the trophy - bizarrely, a shiny ice bucket - from Geoff Hurst and Jimmy Greaves. Cheers and bubbles in the famous bath and songs and beer on the coach home to Wapping in suits provided by Burton. Thank you for sharing this with me.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was back at Wembley for the community day, and what a stadium. It really is vast, wonderful, and even beautiful, as much as concrete and red seats can be. Even with no more than 20,000 watching a celebrity kick-a-bout, the noise when something happened was tremendous. The steep-sided Coliseum-like bowl seems to make the noise twirl and whoosh up over the crowd with huge force. When full, the atmosphere will be extraordinary and will make your heart pound. I will be back there again on Saturday for the Under 21's and will report back.

Naturally, there were a few teething problems on this opening day, although it seems unfair to dwell on them. I queued for 45 minutes for fish and chips at a food bar that resembled Gatwick on a strike-hit bank holiday. I gave up when it was clear I had another half an hour to go, so I settled for a bag of crisps (Walkers SnV Big Bag, £1.50). Later I climbed to row 45 of the upper tier to check out the view from what I guess will be the worst seat in Wembley - and one any self-respecting ligging hack hopes never to occupy. Such is the altitude, I half expected to see Ralph Fiennes cavorting with one of the ticketing stewards. Oddly enough, the view of the game is not that bad up there. Maybe, it was an optical illusion caused by lack of oxygen.

During my descent, I stumbled across a queue-less snack stand and returned to my comfy executive seat with a piping hot and surprisingly tasty spicy chicken pie. I then enjoyed seeing Brian McFadden pull a hamstring and my old mate Chris Evans in left back fall on his arse and let a player through to score. A pie on the terraces at Wembley while watching rubbish football. Wonderful. As I said, it was good to be back.

Bullshitterzone

Amusing news that my dear old, cuddly leperchaun (sic) pal Louis Walsh is writing his autobiography. Note the pay off to the story. The Sun are hoping for serial rights, then.

So, Louis has decided to spike the chapter slagging off Ronan Keating because he has finally blagged him into reforming Boyzone. As is always the case in showbiz, nothing heals old wounds quicker than the sniff of cash. I admit, I'm a little surprised at Ronan. Not more than a year ago, he vented his spleen to me about Louis and seemed certain never speak to the man again.

But it's commendable to bury grudges - good on them - and to celebrate I think I will do a tie-in release of my own and bring out a bootleg of my interview with Ro' and link it to the blog. It has some great lyrics, including the unforgettable line "The man's a fucking bull-shitter.". You see, it's important everyone cashes in with a boy band. In fact, I think I might mash my single with the music to 'Father And Son'. (Idea spark - new lyrics on the way..!)

Anyways, I wish them alldebest, although I think their hopes of replicating Take That's comeback are wide of the mark. Still, it's good that Louis is busy once again now that his X-Factor days are over. Just think, all that effort he must be putting in to working out which cover version Boyzone should do first. I'm telling yee, yer man's a genius.

Comic Relief Does The Apprentice

In general, I loathe reality TV and avoid it like corked wine, but Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, Part I, was a vintage treat, the sommelier's pick. It can't really get much better, so I knocked it back in one heady, happy gulp.

Early on, I nearly had to call for an ambulance, such was the force of my laughter convulsion when I saw the owl-eyed horror in Rupert Everett's face as he suddenly appreciated the reality of being in a room with Piers Morgan and Alastair Campbell. It was like the world's fluffiest, most mollycoddled poodle falling from a great height, shaking itself off only to find it had landed in a sealed pen with two ravenous pit bulls salivating upon its arrival.

Rupert complained of lacking dialogue without a screenwriter's folios, but, really, the sheer, unintentional brilliance of the comedic lines he delivered in those early exchanges beat anything he has ever brought to us on the screen. It was only later, when my wanton cruelty was highlighted by someone less infected with media cynicism, that I had a touch of sympathy for him, the poor, vulnerable, messed up, ex-heroin whacking, tranny-shagging, thesp.

It all got quite embarrassing for most of the cast and looked like being a telly car crash. Our well-meaning celebrities had clearly not considered just how revealing it might be. Almost naturally, they all started behaving like a set of spoilt luvvies, as far removed emotionally from Africa as their Mayfair Hotel penthouse suites were geographically.

