Pandora: Anne would have been a weak link, says Ken

(PA; BBC)

Naturally, we think Anne Robinson would have made a splendid mayor of London. Ken Livingstone, however, begs to differ.

"Who is she?" he enquires of Pandora. "Is she that mean woman off the telly?" Yes Ken. Come on, you know her: The Weakest Link? The Queen of Mean?

Eventually, he twigs – but City Hall's newt-loving former inhabitant is unimpressed, claiming that had she, as the Tories wanted, run instead of Boris, he would still be mayor.

"She would never have won," he insists. "To succeed you need people to agree with you and that's seemingly not one of her skills."

He continues: "Names are always put into the camp but the reality is that very few come to fruition. It's six months on the road through the worst of weather, and what's exhausting about the campaign is the energy you have to put in to talking and listening. You have to be an encouraging presence. There is nothing that is encouraging about reality television."

No sour grapes over Peaches' role

Despite her detachment from Disappear Here (her name, for the moment, has vansihed from the editorial masthead) Peaches Geldof's journalistic career continues to advance with mysterious velocity. Bob Geldof's daughter has just been named as GMTV's roving reporter for New York Fashion week, usually a privilege reserved for the show's long-serving "Fashion Expert" Mark Heyes. Not that he's bitter. "Having been myself I know Peaches will have a crazy time running between shows," he tells us. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Panic stations at the Commons

Not long to go until the resumption of the Westminster term, and with it the annual rush of interns. To help out, authorities have provided a handy manual for researchers, A Researcher's Guide to Managing an Intern, or "Help, there's someone in my office!" Begins the guide: "So you get there on your first day, open the post, change the voicemail recording... You're about to tackle your inbox, when there's a coughing noise in the corner of the room. There, nervously trying to check Facebook, is an intern. Argh!" Oh, dear.

How very un-Christian of you

Scant remorse from Christian O'Connell regarding David Cameron's effervescent interview on his Absolute Radio breakfast show.

"I couldn't help myself from going, 'That's fantastic'," the presenter confesses in this week's Radio Times.

"It's very unprofessional for any young broadcasters reading this, but this is the man who could be at No 10, and he's the man who's sworn the most out of anyone I've ever interviewed. Even Liam Gallagher didn't swear as much as him.

"My dad's a Tory and thought this was a deliberate plot by me to try and be involved in some sort of Cameron downfall."

Boris makes one Elle of a cover star

Who would have thought it: Boris Johnson's bottom, reunited with the editor's chair so soon? This time, though, it's not The Spectator that has the honour but Elle. The glossy magazine has invited London's Mayor to pen an editor's letter and pose for its cover shoot in celebration of London Fashion Week. Observes Bozza: "They took what for many might seem a huge risk. Who would have expected me to grace an Elle cover – or any other fashion magazine?" Er... anyone?

pandora@independent.co.uk