He knows a lot, and is still desperate to know more, but he doesn't pontificate or fence himself into ideological corners. He knows that if you want to influence people, you must first find ways to keep them turning the page. We are lucky to have him, and more so now that he is, as he puts it, alone with his writing.

As James cannot find it within himself to write a dull paragraph, his book is an entertaining read. But there’s no hiding the fact that the material on showbusiness and television has been well worked elsewhere.