Apparently, ‘it wouldn’t be the same’ for the 25th anniversary of the Hay-on-Wye literary festival without the sideways rain and mist. The weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands of Guardianistas who have converged on the tiny welsh village this weekend. Neither could the facts that the Telegraph is the festival’s sponsor, and that the star-turn on Saturday was undoubtedly the Mayor of London.
Arriving on Friday night, hours late, Boris kept his dinner companions at the home of GQ editor Dylan Jones stewing while he was stuck in transit. He was quick to play catch-up though, and in refusing to be outdone by a leftie pledged to dive into the freezing river the next morning, purely because Alan Yentob was doing so. ‘I’ve swum in the sea, I’ve swum in the Dee, I’ve swum in the Ecks and now the Wye,’ he regaled on Saturday.
On stage promoting his new book about great Londoners, the post-election Mayor never strayed far from danger. Finally free from having to talk about anything other than his nine point plan for London, the luvvies were treated to vintage BoJo, and he had even the most sceptical members of the audience eating out of the palm of his hand by the end. Who else could mix anecdotes about Boadicea, T. S. Eliot and Young Dave into the same hour long session?
There were sharp intakes of breath as he accidentally played down the importance of the Jubilee by pointing out the Rolling Stones were also in their golden year, before stressing his immediate return to the capital to oversee the festivities. A handful of the audience laughed when a question from the floor wondered what great figure from history Boris would name a child in the apparently unlikely circumstances he should have to again. They were not stifling giggles at his answer of Brian, either.
Backstage, Boris was reunited with his departed spinner, Guto Hari of News International fame. There is no love lost there it seems, as they warmly embraced and lunched together merrily.
Ÿ•••
With Boris departing, the weather aptly worsened. The Sky Arts party was apparently the place to be for the evening though nobody stayed very long. AC Grayling, John Lammy and Mariella Frostrup held court, but Mr Steerpike returned to his country pile for an hour in the hot tub and a bottle of our dear Pol.
Comments