Ephraim Hardcastle
Describing himself as the proud custodian of the world’s largest collection of Victoria and george crosses, former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft urges boris Johnson to ask the Queen to bestow a collective gc on the NHS for its ‘incredible’ treatment of coronavirus sufferers. He adds: ‘The award could even be announced to mark the 80th anniversary of the gc in september.’
EAMONN Holmes fails to fully apologise for encouraging the myth that 5G radio signals cause coronavirus. Yet he expected and received a BBC apology in 2010 after complaining about being portrayed by impressionist Jon Culshaw as a well-nourished breakfast TV host so hungry he regularly devoured the studio sofa. Culshaw’s catchphrase? ‘I was fierce hungry, so I was.’
EAMONN seems to have put his foot in it again yesterday, embarrassing Tamara ecclestone on ITV’s This Morning about her 89-year-old father bernie’s impending fatherhood. ‘Your dad is going to have a baby in July or so, which is fine,’ said Holmes. ‘but we just have to point out that your dad is 258 years of age.’
ANNA Wintour posts a snap of herself wearing a red Bretonstriped sweater – and matching sweatpants. Only last year, when asked on Vogue’s Go Ask Anna video series if she ever wore sweatpants, the Vogue editor-in-chief snapped: ‘No!’ Will the shades be the next to go? Or will a cure be found in time?
KIRSTIE Allsopp objects to the decision by bbc radio 4’s Today programme to allow gloomy scribe Will self to read Jg ballard’s dystopian The intensive care Unit – about families restricted to contact via screens. ‘Fgs!’ rages TV presenter Kirstie. ‘Today programme: the non-covid slot we so need every morning is not this! Of all the voices we need... what are you thinking?!’
WHO Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter Chris Tarrant was not impressed with Michael Sheen’s ambition to portray him in a real edition of the game show. Sheen, currently playing the presenter in ITV’s Quiz, recalls an encounter on a red carpet: ‘I hear a voice behind me saying, “Nothing like me!” I turn around and there’s Chris Tarrant.’ eric idle salutes his friend and fellow cambridge graduate Tim brooke-Taylor. ‘i was very proud to hear from the Master that Pembroke college, cambridge, is flying its flag at half mast in memory of our lovely friend,’ tweets the Monty Python star. ‘now that’s a college that has its priorities right.’
ACTOR Laurence Fox, asked whether the current crisis will bring an end to the obsession with ‘gender fluid’ issues, concludes: ‘Seemingly, the coronavirus is good for people from the other 98 genders. None of them seem to be getting it... it seems to be only men and women.’