Love and Liberty

Stephen Tall is liveblogging Question Time, but my attention is wandering from the programme. Earlier in the evening, we were watching That Mitchell and Webb Look, in which ‘an MP’ was earnestly advocating stern new laws to control Mildly Socially Uncomfortable Situations such as asking in a pub (say) if a chair is taken. I immediately thought of one of ours, so while Stephen isn’t pleased Jenny Tonge is on Question Time I’m quite relieved it isn’t Sandra Gidley, or I’d not have been able to keep a straight face should she be given the option to well-meaningly ban something.

Oh, joy, Jack Straw is talking drivel about John Prescott (jabs arm with a fork to stay awake).

Mock the Week a few minutes ago, on the other hand, didn’t have nearly enough funny material in it, but it did have a cameraman who was deeply besotted with the pretty young blond stand-up who rarely got a word in edgeways. None of the other comics got a reaction shot when somebody was speaking, but by two-thirds of the way through the constant, lingering cutaway shots to the blond were so blatant that we were laughing at the cameraman’s many visual ways to say ‘I love you…’ than we were at any of the actual jokes.

Ken Clarke’s talking up John Reid. He might just be disastrous enough to deliver half Labour’s seats to the Liberal Democrats, but until he lost the General Election we’d still all have to put up with a Prime Minister who’s an even more authoritarian bully than the one we’ve got now. Too terrifying.

And there was more fun than you can shake a condom at with Diana Rigg in a preceding programme…

Oh, dear, Piers Morgan’s mouth is flapping again, and I feel sleep creeping up on me.

Update: it’s gone eleven, and tragically Richard won’t turn over to I, Claudius. At least the backstabbing in that is brilliantly delivered.

Qwertyfaced by the bitter end: Mr Dimbleby has just claimed that Mr Straw is about to take part in an online chat, in which “He will answer your questions.” I admire his confidence, but no-one watching QT tonight would bet on that.