Ephraim Hardcastle
desCriBed by critics as America’s narcissist-in-Chief, will President donald Trump get an invitation to the marriage of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle? Harry chose to interview ex-President Barack obama, not President Trump, for radio 4’s Today show yesterday – an oddly political choice which, had it not been Christmas, might have exposed him to criticism. especially since Meghan supported Hillary Clinton and has criticised Trump publicly. Can they avoid inviting our foremost ally to their wedding? i suggest a diplomatic escape route – sending the invitation to Trump’s savvy daughter, ivanka, who has Tweeted oleaginously: ‘Wishing Meghan and Prince Harry a lifetime of love, laughter and happiness together. i have no doubt that this couple will do extraordinary things, both individually and collectively. Congratulations!’
AS the first female Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker, 35, pictured, plays the role with her native Yorkshire accent. Will it charm viewers? When Christopher Eccleston, 53, portrayed the Time Lord in 2005 he insisted on retaining his Salford inflection, explaining: ‘I wanted to move him away from RP [received pronunciation] for the first time because we shouldn’t make a correlation between intellect and accent.’ He lasted only one series.
deFenCe secretary gavin Williamson helps shed his Private Pike of dad’s Army image by halting plans to dumb down the Army’s recruiting campaigns. Might he now reconsider using Major Cambridge and Captain Harry Wales in military recruiting campaigns? This idea was allegedly binned by dumbing-down-prone officials arguing that the princes were too posh.
SIR Sean Connery, 87, the first screen James Bond, has trademarked his own name to prevent others from cashing in on his fame. Estimated to be worth around £90million, the former Edinburgh milkman has never been overly fond of others making what he sees as easy profit from his hard work. He viewed the late Bond boss Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli with distaste, for example, complaining: ‘What I’m really tired of is a lot of fat slob producers living off the back of lean actors.’ Explaining his reluctance to sign autographs, he remarked: ‘These b ****** s sell my signature on the internet for hundreds of dollars. They’re making a killing off my back.’ Steady on, 007.
TorY MP sir nicholas soames castigates nigel Farage, who observed that promoting Brexit cost him a knighthood, carping: ‘it’s very impolite to talk about expecting an honour – who on earth does he think he is, the little shyster?’ isn’t Brexiteer Farage more deserving of a K than camp-following remainer soames?
RADIO 2’s Jeremy Vine, who appears to be channelling extinct broadcasting volcano Jeremy Paxman these days, announces that one issue unites his listeners –‘Nobody wants to ever see or hear from Tony Blair again’. Except BBC bigwigs who seem to have offered Blair and his crony Mandelson ‘come on any time you please’ freedom of the airwaves, he might have added.