Just to pick up on another of my fandoms, Michael Palin was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland this week. I read earlier that it was ”n recognition of his contribution to the understanding of contemporary geography issues.” Programs about so-called celebrities going on journeys are tena-penny these days, but as far as I am concerned, Palin virtually created the genre. The current copycat series, with Joanna Lumley and so on, all stem from Palin’s Around The World in Eighty Days, Pole To Pole and Full Circle. As someone who has loved his programmes since childhood, it’s good to see Palin’s contribution being recognised.