Today ‘rottweiler’ has royal blood in his sights

John Humphrys has given Q a full debriefing over his contacts with senior spooks. Just how much did the Today man know about the “dodgy dossier” on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, which sent the BBC top brass into meltdown?

“I did have a conversation over lunch with the head of MI6 at the time (Sir Richard Dearlove),” he told Q - the music magazine, not James Bond’s gadget guru. “I knew what he thought, or what I think he thought (that the threat had been exaggerated).” Humphrys startled John Reid, then the Leader of the House, when he made use of his inside knowledge in a 2002 grilling.

“I used it in the interview because I thought he was pulling the wool over my eyes and more importantly over the listeners’ eyes.” Ed Stourton is leaving but the “rottweiler” has a new target in his sights. “The one I want is the Queen.” Would he stick the boot in if she were evasive? “Of course I would. I’d try, ‘Come off it, ma’am!’ I’d be politely persistent. You cannot have different standards for men and women.”

Her Majesty might prefer Stourton’s more gentle touch.

David Mamet is the wrong man to let down in the middle of a hit Broadway run. Jeremy Piven, the award-winning star of Entourage, pulled out of a revival of the showbusiness satire Speed-the-Plow , citing a “high mercury count”. Doctors said that the actor had to leave the production, which has been taking more than $500,000 (£322,000) a week. The acerbic playwright’s sympathetic response? “My understanding is that he is leaving showbusiness to pursue a career as a thermometer,” he told Daily Variety .

You won’t find Simon Callow being laid low by mercury. The thespian, currently starring in panto at Richmond upon Thames, says: “I’m playing Hook 16 times a week, seven days a week – show me a Shakespearean actor who appears on stage that many times a week!” Well, not David Tennant right now.

Levi Roots, the Reggae Reggae Sauce creator, who emerged from the Dragons’ Den with a £50,000 investment, has now secured his own BBC Two series. Roots will draw on his Jamaican heritage for Caribbean Food Made Easy. With Nigella, Chinese Food Made Easy et al, why not just call the channel BBC Food?

We hope Tessa Jowell found time to attend the Dulwich College carol service, held in her constituency, shortly after the Olympics Minister gloomily predicted the longest recession in living memory. The St Barnabas Church compere announced a late change to the programme: “Due to illness, Benjamin Britten’s Recession will not be performed. So there will be no recession in Dulwich.” Apparently the resulting cheer could be heard across South London.

Postscript

A French court has awarded Carla Bruni-Sarkozy 40,000 euros (£38,000) in damages from a company that sold shoulder bags emblazoned with a nude picture of her. The image, taken in 1993 when she was a professional model, was emblazoned across Pardon bags. Nicolas Sarkozy has brought legal actions against a voodoo doll, a Ryanair advertisement and T-shirts that were “an affront to the President”. Busy couple, aren’t they? Surprisingly, for such a confirmed gas guzzler, Jeremy Clarkson is not for giving the UK car industry a bailout. “Around 850,000 people in this country work for the car industry,” he told Simon Mayo on BBC Radio 5 Live. “But look at the retail sector, look at the call centres, look at insurance, look at banking, each one of them employs hundreds of thousands of people. Can the Government bail every single industry out? The simple answer is no.” At least Jonathan Ross now has more time to devote to the annual Christmas lights battle in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Nick Robeson, the BBC man’s neighbour, has a secret weapon. “Jonathan’s gone for more of the same. I’ve got an 8½ft bear and its cub as well as lights across the house and hedges. Already this year people are putting chocolates through the door thanking us.” In a spin over dancing crown

The Face Rachel Stevens

She was known as the porcelain face and glossy locks of S Club 7, if not a lot else. Now Stevens, 30, has tangoed her way into BBC One’s hottest slot, tomorrow night’s Strictly Come Dancing final – and she is favourite to win.

Born to a middle-class Jewish family in Southgate, North London, Stevens joined S Club 7 aged 19, but she found limited success with a subsequent solo career.

Now dancing steamily alongside Vincent Simone in a series rife with controversy, Stevens is finally back in the limelight. Did Stevens, who had dance tuition with S Club 7, enjoy an unfair advantage in the contest?

“Absolutely not. I’ve never trained to do this before and if anything it was more difficult for me because of people’s expectations,” she said. “Sure, I’ve performed on stage before but that’s totally different from ballroom dancing. I had to master the technicalities like learning to spin, so we were all on a level playing field.” Her fans will be pleased to hear that the BBC denied rumours of an accident during training this week and said Stevens will “absolutely be dancing on Saturday”.

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