The feral beast: It's fatty all the way

Rakish Telegraph diarist Tim Walker has developed an intriguing obsession with fatties. His lead on Friday reported that Andy Kershaw had criticised Matt Frei for his "incongruously ample figure" waddling around Haiti, and a second story was about talent show judge Nigel Lythgoe telling showbiz figures when they get fat. Only last month Walker found himself in hot water for writing about fellow theatre critic Ian Shuttleworth's tummy, and was reported to the Press Complaints Commission. Now they have rejected it, there's no stopping him!

Seat of De'Ath

Furrowed brows at The Oldie as staff decide who to put next to columnist Wilfred De'Ath at next Tuesday's The Oldie of the Year Awards. Half of the people he has sat next to at the annual lunch have died within a year, including Spike Milligan, Larry Adler, Ian Richardson and Mordecai Richler, earning him the nickname 'Kiss of De'Ath'. My call makes the task even harder for the editorial assistant charged with making the seating plan. "Now we'll have to choose someone who doesn't read newspapers." she sighs.

Newspaper of the media elite

As the newspaper of the people, The Sun likes to include a reader in its daily round-up of celebrity birthdays. On Friday, it was one Will Hagerty, "a Sun reader from Wimbledon, south-west London, 40". Could this be the same Will Hagerty who is a senior executive at the paper and son of veteran critic Bill Hagerty? Who knew The Sun had become the paper of the metropolitan media elite?

What a night at the theatre

Time for a Jaws-style voiceover – "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." The former Evening Standard theatre critic Nicholas de Jongh was spotted out on the first-night circuit last week. De Jongh – notorious for taking off his shirt on hot nights – was to be found at both the Old Vic and the Garrick for their latest openings. Enough to give his successor, Henry Hitchings, nightmares.

Politics beckons

Farewell to Antonia Cox, who has left the Evening Standard as a leader writer. The brainy former banker has long harboured political ambitions, and is now working for shadow Transport minister Theresa Villiers, and last year she was named prospective parliamentary candidate for Islington South. We wish her well.