Some Downton Abbey fans felt short-changed by Sunday’s far-from-dramatic ITV series conclusion. The show’s international success is the cause.
Series creator, Julian Fellowes, considers the forthcoming Christmas episode, featuring Paul Giamatti and Shirley MacLaine, to be the real season finale, since episodes are broadcast as a consecutive block in overseas territories.
Fellowes bridles at the term Christmas special. “He thinks people expect Morecambe and Wise dancing down the stairs,” says his niece Jessica, the official Downton chronicler. Despite his Grinch-like view of Christmas commercialism on TV Downton benefits from big retailers using the ad breaks in the show to promote their Christmas campaigns.
Sam’s bonus move warmly received
Old Etonian Centrica boss Sam Laidlaw may have warned the City that profits will be lower than expected, despite a 9.2% hike in British Gas prices, but he has received a vote of confidence from MPs.
They have put down a Commons Early Day Motion that “welcomes the commitment from Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, to give up his bonus this year; believes that accepting a six or seven-figure bonus whilst putting up fuel bills by up to 10 per cent for customers would be unreasonable and highly questionable; and calls on the chief executives of E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, SSE and EDF Energy to make the same commitment to waive their bonuses in light of the price rises announced by their respective companies”.
It was tabled by Nigel Evans, the former Deputy Speaker, who has problems of his own. He is to appear in court in January on charges of sexual offences, which he denies.
* Many happy returns to Nick Robertson, of fashion website Asos, who celebrates his 46th birthday tomorrow. He has presided over the remarkable stock-market rise of the retailer, valued at close to £5 billion.
But he got caught in an ageism row in summer by suggesting fashion director Kate Bostock might have been too old when she quit at 56.
So is 46 closing in on the “time of life” which he referred to on her exit? He will be relieved to note his chairman, Brian McBride, is a youthful 58.
