Continuing the Dickens theme, today saw the death of the actor Jack Wild, the Artful Dodger in Lionel Bart's musical 'Oliver'. It's one of my favourites and Wild's enduring image will be his arm around the shoulders of Mark Lester singing 'Consider Yourself - one of us!' Rest in peace, sir.

Liking musicals gets me into no end of trouble with Calliope. I forgive her, for she knows not what she does. In the office today, I offered to lend KB my copy of 'Bugsy Malone' on DVD. You'd have thought I'd offered her my syphilis......

Those two, sadly, are a pair of cultural pygmies.......!

Last song on the iPod: Billy Bragg - Like Soldiers Do