Jo Brand appeared in a Labour Party election broadcast backing charisma-free Ed Miliband, who in 2015 assured Jeremy Paxman, ‘Hell, yes I’m tough enough [to be PM]’ – before his drubbing by David Cameron.
But the zealously Left-wing comedienne is not convinced that Sir Keir Starmer has what it takes to carry on at No 10. ‘I don’t feel that he’s hard enough or simple enough for the job in some ways,’ she declares.
‘I’ve met him on quite a few occasions and he’s a nice guy, but I think it’s so about PR these days,’ explains the 68-year-old Have I Got News For You regular.
Citing a fellow comic, Brand told her audience at a gig in south-east London: ‘Billy Connolly used to say that anyone who wants to go into politics shouldn’t be allowed to, and I think that is very much true.
Jo Brand is not convinced Sir Keir Starmer is the right man to be Labour’s Prime Minister
‘Anyone who has ambition and craves the amount of power that politicians have is quite dangerous in some ways, so it’s a difficult one.’
Starmer’s political ambitions can be traced back to his days as a student. So deeply entrenched were his convictions that, as revealed by the Mail last year, he attended a Left-wing work camp in 1980s Communist Czechoslovakia, then occupied by Moscow forces.
Sir Keir has proved an unpopular PM. A YouGov poll this month showed just 18 per cent of the British public have a favourable opinion of him.
Brand’s politics have been controversial, too. In 2019, she got into trouble for ‘joking’ on BBC Radio 4 comedy show Heresy: ‘I’m thinking, why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?’ after Nigel Farage had a drink thrown at him. The BBC ruled that her comments ‘went beyond what was appropriate’.
Tilda’s fears for kids on social media
Tilda Swinton, speaking at the V&A in Kensington, is nervous about children on social media
She imposed 100 years of winter in Narnia as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.
And Tilda Swinton is frozen in time in real life. ‘I am one of the last humans on the planet who has never had anything to do with social media,’ the actress reveals, adding: ‘I don’t really know how it operates. Posting? Honestly, I am that Luddite.’
Speaking at the V&A in Kensington, Swinton, 65, explains: ‘One thing that makes me nervous about social media – I am fearful that young people edit their lives and edit their communication with other humans too much and only put their best foot forward on their social media presence.
‘When you’re in actual communication with people, you can’t [do that]. You might miss out on some really useful mess.’
Darcey Russell: No pain, no gain
At the peak of her dancing success, Dame Darcey Bussell pushed her body to extremes to achieve perfection.
But now the 56-year-old, who at 20 became the Royal Ballet’s youngest principal dancer in 1989, has admitted that she took a secret delight in suffering for her art.
‘For me the pain was a bit of a pleasure zone, not that I am a masochist, but you get to enjoy that physical pain,’ she tells model Jean Campbell – daughter of Scots peer Colin Campbell, 7th Earl Cawdor – on her I’m Fine podcast. ‘To whinge and moan about your body being in pain can just get in the way of your work.’
Why Daniel isn’t getting the cosmetic knives out
Daniel Craig stars in the latest Knives Out film on Netflix, but won’t be going under one himself
His glacial blue stare, chiselled features and ripped physique made him a model Bond. But now that Daniel Craig is branching into character roles, having retired as 007 in 2021, he insists ageing gracefully is the only way forward.
The 57-year-old, who stars in Knives Out on Netflix, says: ‘CGI is a wonderful tool to use in movies because you can invent things, but it is only as good as the artist behind it. It’s the same with [a] facelift. It is only as good as the artist who is behind it.
‘A good facelift is like you’ve been away on holiday, and you look great. A bad facelift is like, ‘What the f*** is going on.’ There’s only so much you can do with a skull.’
Or a pair of budgie smugglers.
Idris has Christmas all wrapped up
Idris Elba won’t be doing any panic buying tomorrow. His wife, former Miss Vancouver Sabrina Dhowre, has revealed the Luther star never buys her gifts, at least not himself.
‘I try very hard not to prescribe gifts, but I know our personal shopper – the one he uses,’ Sabrina, 36, explains. ‘So, I sometimes whisper in her ear, “If he ever mentions this thing, maybe guide him a bit this way.” ’
But Mrs Elba’s Christmas wish list isn’t entirely empty. ‘He knows there are some things I will never buy myself and I’m the same for him because we try not to focus too much on material things, although it is very hard because I’m obsessed with fashion.’
West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher says she finally feels free to get tattoos – in her 30s.
Currently appearing in Elf The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the 33-year-old tells me: ‘I didn’t get my first big tattoo until I was 30, so I waited until I felt safe enough to do that. If I’d got my tattoos at the beginning of my career, I’d definitely have done myself out of a few jobs.’
Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, 37, has described how his family make him emotional, especially his 11-year-old niece.
The Oxford-born actor, who has three older sisters, said: ‘I get moved to tears by family quite a lot, like my niece was pupil of the week. She’s so sweet, she’s just started senior school, and I was just so proud of her.’
Edited by Chloe Thomas
