Ephraim Hardcastle

SONGBIRD Taylor Swift’s highly-publicised affair with Night Manager heart-throb Tom Hiddleston, following the break-up in June of her 15-month relationship with Scottish record producer and DJ Calvin Harris, is described by cynics as a publicity stunt. However, Hiddleston, 35, has an admirer of longer standing who isn’t averse to publicising him. I refer to Luke Windsor, 32, his ‘friend, publicist and nanny’. Fancy that! NOW the nights are drawing in, pantomimes are planned. Amanda Holden, pictured, has been cast as The Fairy Godmother in the London Palladium’s Cinderella and says: ‘I can’t wait to spread my Fairy Godmother dust over the festive season.’ Perky Amanda doesn’t suffer from low self-esteem. THE June 12 shootings in Orlando elicited statements of sympathy from the Queen and Prince Charles. Prince William and Kate even went to the US embassy to sign a book of condolence. So why no formal expression of royal sympathy over the June 16 murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, although the Buckingham Palace flag was flown briefly, at half mast? Because the Royal Family must remain above politics. Seems a little unimaginative, doesn’t it? IRAQ inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot was referred to by the BBC as a lord. Sir John’s only a knight – albeit a Knight Grand Cross. Elevating him to the Lords now his expensive, long-delayed report is completed would be controversial. But if it’s hard-hitting – particularly about Tony Blair – he might gain a perch on the red leather benches. Funnily enough, Blair was PM when Chilcot got his GCB honour in 1998. TORY leadership contender Andrea Leadsom appeared to have gained the invaluable support of disc jockey Tony Blackburn. However, he tweets fans to say he doesn’t get involved with politics (of course not!) and adds: ‘I said I liked Andrea because she’s always smiling (and) the others look miserable.’ Message understood! FRUITY broadcaster Victoria Coren Mitchell, 43, of BBC 2’s amusing Only Connect show, tells Radio Times that, in her 20s, while writing for a certain broadsheet newspaper, she received letters containing ‘all sorts of filth’ from retired military officers, one of whom was 90. She adds intriguingly: ‘All the rude words were in Latin.’ Clever Victoria knew what they meant, too. MAGICIAN Paul Daniels’ widow, dancer Debbie McGee, 57, was asked on TV by the late Caroline Aherne, as chat show hostess Mrs Merton (as we’ve since heard a million times): ‘And what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?’ But Daniels pointed out later: ‘When Debbie and I got married, I certainly wasn’t a millionaire. And Caroline had just married one…’ – the rock band bassist Peter Hook. So was poor Ms Aherne thinking of herself?