And there's more

Robert von Peston

Briefly, a few final thoughts on this morning The Andrew Marr Show (which I enjoyed):

1. If the German Ambassador to the UK, Peter Wittig, ruffled his hair a bit and made his clothes look as if they've just been chucked on, he'd be a dead ringer for Robert Peston. 

2. Andrew declared his belief that Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is "possibly the greatest musical ever written" in anticipation of a gorgeous performance of Summertime by Nadine Benjamin. Is it nit-picking to remind him that it's actually an opera? (Probably). The gentle close was drowned out by someone on the production bellowing out a 'Wayyyy!' like an outsized foghorn. (Had Rob Burley sneaked in?)

3. Today's luvvie-kissie film director (etc) Steve McQueen got the usual invite to remoan about Brexit and told an absolute towering inferno of a tale:

Andrew Marr: And you've chosen to live and bring your family up in Amsterdam - so you've also got an interesting perspective on Brexit, and you've talked about the difference an atmosphere in Amsterdam. 

Steve McQueen: I'll tell you a story. So, I was bringing my son to school, and it was the day of Brexit, the morning of Brexit. And a friend of mine came up to me, and was crying. And I thought, what's going on? He said Steve, look, this Brexit thing. I don't want our sons to go to war. I really don't. This is the starting of something...

4. Andrew got a laugh from the ladies on the sofa for his quip about the Mail on Sunday's headline concerning Mrs May's fallout with the BBC over the Budget: 

The Mail on Sunday has a story about a row between Number Ten and the BBC, I have to say that after 40 years or thereabouts in the business this is less news than a fact of daily life. 

5. I do like Andrew's lead-ins to the weather, as he's endlessly inventive with them. Today's, however, might see him get banned from the BBC. He could be the new Lord Lawson or Quentin Letts, cast out into Siberia:

And so to the weather. The weather news, as reported this week, was that global warming is propelling us into an era of more extreme weather. It hasn't felt like that, this week, at least. Dullish and rainy, then brightish and fresher. It is exactly what we would expect at the beginning of November. I wonder what the outlook is for Firework Night tomorrow? 

And, as per a comment earlier today, what's with 'Firework Night' there? Why not Guy Fawkes Night? Or Bonfire Night? Is this something new, something Winterval-like? Or is it a Scottish thing?