It’s not exactly a sentence that endears you to your other half: “Let’s stay in on Friday night and watch the Tory leadership hustings”. My excuse is that I thought it would be a “grab the popcorn” political punch-up that would beat a West End show. Instead, the hopefuls lined up like contestants on that […]
It’s not exactly a sentence that endears you to your other half: “Let’s stay in on Friday night and watch the Tory leadership hustings”.
My excuse is that I thought it would be a “grab the popcorn” political punch-up that would beat a West End show.
Instead, the hopefuls lined up like contestants on that quiz show Fifteen to One, fidgeting behind their lecterns.
It might have looked like some sort of game show but forget leaving with a swish new car or cuddly toy — on this occasion, the victor could soon hold the keys to Downing Street.
Perhaps they were haunted by the spectre of Carrie Johnson, who apparently can’t wait to get out of the “prison” of Number 10, because they all seemed nervous.
Having worked on The Apprentice for 15 years, I know what makes compelling television.
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This was the perfect opportunity for the candidates to shine, setting out their stall to MPs, the party membership and beyond.
Instead, they reminded me of a losing team in the boardroom — all dreading Alan Sugar’s famous words: “You’re fired!”
Maybe they were nervous about their immediate fate. Despite presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy describing the audience as “potential Conservative voters”, everyone knows that Channel 4 is about as left wing as Jeremy Corbyn at an RMT picnic.
Liz Truss embodied Margaret Thatcher in her pussybow blouse and jacket, a nod to the former PM’s 1979 election broadcast. But she didn’t quite display the Iron Lady’s core of steel.
I know Liz and can attest that she has a fantastic personality.
Unfortunately, she struggled to get that across on the night, coming over somewhat uptight and a tad unfeeling.
But I was impressed when she stood up to Rishi Sunak, who sneered at her plans to pay off the Covid debt over a longer period.
Instead of retreating, Liz stood firm and hit back, criticising the former chancellor’s national insurance hike. It was a reminder of why she’s my kind of woman.
Rishi was by far the most confident on the night, taking his place slap bang in the middle of the stage. He is always slick but on Friday he also came across as realistic, in charge of the facts and genuine.
While Liz has my vote, he clearly won the night.
I was expecting more from Penny Mordaunt. This is a woman who knows television, having appeared on ITV’s Splash!, and worked as a magician’s assistant.
But the only thing that captured my attention was her perfectly coiffed locks. Where was the energy? The showbiz pizzazz? This could have a landmark moment for her but it felt as if she was coasting through it.
Kemi Badenoch looked like a breath of fresh air in yellow and talked a lot of sense. But the former equalities minister spent most of the night reading her notes or perhaps gazing at her shoes.
Kemi did what many Apprentice candidates do under pressure, she started talking very fast — and looked positively elated when Krishnan moved on to grill someone else. Her lack of experience showed.
Tom Tugendhat just looked pleased to be there. The backbencher reminded me of Frasier Crane, the pretentious character from 1990s sitcom Frasier.
He professed to be holding a mirror to our actions, which all sounded a bit sanctimonious.
But he won points from the audience for being the only candidate to give a straight answer when asked whether Boris was an honest man.
Tom shook his head and answered with a straight “no”, securing a round of applause.
The rest of the candidates spent the first half-hour of the show awkwardly tiptoeing around the question.
Boris might not have been there, but his presence was definitely felt in the room.
And I hate to say it, but none of them had the star power and panache of Boris, who would certainly have livened the whole event up.
Whoever the new PM is, I think Boris will be sorely missed.
WHEN Mickey Rourke let rip about Tom Cruise in his recent interview with Piers Morgan, I’m afraid he said much more about himself than the actor.
He branded the Top Gun star “irrelevant”, telling TalkTV: “The guy’s been doing the same effing part for 35 years. I got no respect for that.”
What a load of tosh that is. From his teen comedy Risky Business to blockbusters Mission: Impossible and Top Gun (both of them) and impressive dramas such as Rain Man, Tom is one of the most versatile actors there is.
He has had an amazingly varied career and is a wonderful actor who, as a bonus, still looks like himself.
Mickey Rourke, on the other hand, looks like a washed up, punch-drunk alien. And when did he last have a film of any note? Jealous, anyone?
FINALLY, the research we’ve all been waiting for landed this week.
It seems a drink a day keeps the doctor away, according to a new analysis of the dangers of alcohol, but only for people over 40.
Research published in The Lancet medical journal found that drinking even a small shot glass of beer a day could be damaging to men under 40.
And a safe daily limit of alcohol for women under 39 is equivalent to two tablespoons’ worth of wine or 100ml of beer.
The over 40s, on the other hand, can enjoy a drink without a worry.
In fact, they may benefit from consuming a drink or two, as small amounts of alcohol could help ward off heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
There aren’t many advantages to getting old – but I’ll take this one.
I FLEW into Heathrow this week and feared the worst.
After being bombarded with stories of endless queues, cancellations and delays, I was not exactly looking forward to returning to Britain.
There was a very minor delay in getting someone to extend the lift from the gangplank from the plane into the terminal.
But other than that the luggage arrived without incident and I left the airport without any delays. A minor miracle.
I HONESTLY don’t know how Elizabeth Hurley does it.
The actress treated her Instagram fans to another drop-dead gorgeous pic, with the brunette wearing a white string bikini in the middle of a field.
Sharing the post with her 2.4million followers she wrote: “Chez moi this afternoon #blissfulsummer”.
Doesn’t she look amazing? She honestly looks better at 57 in a bikini than I did aged 17.
THE much-streamed video of tourists making a shameless dash to the best poolside sunbeds in their Tenerife hotel struck a chill in my heart.
The TikTok film – which had more than five million views in one day – shows a crowd of holidaymakers arriving at one of five pools at Canary Island resort Paradise Park just as it opens first thing in the morning.
They then race to drop their towels on the best loungers and bagsie the best spot, which is basically my idea of hell. I would rather stay at home than go on holiday in such a big hotel.
It’s hardly relaxing is it? Getting up at the crack of dawn and jostling to get the best sunbed would ruin my holiday.
FOOTBALL has come a long way since the FA banned women from playing the sport in 1921.
The women’s Euros are on prime-time BBC every night and more and more people are realising quite how brilliant it is.
Our lionesses are out of the group stage without conceding a goal after thrashing Northern Ireland 5-0 on Friday.
It’s good to see how well women’s sport has grown and how it’s finally being taken seriously.
Whether it’s tennis or football, it is no longer a token tournament.
The BBC deserves praise for giving the football the coverage it merits.
Sadly, the fight for equality seems to be falling back in other areas.
Women live in fear of being attacked or murdered on the street after a spate of devastating cases.
Domestic abuse surged during the pandemic and rape convictions are worryingly low, with just one in 60 cases leading to a charge in England.
We still have to contend with unequal pay – for every £1 a man makes a women makes 84p – as well as discrimination and misogyny in all areas of our lives.
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The word “woman” has been hijacked by left-leaning academics. We are now womb carriers, a birthing person, a chest feeder, a cervix owner, anything but a woman.
So it’s good women’s football is making such great strides. Otherwise there would be hardly any reasons to be cheerful at all.
