as a force to be reckoned with, brought with him a deliberately more headmasterly mien, the kind of authoritarian figure to whose office you hoped never to be summoned lest he reach for the cane. But this was merely “Paxo” playing up his own stereotype as the formidable grump, but who, like certain sweets, revealed an ultimately soft centre.
may display better muscles, but it’s fun to watch the brain in action too, especially when it’s being flexed like this.Many elite squads have passed through its ranks over the decades, among them those who went on to public life and high office: Clive James, Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Kwasi Kwarteng.
For something that has remained so enduringly successful, it hasn’t been particularly influential, nor much imitated, although a few in recent years have given it a shot, namely