An erstwhile colleague in his Guardian days where he was the arts correspondent went on to greater things as the great Milton Shulman’s worthy successor as drama critic of the Evening Standard, and he’s retired from Fleet Street so the Critics Circle gave him lunch at L’etoile. It is, of course, Nicholas de Jong who has found new fame as a playwright himself with Plague Over England, and was that afternoon to sign a film contract. Nick has a Bodleian full of anecdotes, but he gave us his favourite which comes not from his career but from his school. The ‘seriously stupid’ headmaster had invited Dame Edith Evans to be the guest at the annual speech day, and turning to her idly asked if she had ever played Lady Macbeth. ