Good news from Lord Archer (Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare)

and good news for all lovers of Fine Quality all-leather-interior reading...


Return to London

Arrived back in England on Friday night, having completed the final editing of And Thereby Hangs a Tale. It's always a great moment when you pass a book over for the last time, knowing you won't see it again until it's in the bookshops. It's currently scheduled to be published on May 21st. I'm going to tease you by telling you the fifteen titles: Stuck on You, The Queen's Birthday Telegram, High Heels, Where there's a Will, Blind Date, Gloria, A Good Eye, The Undiplomatic Diplomat, Members Only, Green Belt, Politically Correct, No Room at the Inn, Double Cross, Better the Devil You Know, Caste Off. On Saturday afternoon, I watched my rugby team, Cambridge, beat Otley, 31-3, and remembering the problems we've been going through, it was an amazing result. Most clubs in this division, and probably those above and below, are facing some sort of financial crisis. Gone are the days when 15 amateurs turned up, threw on a shirt, played the game, had a pint, and went home. We now have 15 professionals, all paid, and if the income from the gate and sponsorship are not large enough, surprise surprise, you end up in debt. Now Manchester Utd may be able to handle a £750m debt, but for a club the size of Cambridge it gets difficult around the £200,000 mark. Still, we're battling away like so many other clubs, trying to make ends meet, and despite this, we're still fifth in the table. It's going to be a very different kind of team next year beause our new masters are wisely more interested in balancing the books than getting into a higher division and even higher debt. Bless them for that. In the evening, Mary and I went to the Cambridge Arts Theatre to see the Marlowe Society production of Twelfth Night, which was so unfair on any of the audience who had seen Derek Jacobi's recent devastating performance as Malvolio, backed up by an outstanding Donmar cast. But one mustn't forget that 50 years ago, Jacobi was a student at Cambridge, and who knows, in 50 years time someone may be blogging about how terrific one of these Marlowe students is, because in the great tradition of the Marlowe, they continue to produce many of our greatest actors. This afternoon I'm going to the Tate to see the Henry Moore exhibition, and this evening to the Cottesloe to see Really Old, Like Forty-Five. I will report on both tomorrow.