Today congratulations are in order to two people: firstly, Oxford university for winning the boat race. My older brother went there, so I kind of support oxford (I’ve always liked oxford since I found out that Tolkien taught there). On the other hand, Stephen Hawkins, a personal hero of mine, teaches at Cambridge, and it is also where Lightwriters are made, so my allegiances are kind of torn.

Congratulations are also due to the natural history unit of the bbc. Did you watch Planet Earth? It was quite, quite spectacular! In a way, I’d love to be a cameraman working ion one of those films: they seem to have great adventures amid some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. But then again, I would probably get bored and wander off to find a pub. Anyway, I can’t wait till part two, to be shown in the autumn.