I’ve never spoken about this on here before but between 2001 and 2004 I was Head of Hospitality at The BBC - before I started cooking. One of my specific tasks was to look after, from a catering perspective the Director General and The Chairman. The DG was Greg Dyke and...

The Chairman was former Goldman Sachs chief economist Gavyn Davies. I’m a shocking lapse of security I was present, in the room for almost every board of governors meeting and dinner for 3 years. It occurred to me for example that I could have stabbed Bill Clinton with the...

bottle opener in my pocket as I poured his Pinot noir- no background checks, nothing. Anyway. Greg Dyke was a force of nature and popular with staff. He got stuff done- he changed things at The BBC, largely for the better. His was a specifically managerial and executive role...

Gavyn Davies was less dynamic. Not unpleasant but dry and dull- basically an uber-accountant, personally and professionally. His PA, Helen was formidable. He was close friends with Gordon Brown and his wife, Sue Nye was Gordon’s chief advisor. He was a Labour Party member

until his appointment when he gave up his membership. His role was largely ceremonial. He didn’t say much in meetings and I’d wager that 90% of BBC staff at the time would not have been able to name or recognise him. I was in the room when they all received, hot off the press...

The Hutton Enquiry which they literally all read in real time whilst I got them coffee. Both Davies and Dyke resigned shortly after. Anyway. Davies was of Labour as Charles Moore is of the Tories and neither had or have the power to effect programming or scrap the licence fee..

It’s a culture war shot across the bows from Cummings to distract from the genuine incompetence and malevolence of the Johnson government. Don’t get distracted. For the record Greg Dyke liked red mullet and Gavyn Davies hated BBC coffee.

My new book, ‘Tales from the BBC boardroom: what the tea boy saw’ will be out in January.

I probably could write a book about those years. Once Vanessa Feltz stormed up to me and took my personal mobile out of my hands and rang her fitness trainer/lover and they had a screaming argument whilst I stood there awkwardly. I saved his number for a bit. Never used it.