The fight-scene was cringe-worthy, but came with a priceless denouement: "Undignified" Trinny's weepy melt-down. Medication, please. Extra dose. Trinny is clearly a fully paid up member of the Fucked Up Club and as finely balanced as a door with its hinges attached only by the last thread of one screw. Sobbing over being called undignified? Do a day in a newsroom, luv, and you'll take that as high praise. And then there was Cheryl Tweedy-Cole, who doesn't eat fish "anyways", but has a brain like one.

The undoubted star of the show had to be Morgan, the "Human Dick On Legs" (Copyright: Maureen Lipman). As a (say it quietly) long-time friend of the celebrated chronicler of badly recalled memories, I am use to dispatching lacklustre reviews to him for his television appearances. But this was probably Morgan's finest TV hour. (Well, obviously, there are degrees of "fine", as we will soon discover with "Britain's Got Talent".)

Always unsparingly competitive and enthusiastic, Morgan was up for the task from the off. He got stuck in, grafted and made the boys tick. Although that didn't it add up to much, cash-wise. He doesn't give a stuff about the egos of his fellow stars and gladly baits them. Fair play to him for all of that. Best of all, he got stuck into Campbell, a haunted stress ball who was trying so hard to appear contained and in control that he looked close to self-combustion. Apparently, their face-to-face combat hits ferocious levels tonight.

Well, it took a problem as big as Africa to give Morgan's television career some warmth and humour. I only hope he made a sizeable contribution to Comic Relief. As for Rupert Everett - the Hollywood star who hates cameras and doesn't know anyone - I'm not sure his career, lofty coolness, or A-list standing will ever be quite the same. Poor dear.

AA . . . On The Piss

This is probably not going to mean much to most of you ...

During a mid-week, pre-recycling collection day, high-speed flip through of my weekend newspaper supplements - a lazy reading timescale only available in hackland to those without desks to answer to or PAYE to collect - I contentedly nibbled, as always, on AA Gill's Table Talk.

In his piece about Awana, he writes amusingly about taking a pee and I couldn't help but recall the moment when the great man, he of pulchritudinous prose, goitred with soliped leitmotifs, crenellation and spittle, took one next to mee.

Now, don't go thinking that AA is near the top of my all time best "Who took a piss next to you?" list, or anything, but it was a stand out (ooer) moment in the incalculable history of pissing moments. There I was, at Stamford Bridge at half time - must be three-plus years ago now - and he took up position at the bowl next to me. Gave me quite a fright. No, not that, just him, being so near, in a donkey jacket, chewing gum speedily, open-mouthed.

And, you know what, afterwards he didn't wash his hands! Now, I can forgive any man for not washing his hands at a football stadium loo. Touch only what belongs to you in such a hub of effluvia, although, out of habit I managed to catch the end trail of water from an auto tap pressed by someone else, before slipping out the door, also activated by another. But AA strode out with not so much as a glimpse at the sinks and it made me wonder, as you do. So few blokes bother, you see.

Anyway, don't let this put you off AA. I'm sure he is as rawly scrubbed as a surgeon when he's at the tables of SW3 and W1. I read his latest book 'Previous Convictions' recently and it was excellent. So good in fact that it sent me back to 'AA Gill Is Away' which is even better.

It would be wrong of me to end my review of AA in the loo without delivering some degree of criticism. When I was doing the Press Gazette beat last year, I put in several requests for an interview - directly to him through the Sunday Times and also through his publicist at Orion. I have had 'No's' from the best and the busiest of them, and it is never a problem. Letting a hack know the score is all that matters, we move on quickly. But there was never so much as a 'No Thank You' from AA or his people's people.

In my book, that really is taking the piss.

Rating: One Star. AA Spill

Xit Louis. See ya.

So Louis Walsh has been booted off X-Factor by Simon Cowell. At last, a sensible reverse "talent" spotting decision. How on earth did it take so long? If only ITV had put the eviction to a phone line vote, it would have made a fortune without any complaints.

