Ephraim Hardcastle
BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Nick Robinson, 53, attempted to play down reports of Beeb/ South Yorkshire Police secret cooperation during the controversial 2014 raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s home. Reviewing the newspapers on yesterday’s programme, he announced dismissively: ‘I think we sort of knew that collusion had taken place. You either think it was terrible or you think it was legitimate.’ Really? Presumably loyal BBC man Robinson will still be insisting there’s ‘no story here’ when heads start to roll at Broadcasting House?
PRINCE Andrew, currently in China, has an opportunity to lobby his mother over enhanced royal roles for his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie next week when the Queen attends, for the first time, his Pitch@Palace – a kind of upmarket Apprentice for entrepreneurs at Buckingham Palace. Says a royal courtier: ‘Andrew is still optimistic. His daughters will probably make an appearance to support their campaign and also because they only get a mention in the Court Circular when accompanying their father.’
POET, broadcaster and writer Clive James, 77, dying from leukaemia, acknowledges he was premature to say his goodbyes to fans in 2014. ‘I said it too often, I should have shut up,’ he lightheartedly remarks. ‘I more or less promised to go that winter because I was in bad shape, but it turned out that wasn’t the case.’ He concludes: ‘The thing to do is not to make predictions, particularly with medical science.’
SCOUSE firecracker Nadine Dorries, 59, pictured, angers supporters of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon by cheekily calling her ‘chippy Nicky’ after this week’s strained Brexit talks in Downing Street. Could the attention-seeking Tory MP have been even more mischievous? Sturgeon, 46, doesn’t appreciate being reminded she was mysteriously nicknamed ‘Gnasher’ in her youth.
ECCENTRIC artist Giles Wood has been catapulted from obscurity by his appearances with his delightfully daft wife Mary Killen (The Spectator’s agony aunt) on Channel 4’s Gogglebox. But Giles may rue his wife’s unfortunate revelation in Saga magazine: ‘Last year we were the guests over Christmas of generous family friends. Giles gave each of the five young women there the same present – a chlamydia testing kit – not only useful, but also free (from our local surgery).’ Charming.
AFTER receiving his OBE from the Queen this week, tennis doubles champion Jamie Murray, 30, now has the same honour as his more famous younger brother Andy, 29. The Wimbledon and Olympic champion has been regularly tipped for a knighthood since his twin triumphs, not to mention leading Great Britain to its first Davis Cup win since 1936. But Murray isn’t Sir Andy yet. Is he a victim of concern over the recent tendency to knight sports stars too quickly?