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| Yanis, with Mark Mardell (in a blond wig) riding behind |
I had a bad night's sleep last night.
Far too much time spent monitoring the BBC for bias made me dream about Radio 4's Front Row. I imagined them reporting a new Mills and Boons line of novels for gay men.
And this is what I imagined (and, yes, please brace yourselves for some gay erotica)....
A few hours after his surprise resignation, I chanced upon Yanis sitting in a cafe surrounded by friends.
Naturally I wanted a word.
During this brief and trivial conversation, I was entranced not only by his warm smile and engaging gaze, but by the vibrant deep blue of his shirt and its subtly rounded black squares.
I wondered where he had bought it. Not that it would fit me.
Yanis, unlike me, is a fitness fanatic and a hunk. He's a rock star. He wears a leather jacket, but never a suit and tie. He rides a motorbike. He oozes charm and charisma.
Half the world has a crush on Yanis. The looks have something to do with it.
His words seemed fresh - his directness, his ability to engage with the question - and, impressively in a foreign language, to use language both precisely and playfully.
I am thinking Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Chris Christie - but none of them have Yanis's pecs. And it goes deeper than that.
On my last evening in Athens, I went for a quiet, very large kebab in a side street in a working-class area. The owner, who has had a cafe for 10 years and opened this little joint three years ago, was eager to talk about Yanis.
He said Yanis was a rarity - he said what he meant and stuck to it.
One close observer of Greece, the scarcely-less-hunky Paul Mason of Channel 4 News, makes exactly this point in his engaging blog, adding that Yanis is both well hot and worth watching.
Yanis had exited stage left. Greece may follow.
As may my heart.
As often in a drama, the shocking killing off of a central character throws into stark relief the uncertain denouement of an unfolding story.
I feel like Echo bereft by Narcissus.
With barely a couple of dozen added words from me, that's my (slightly) cropped version of Mark Mardell's latest blogpost (all genuine MM...except for those couple of dozen or so words)...
All together now....Aaaahh!!!
[And, yes, the phrase 'Pecs appeal' came from MM's BBC online article].
Mark's post will soon be published as Mark Mardell's Diary. Renée Zellweger is said to be practising lowering her voice, re-learning the English accent and adding a few pounds again in anticipation of the resultant film.
Mark's post will soon be published as Mark Mardell's Diary. Renée Zellweger is said to be practising lowering her voice, re-learning the English accent and adding a few pounds again in anticipation of the resultant film.
