Ephraim Hardcastle
WELL-nourished Tom Watson, 49, is expanding his backroom staff with four new posts – a political adviser, writer, head of policy and correspondence assistant. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s deputy will soon have 11 aides, or SPADs, compared with only nine for the Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary combined. Big Tommy declared a donation of £200,000 from Max Mosley last month. At loggerheads with his leader, does Womble-like Watson hope his growing army of lackeys will protect him from vengeful Corbynistas?
HOCKEY aficionada the Duchess of Cambridge has been enthralled by the success of the Olympic women’s team. Unfortunately for Kate, the Countess of Wessex is patron of England Hockey and Sophie’s not likely to stand aside for the future queen. HMQ was much more accommodating about Wimbledon. Prince Philip holds the only two other royal hockey patronages: the Scottish Hockey Union and the Windsor Hockey Club, and he’d probably be happy to pass those on. Kate had best be quick. Her sister Pippa was the better player when they were girls so might fancy the patronage herself.
CELEBRITY choreographer Arlene Phillips, 73, has been accused of poor taste after an unfortunate reference to the Italian earthquake that has killed at least 250 people. ‘Wish it was possible to undo disasters,’ she tweets. ‘Earthquake destruction, lives lost, Donald Trump and Nigel Farage meeting!’ Will these idiotic celebs ever learn?
ROYAL courtiers fear ITV’s £10million Queen Victoria drama, which starts on Sunday, has two fatal flaws. As the last Hanoverian monarch, Victoria spoke with a German accent. Her latest incarnation, the former Doctor Who actress Jenna Coleman, 30, pictured left, speaks in the flat vowels of her native Blackpool. Secondly, she is far prettier than the dour monarch, as were previous Victorias Dame Judi Dench, Prunella Scales and Dame Anna Neagle. Much more suitable would be Miriam Margolyes, 75, pictured right, whose likeness to Victoria in Blackadder is unsurpassed.
ADMIRERS of axed BBC executive Alan Yentob spot a notable omission in the old charmer’s latest Who’s Who entry. Normally keen to champion his many accomplishments, Yentob, 69, has erased all reference to his longtime chairmanship of the scandal-hit charity Kids Company. Too modest, surely!
STRICTLY contestant and BBC presenter Naga Munchetty, 41, is happily married to TV director James Haggar. No wonder she’s clung on to her maiden name. Naga Haggar doesn’t quite have the same ring to it during the cha-cha.