Gaia in good voice

IS Emma Thompson’s daughter Gaia Wise destined for greatness like her mother? I only ask because Gaia, left, tells me she’s bagged a role in The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohorrim, an animated film due out in 18 months. She’ll voice Hera, daughter of Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Brian Cox. It may be a great gig but 22-year-old Gaia – whose dad Greg is also an actor – insists it’s not due to family connections and, like many youngsters starting out, she’s got herself a waitressing gig on the side. Speaking to me at the Pink Ribbon Foundation charity gala at London’s Proud Central Gallery, she said: ‘My parents always say there’s no nepotism here. It’s just if you are good you get it and if you’re not, you don’t.’

Queen guitarist Brian May has long railed against ‘iceberg homes’, blaming neighbours who dug deep basement extensions for causing a flood at his multi-million-pound London house last year that ruined treasured rock memorabilia and family photos. Heaven knows, then, what May, 75, makes of the news that the new owners of a house he recently sold have applied to build a huge underground leisure complex that includes a swimming pool, sauna and spa – alterations, they say, that are ‘better suited to their lifestyle and requirements’. Maybe they thought: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em…