And Kate Thornton has gone, too, although I can't think what else she could have done to present it better. Anyway, only one more person to go - Shazza - and X-Factor might even be watchable.

Ah, Louis, so many happy memories ...

Marcel Dzama: Le Review

And, so, to the art world and last night's private view for Marcel Dzama's new work at Timothy Taylor's gallery in Mayfair. Waiters in black Zorro masks greeted me with a choice between a bottle of Peroni and a glass of chilled Petit Chablis. A brash, post-minimalist bar, but evocative and splendidly purist. It spoke to me. Still off the beer, I went for a splash of wine. Very nice, too, I thank you, Timothy, but I've got to say, it all went a bit downhill after that.

There's clearly a buzz and dazzle around Dzama, what with his (group) shows at MoMA, but on the evidence of last night it is a wonder to me how this Canadian is generating such attention - and prices. Now, I'm all in favour and praise of people who express their creativity. Bravo to them. I can't speak for Dzama's previous work - which may well be amazing, visionary, cutting edge, it may even be good - but this show was thin, to say the least. Less than a Size 0. In fact, if you had phoned up ITV to vote for this exhibition, you would rightly claim you had been short-changed.

The work derives from a 30 minute film (art show screenings only, not yer local multiplex) Dzama made a while back called The Lotus Eaters. It includes images of characters, many in Zorro masks with black beaked noses, sitting on dead tree trunks. You know, I can barely recall a clear image this morning, such was the lasting resonance of his faces. They looked like the rejected off-cuts on a cartoonist's studio floor.

Also on display were some furry costume heads from Dzama's "film". I have seen more dramatic and better constructed models made by 10 year olds with papier mache and ping-pong balls. But, here in Mayfair with beer and wine, these heads and pictures are art, and fairly expensive art at that. One gallery sales person, visibly twitching with glee, told me that most were already sold. The small, unappealing water colours were $10-15,000 a shot and one medium-size montage was $45,000. Average-to-low pricing in this genre and I would have got one or two for the hell of collecting, but I didn't have any change on me.

The information sheet handed out last night explained Dzama's talent and inspiration thus: "The long, dark, cold Winnipeg winters meant that Marcel spent a lot of time inside drawing a dystopian world inhabited by femmes fatale, bats, bears, cowboys and superheroes." Hmm, I stayed in a lot drawing when it shanked down in Bromley when I was a kid. But when does childhood cartooning become art? When an art dealer tells his people, that's when.

Now, I've been to countless private views in the past few years and I've done all the main London art shows, and, well, the whole shebang leaves me ever more puzzled. The big fairs seem to be little more than a free-drink fest, with hoards of liggers staggering around in a fug of cheap, New World chardonnay or shiraz looking with ever deteriorating eye-sight at works of questionable quality and depth, let alone basic intrigue or beauty. The contemporary art world is thriving like never before and is awash with money and product. Of course, it is not all bad, but why such continuing hype about so little?

Well, here's a thing. I completed my first painting on canvas last weekend. It was an oddly rewarding experience, especially as it began with a definite twinge of panic and artist's angst when I first stared at the blank canvas. I suddenly connected with all the grand Masters who had hunched over an easel before me. We were one.

But it's not that hard, you know. A short while later I had produced a picture that is a compelling, poignant and painful depiction of personal suffering and 21st century alienation. Or, indeed, it could also be a quite colourful abstract miniature with a circle and some blocks.

I'm thinking of exhibiting my solitary picture here, then you can all decide. The price? Let's leave that to the dealers...

We're all winners! Yeah, right.

Well, I can faithfully report that there was some very healthy and, ahem, robust debating at the Press Association HQ in London yesterday at the final stages of judging for the British Press Awards. Certainly, in my two categories - Scoop and Interviewer - we were all able to absolutely agree on one thing: the quality of all the entrants. There you go, some nice, super-safe, inter-industry puff for you.

But, in all seriousness, an extremely fine thread exists in all categories between the best and the next best when you get down to the short-short list, as was the case yesterday. Like all other judges, I don't know the final out-come for any of the awards. But I am certain that there will be some cheers as well as some jeers - hopefully, gracefully muted - when everyone convenes at the Grosvenor House on 26th March.

