Leading article: Andrew Marr clearly knows how to ride the wave of fashion

Fans of The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 on Sunday will be pondering the significance of a subtle but indicative change to the opening shots, witnessed for the first time yesterday. Gone is the nifty open-top sports car in which the presenter used to arrive at BBC headquarters via a pit stop at the newsagents.

In has become an old-fashioned-looking Vespa scooter, painted in a retro mint or duck egg colour – the kind of vehicle that tends to bring to mind vintage Italian movies starring Gina Lollobrigida or Audrey Hepburn.

Behind the times? Not a whit. The Mod look is back in vogue these days, boosted by the triumphs of the self-confessed Mod and Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins. And, trademark sideburns aside, what can be more Mod-like than riding a Vespa or Lambretta? Mr Marr has made a clever fashion statement. By looking like a Mod, he's very à la mode.