𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Just weeks into his premiership, some Burnham loyalists already quietly fret that the endless insistence on championing Manchester as the “North” irks voters further up the road. While talk of Cheshire-raised Andy being “King of the North” meets with inevitable contempt in Scotland, party comrades concede that folk in more northern parts of England – often Reform UK targets – have wasted no time making their feelings clear. “Try telling voters in the North-East or Cumbria that Manchester’s in the North,” I’m reminded. “They consider it the North Midlands at best.” Apologies in advance to this column’s proud Mancunian readers!

That’s a novel way to a woman’s heart…

Explaining that wife number three Georgiana now accompanies him on his stage tour, Nigel Havers identifies the highlight of the show. The veteran heartthrob enthuses: “I do a bit of magic and I saw her in half.”

Wonderful stuff

Fifty-six years since the death of actor father Alec, Martin Clunes believes he’s finally received the esteemed thespian’s blessing from beyond the grave.

Just eight when Clunes senior died from lung cancer in 1970, the Doc Martin star explains wife Philippa had recently accompanied her sister to see a medium when the surprise message came through.

“This lady doesn’t take payment and only asks for christian names. My sister-in-law’s christian name was the one she had for the appointment,” a normally sceptical Martin clarifies. After “Alexander” apparently made his presence felt, Clunes, himself in Australia at the time, insists: “It was my dad coming through saying he was ‘really proud of me’ and that he ‘really wished he’d been a grandfather to Emily’ [Martin and Philippa’s daughter]. All this wonderful stuff.”

Built to last?

Having commenced hosting Radio 2’s breakfast show last month, Sara Cox is anxious to stress she intends lasting in the job for some time yet.

Reflecting on Cox’s high-profile slot, celebrity guest Lulu philosophically remarked this week: “Sara, this is your life…for now.” The Bolton lass promptly piped up: “For a while, hopefully, never mind for now! I’ve just got it!”

Personal controversy forced out Cox’s predecessor Scott Mills after 14 months.

Memory lane’s rocky road

Widely reported coverage of The Shards co-stars Kaia Gerber (daughter of Cindy Crawford) and Homer Gere (son of movie veteran Richard Gere) posing on the new cover of Vogue magazine brought back inevitable memories of their respective parents’ brief marriage in the 1990s.

Cindy and Richard famously resorted to taking out a British newspaper advert in 1994, dismissing media speculation their marriage was on the rocks. They divorced the following year.

Blast from the past

Still busy working at 92, wonderfully bonkers Doctor Who star Tom Baker appears as an elderly Sherlock Holmes in a new audio drama.

Publicising his lead role in Sir Sherlock: The Red Letter Day, Baker says of the legendary sleuth: “He’s witty and wise – like me!”

Readers of a certain vintage might be touched to learn that Dr Watson is played by actor John Leeson – once the voice of Time Lord Tom’s robotic dog companion, K9.