I am confident that there will be no decision that cannot be straightened out between opposing sides by pointing champagne flutes at five paces...

Sum ******* Week!

Well, not the easiest of weeks in my Island life, it has to be said. It has sped by in a blur of enthusiastic hustling, idea pitching, planning, talking, stalking, waiting. All part of riding the freelancing beast.

My eyes are red and watery from staring at this screen and it feels like a jagged chunk of metal is stuck in the right side of my neck. All I want now is a slow, deep massage in a hot climate followed by a cold, colourful cocktail with an orange sunset to gaze at. Oh, well, I'll have to settle for a workout, a sauna and a pint in the local. The only trouble being that I have given up beer for Lent. As if life isn't fucking hard enough.

Anyway, I haven't stopped by to grumble. Plenty of things have gone right this week and it has drawn to a close on a pleasant note, which got me thinking. Always dangerous.

I received my first statement for the "Sally" cards today, which came as something of a shock, to put it mildly. As someone familiar with the accounting systems of newspapers, magazines and book publishers, I am used to, at best, chasing my money for several months, or - as is the case with books - waiting a year or more while some bastard in accounts works out every algebraic permutation that means the company keeps my royalties.

Amazingly, this is not the case in the card business. No. At the end of each month, they - the distributor Peartree Heybridge - have the bloody cheek to tell me, very simply, how many cards they have sold and then pay me my cut. Quite extraordinary. The Sally cards have been out for just three weeks and she has already sold 3,332. By my mathematically backward mind, that's a touch over 3K a week. I'm not saying I am in for a fortune, but it is a healthy beginning from a standing start. Who knows...

Now, I have long thought that the accounting systems in the newspaper and publishing businesses are archaic - and that's me being polite. Newspapers generally pay monthly plus a week, if you are lucky, but you usually miss a month's pay run so you wait two. In the days of computers, why can't they start trying to pay the day after publication, or upon invoicing, or weekly? But, come on, why would they?

It is the publishing business, however, that takes the Garrick's butter soaked shortbread. It pays twice a year based on a system that is stuck in the days when books were printed with hot metal and delivered by steam trains and steaming horses. This insane, appalling system is an insult to authors worldwide and weighted in the favour of publishers to suit their cash flow. But these companies are book creators, not glorified banks designed to hold onto hard earned royalties. They have fancy computers and EPOS systems, so they know who sold what, when and for how much. Why the wait?

Authors unite, start a revolution and make them pay quicker. Because, if the high volume, low margin, card business can cough up right away, then why the hell can't all the others pay?

Ok, I know, I'm dreaming. It's been a long week. Adieu.

10 Billion Bad Headlines

Hmmm, schadenfreude, an ugly, self-defeating emotion that saps the purity from one's own soul. Resist it, beat it back at all times and you shall live a healthier, more fulfilled life. A wise person told me that with a gentle smile when I was younger.

The trouble is, I have one recurring subject that is defeating all that worthy anti-schadenfreude philosophy: The London 2012 Olympics.

I saw the headline on the front of the Evening Standard yesterday screaming that the Games could now cost up to £10 billion and I felt a strange, unwanted flutter of joy. How bizarre, why on earth should I feel like that?

I am actually a moderate supporter of the Games and believe in their positive effects for the country. I get all emotional - a little absurdly at times, it has to be said - watching people win in sport generally, especially during the Olympics. So, deep down, I want London 2012 to be a huge success.

The thing is, every time I see a bad headline about 2012 I think of the day last October when I interviewed Lord Seb Coe. The resulting piece was widely read within media circles and became quite popular, not least because I drew attention to the unwanted attendance of Jackie Brock-Doyle, Seb's Director of Communications, during the interview.

Seb and Jackie made unnecessarily heavy weather of what should have been a straight forward interview. I wasn't there to stitch anyone up, but she behaved ridiculously and it bounced badly for them.

Now, whenever I read about another set back for 2012, I get this vision of Seb and Jackie, up there in their skyscraper glass office, with the British media throwing stones at them. And I think, Ahhh, it couldn't happen to a nicer couple.

As I said, schadenfreude, is a terrible thing. But we all have our weaknesses.