Guido’s Tufton Street friends are preparing to bunker down this evening as Extinction Rebellion are set to march on the fabled No. 10 string-pullers. At 6 pm a sub-group of the eco-terrorist group called “Writers Rebel” will target 55 Tufton Street, the “home of climate denying think tanks”, with speeches from Sir Mark Rylance and Zadie Smith alongside George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas. Who has apparently recovered from her worrying Covid-spreading coughing fit, without self isolating…
A founding member of ‘Writers Rebel’, Jessica Townsend, writing for the XR blog claims think tanks and organisations in Tufton Street “are actively working to keep the status quo”, and as such they are committing a crime against “humanity, against me, my friends, my children and my grandchildren” as well as everything she loves, listing;
“democracy, civilisation, kindness, as well as ash trees, whales, rose bay willow herb, mountains, rivers, beaches, blue tits and woodpeckers. It is even a crime against life itself: against lemon drizzle cake, hot buttered toast, mushroom risotto, burgundy wine, fantastic sex, great vintage clothes, poetry, Maya Angelou, Tolstoy, my first kiss, Bladerunner, Fleabag, Faulty Towers, dancing with people you love, roasted marshmallows under a starry sky and laughing till you wet yourself.”
The right to wet oneself is close to the heart of many leading Extinction Rebellion lights…
The protest, promoted by a video from Stephen Fry, promises that following the speeches members will “risk arrest with an act of civil disobedience”. Guido may even pop along to watch the spectacle…
John Whittingdale turned up at BAFTA’s HQ to help plug the launch of a music streaming device called “Electric Jukebox“. The Jukebox is an ugly oversized remote and dongle that plugs into the back of your TV, and has quickly become the butt of jokes. It is basically the same as a Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick, except with a fraction of the functionality. The Chromecast and Fire Stick cost £30 or £35 respectively. The Electric Jukebox costs £179…
Rob Lewis, chairman of Electric Jukebox, then popped up to tell everyone that the world needs the £180 remote control because it’s “almost like you need a degree in engineering” to use services like Spotify. Lewis has two failed music streaming services under his belt…
Electric Jukebox perks include curated mixtapes from Stephen Fry and Robbie Williams’ wife:
And if you want to keep streaming music after a year? It’ll cost you £60…
Some surprise names on the list of celebs who have written in the Telegraph today calling on everyone to “leave the BBC alone”.
Why would they bite the hand that feeds them?
- Chris Evans: £3 million
- Gary Lineker: £2 million a year
- Graham Norton: £1.5 million a year
- Clare Balding: half a million a year
- Stephen Fry: “six figures”
Other shock signatories include:
- Claudia Winkelman (Strictly)
- Adil Ray (Citizen Khan)
- Jamie Oliver (BBC made him)
- Prof Brian Cox (Ubiquitous across the corporation)
- Nick Grimshaw (Radio 1)
- Trevor Nelson (Radio 2)
- Reggie Yates (various youth shows)
- Clara Amfo (Radio 1)
- Annie Nightingale (Radio 1)
- Michael Palin (BBC documentaries)
- David Attenborough (ditto)
Almost as if they’re worried about bumper Beeb salaries being in the firing line…
