He’s arguably the world’s greatest living pop musician, but it appears even Sir Paul McCartney suffers from ‘imposter syndrome’ and lacks confidence.
Macca has revealed he’s surprised The Beatles are still remembered at all. ‘I’m very proud and pleased and slightly amazed that it’s still being listened to after 50 years,’ the singer says. ‘I don’t quite understand it.’
He adds: ‘I wish I knew I was Paul McCartney; it would be so much easier. You can achieve a lot of fame but we’re all a bit fragile inside.
‘Everyone has this, ”Should I? Shouldn’t I?”. Even the biggest braggarts, guys who you would think never worry about a thing, when you get to know them a bit more, you realise they’re just like the rest of us.’
Macca has revealed he’s surprised The Beatles are still remembered at all
Sir Paul, 78, envies the self-confidence of fellow Sixties star Bob Dylan, 79. ‘I always like what he does,’ McCartney says.
‘Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob. He’s legendary…and doesn’t give a s**t! But I’m not like that.’
Meanwhile, Sir Paul fondly recalls the times he caught fleas when on holiday with John Lennon in Paris.
‘I tend to think back to early times,’ he tells Uncut magazine.
‘I remember we tried to hitchhike to Spain once but we only got as far as Paris. We liked it so much we stayed there, just the two of us.
‘We were in this little hotel in Paris, it was so cheap it had fleas. My mum was a nurse, we were very hygienic then you end up there — bloody hell. Those things bring you together.’
‘I’m very proud and pleased and slightly amazed that it’s still being listened to after 50 years,’ the singer says. ‘I don’t quite understand it
A candid insight from Greg Dyke into his managerial style while he was director-general of the BBC.
He recalls attending England’s famous 5-1 World Cup qualification victory over Germany in Munich in 2001 and then ordering the Beeb to repeat the game the following night just so he could watch it on television.
‘On the way back I was with [BBC director of television] Mark Thompson,’ Dyke says. ‘I said to him: “Why don’t we play it again?” It was such a great game.
‘So we phoned up the controller of BBC One and told him to play it again on Sunday night. We played the whole game again so we could watch it this time. That really is an abuse of power, isn’t it?’
As for the viewing figures, Dyke confesses, ‘I didn’t really care — I just wanted to see it again.’
Lord Reith would be spinning in his grave.
Mick Jagger may be an icon of the Swinging Sixties, but his daughter, Georgia May, has paid homage to another symbol of the era
Mick Jagger may be an icon of the Swinging Sixties, but his daughter, Georgia May, has paid homage to another symbol of the era.
To amuse herself during lockdown, the 28-year-old model dressed up as Jane Fonda in the 1968 film Barbarella.
Emulating the Hollywood star, who played a futuristic space traveller, she coiffed her blonde hair and wore thick eyeliner while dressed in a semi-sheer black top with silver metallic detailing (far right).
‘Here’s Barbarella,’ she teased.
To amuse herself during lockdown, the 28-year-old model dressed up as Jane Fonda in the 1968 film Barbarella
Being forbidden from seeing our extended families might have its advantages, claims TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp.
‘This is an opportunity to have the Christmas you always secretly wanted,’ she tells me.
‘There’ll be a large minority of people for whom spending their day in pyjamas and not having to see anyone or do anything might be a joy.’
However, Kirstie won’t be short of company: she has two children and two stepchildren with her property developer partner Ben Andersen.
Doughty baroness Emma Nicholson has been forced to soundproof her living room since discovering a new enthusiasm for making music.
Diagnosed as deaf at 16, she studied cello, piano and singing at the Royal Academy of Music before entering politics and is now learning new instruments including the organ and flute. Lady Nicholson, 79, also has a piano but needs to buy a thick green baize curtain to block out the sound.
‘I have to think of the neighbours,’ she tells me.
‘Once you have practised playing double thirds in different keys and contrapuntally for an hour, they are not longing to see you again.’
I can disclose that Camilla Henderson (pictured), 33, has got engaged to film producer Mark Stewart, 40, whose horses are trained by Nicky’s rival, Paul Nicholls
As the trainer of Her Majesty’s racehorses, Nicky Henderson does his best to identify winners.
But his daughter is betting on a stud from a rival stables. I can disclose that Camilla, 33, has got engaged to film producer Mark Stewart, 40, whose horses are trained by Nicky’s rival, Paul Nicholls.
‘When Mark went to ask permission to marry me, Dad joked that perhaps he wanted to move his horses, too,’ Camilla tells me.
She insists, though: ‘Everyone is very happy.’
Sports psychologist Camilla says they’ll wait until the Covid crisis is over before tying the knot. ‘Dad wants a big party — and Paul will be invited.’
The love life of Paul Bettany’s dad sounds more dramatic than the plot of any of his films.
‘I had a gay father who died a couple of years ago,’ the Hollywood star says. ‘He came out of the closet at 63. It was a joyous relief for everybody, actually.
‘And once his partner died, my dad decided to go back inside the closet, and say that it all had been a big misunderstanding. Because he was a Catholic and concerned about getting past Peter through the pearly gates.’
When Gladiator star Russell Crowe was pictured kissing and hugging his rumoured girlfriend, Britney Theriot, after a tennis match in Sydney this week, it was assumed she had inspired his fitness drive
When Gladiator star Russell Crowe was pictured kissing and hugging his rumoured girlfriend, Britney Theriot, after a tennis match in Sydney this week, it was assumed she had inspired his fitness drive.
I can reveal that it was, in fact, The Apprentice’s Alan Sugar who was leading him to work up a sweat from the other side of the net.
‘I think Russell has recently taken up the sport,’ Lord Sugar tells me. ‘I had not played since January this year, shortly after my knee replacement.
‘Russell lent me a racquet and I played like a lame giraffe, but got better after the first set.’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak spent more than £500million on his Eat Out To Help Out scheme, but he couldn’t save his local restaurant. TV chef Michel Roux Jr is to close his dining room in Parliament Square.
‘Our restaurant has regrettably suffered during this incredibly difficult year,’ a spokesman confirms.
‘That, combined with the ongoing uncertainty ahead, has resulted in the permanent closure of Roux at Parliament Square.’