The Feral Beast: Down to earth?

Now that London Mayor Boris Johnson has scrapped City Hall's in-house mag, will Whitehall departments follow? Defra's glossy 'Landscape' is known as 'Landfill' so often does it land straight in the bin.

Till-ringing approval

Westfield, Britain's newest shopping centre, has received a glowing endorsement in 'The Daily Telegraph' from its shopping columnist, Mary Portas. The paper noted that Portas has "advised" Westfield. Er, just a bit. Portas has been paid to manage the PR for the launch of the £1.7bn West London complex.

Game is the Spur

Football writer Martin Samuel, in his 'Times' column, compares the ill-fated Spurs to the 'Daily Express'. A peculiar juxtaposition, you might think, until you realise that Samuel is shortly to join the 'Daily Mail' for a salary reportedly north of £400,000. The 'Express' is, of course, chief rival of the 'Mail'.

Striking sail

George Osborne's wife Frances (below) once warned in hip women's monthly 'Frank' of the woes of owning a yacht. If only the Osbornes had chartered one last summer, Gideon might never have been drawn to the 'Queen K'.

Modesty forbids

It's in the blood for the Harmsworth family, and now Geraldine, sister of 'Daily Mail' proprietor Lord Rothermere, is taking up journalism. She is writing for new upper-crust web-magazine 'International Life'. In a bid not to trade on her illustrious family name, Geraldine's byline uses her husband's name, Maxwell.

Guilty, but not alone

'Sunday Express' theatre critic Mark Shenton unusually turns his guns on himself, admitting to falling asleep during a production of 'Waste' at the Almeida and getting a fact wrong. What a pity he goes on to point out that two other critics, one in the 'Tribune' and another in the 'Jewish Chronicle', made the same mistake.