Succession star Brian Cox was on tough talking form at the BFI Southbank last night, giving his pet peeves both barrels in a way that would have made Logan Roy proud.
Looking back on his career, a grumpy Cox declared war on the “vicious” new cancel culture. “We’re living in this horrible age now where we want to cancel people left, right and centre,” he said. “I find it hypocritical. Let him without sin cast the first stone... and there is a lot of casting of stones which is needless.”
The actor then moved on to Donald Trump, whom he declared one of life’s out and out “villains”. Saying Trump “wouldn’t know the truth if it s**t on him”, Cox added that the presidential hopeful is “senile” too. “He should just be taken away somewhere and put in a nice little home,” Cox seethed.
Cox was chatting with Mark Kermode to mark 50 years on screen, though he’s actually been around longer than that. He recalled Princess Margaret groping him after an early stage role, and spoke of his regrets that Anthony Hopkins made millions from playing Hannibal Lecter, when Cox played him first. “If you win an Oscar your price goes up,” Cox said, before counting his blessings. “My price is not too bad now.”
It’s all hot air as Piers takes the Tube
Piers Morgan was spotted on a very hot Jubilee line carriage on his way to the National Television Awards at the O2 Arena last night, saying it was the first time he’d ridden it for 30 years. He didn’t win, but neither did ex-colleagues at ITV’s GMB.
Earlier, Piers had interviewed Liz Truss’s old pal Kwasi Kwarteng for his channel TalkTV, and demanded an apology for their disastrous mini-budget. Kwarteng accused Piers of trying to “humiliate” him, and said he wouldn’t wear a “hair shirt”. Piers did get Kwarteng to admit that Elton John’s Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word is “a very good song”. Truss came to power a year ago. When Morgan asked if he was the shortest-serving chancellor of modern times, Kwarteng quickly replied: “Well, actually, Iain Macleod was.” Macleod died suddenly after a few weeks in office in 1970.
Dame Viv’s campaigning spirit remains at ELLE
Dame Vivienne Westwood’s granddaughter Cora Corré kept the late fashion icon’s activist spirit alive last night at the Elle Style Awards. Picking up the Lifetime Achievement prize from Bianca Jagger on behalf of Dame Viv, Corré attacked the DSEI arms fair, which is set to clash with London Fashion Week this month. Also
at the Old Sessions House were new Dr Who Ncuti Gatwa and singer Griff, while rapper Stormzy turned up late and said sorry for “not having any style”, as his stylist is on holiday. Tailor Ozwald Boateng congratulated his model daughter Emilia for graduating earlier in the day.
Stones take Hackney
The Rolling Stones are back in London, and they seem to have a penchant for our local newspapers. Sir Mick Jagger posted this picture with US chat show host Jimmy Fallon yesterday, both reading the Hackney Citizen. The Stones teased their new album Hackney Diamonds with a fake advert in rival paper the Hackney Gazette. This week’s Citizen warns of school closures in the borough. The Stones are doing a press conference there today, and guitar god Keith Richards got masked up and shades on to fly in from his Connecticut home.
