Jamie on not sounding like a nob

Interesting interview with Jamie Oliver in the Observer, including the revelation that he's now worth a stonking £225 million. No interview with Oliver can occur without a mention of Essex, of course. Writer Carole Cadwalladr describes him as, "recognisably still the fresh-faced, mop-topped Essex boy with a lisp and a habit of babbling words" and that in the US "even Oliver's cheery Essex boy charm couldn't make much headway. There's also a recognisably Essex sentiment from Oliver himself: "He's also, as he tells me later, 'a very strange brand, a celebrity disruptive force'. Though moments later, he says: 'It's a really weird thing to try to convey without sounding like a nob'." And perhaps that is part of Oliver's success. Money is ok is Essex but it's also very important to be down to earth and even when trying to change the nation's diet, not sound like nob. There's a lesson for us all there.

Made in Dagenham: The Musical

Back in 1968 the chances of the word Dagenham being up in lights at a West End theatre would have seemed as remote as West Ham not always having three players in the England side. But the relentless march of Essex across the cultural panorama continues with Made In Dagenham: The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre, based on the successful film. It opens on October 9, is directed by Rupert Goold and stars Gemma Arterton. The website already has a recording of Everybody Out, a nice combination of sixties-style music and Gemma's best glottal stops. The show makes much of the Essex link, with the trailer announcing "Meet the Essex girls who changed the world…" and introducing the plot as "Essex, 1968" rather than London. I'm looking forward to booking my tickets. Click on the link for details. Yesterday's industrial disputes are now the musicals of tomorrow. It can only be a few years before another Essex striker makes it to the West End and we have Bob Crow: The Musical…

Gaius in Harlow

And thanks to Richard Wilson for sending my daughters two signed pictures of himself as Gaius in Merlin following our meeting in Harlow. What a gent…