Ephraim Hardcastle
HOW might the Queen further honour Sir David Attenborough OM, CH, CVO and CBE, 90 in May, two weeks after herself? By investing him with the Order of the Garter, our highest order of chivalry, a source suggests. Currently there are three vacancies in the 24-strong Garter, founded in 1348. The TV naturalist already enjoys a special royal privilege. He’s not required to wear a name badge at palace receptions.
NOTTINGHAM University’s team against St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, on BBC2’s University Challenge this week, were disdained by quizmaster Jeremy Paxman, 65, some viewers think. He beamed benevolently at the Cambridge quartet, calling them ‘Cats,’ while chastising Nottingham, who were roundly beaten, for being ‘absolutely hopeless’ on the subject of classical music. Paxman read English at St Catharine’s, by the way.
NAIRN-based movie star Tilda Swinton, pictured, has stirred up a ‘cultural appropriation’ row for playing the Ancient One, a Tibetan High Lama, in Marvel Studios’ film Doctor Strange. Critics say she ‘whitewashes’ the character’s race out of the story. And isn’t having a woman portray a Lama odd? Marvel’s president, Kevin Feige, says Ms Swinton, 55, is ‘very androgynous’. Why doesn’t he keep a civil tongue in his head? ASTRONAUT Tim Peake, 43, makes a big deal of taking a spacewalk next week but it’s hardly the first. That was by a Russian cosmonaut in 1965. Peake’s somersaults in the zero gravity space station have also been performed many times before. Saying ‘God save the Queen’ in space is a first, but sounds silly. So was dialling the wrong number from space while calling his mother. There must be a serious purpose to this mission but you wouldn’t guess it from Peake’s circus antics.
TODAY presenter Sarah Montague, 49, is accused by listeners of being ‘disgracefully negative’, ‘unbearably rude’ and ‘unmeasured’ in her interview with multi-millionaire Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, 40. In fact, she gave him an easy ride, and he talked over her questions. His Labour rival, Sadiq Khan, 45, turned his interview with earnest Ms Montague into a personal political broadcast, sounding sly and boastful. Neither the interviewees nor Ms Montague benefited from the experience.
THE Princess Royal leaves on Monday for a sensitive assignment: an 11-day visit to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, which are still coveted by Argentina. Our busiest royal – she carried out 544 engagements last year – Anne, 65, isn’t slowing down. It’s said she wasn’t amused when her family presented her with an oldfashioned pension book cover.
YORKSHIRE-born Sir Patrick Stewart, 75, who played the dignified captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, describes the first episode of Blunt Talk, the new US TV sitcom in which he’s a UK newscaster in LA: ‘I’m drunk, stoned, driving my Jaguar on Hollywood Boulevard, picking up a transsexual prostitute.’ I trust the character isn’t based on one of our own fine TV news boys!?