Ephraim Hardcastle
THE BBC’s decision not to cover last week’s royal wedding because it was not a state occasion enabled rival ITV to have its biggest weekday morning audience in seven years. Almost four million watched live and another 3.4million caught highlights. So roughly ten times more people viewed the Windsor wedding than BBC2’s Newsnight. In 2000, after BBC1 shelved plans to televise the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday pageant – arguing that Neighbours took priority – ITV stepped in, scoring 12million viewers to Neighbours’ 3.5million. The then-ITV public relations man who suggested it? David Cameron. EX-Telegraph boss Conrad Black urges President Donald Trump to appoint conservative commentator Ann Coulter as next US ambassador to the UN, reasoning: ‘It would be a joy, and very entertaining as well, to see Ann Coulter disposing of America’s critics in her magnificently flamboyant and witty manner, as she tosses her long blonde hair.’ Indeed it would. Some of us would find it even more amusing to see dear Conrad filling this position, except that his 2007 conviction for fraud there means he’s persona non grata in America. PENCIL thin Victoria Beckham, 44, says in an interview with an Australian mag: ‘When I used to go out, it was, “Watch what I eat for lunch, because I’ve got a tight dress and I need a flat tummy.” I mean, who can be bothered with that now?’ Mrs Beckham, pictured, can, I suspect. IRISH-born talk show host Graham Norton says Brexit is ‘very British’ and Brexiteers ‘bloody-minded’. He adds in an Irish TV interview that ‘everyone knows it’s a bad idea’. Especially the BBC, which happens to pay his £600,000-a-year salary. BROADCASTER Michael Cockerell recalls asking Labour cabinet minister Roy Jenkins how damaging he thought the 1975 EU Referendum would be to party unity. Lisp-prone Jenkins replied: ‘I weally do hope this whole Weferendum campaign is conducted without any wancour on either side.’ DEBATING on TV the fate of John Bercow, a friend, Jonathan Isaby, of the Taxpayers Alliance, insists: ‘He’s been a very, very good Speaker.’ Sky’s Adam Boulton replies: ‘[Disgraced movie mogul] Harvey Weinstein was a very good film producer... didn’t stop him having an end put to his career because of his behaviour.’ Isaby: ‘I’m not sure that comparison is necessarily helpful to John Bercow.’ Indeed not! ENERGY Minister Claire Perry, MP for Devizes, who cycles in London, confesses: ‘I do have a diesel car at the moment – a small diesel.’ Emissions from which are said to be five times greater than those from petrol cars. Ms Perry promises: ‘I’m pretty sure my next car is going to be an electric one.’ We’ll be checking!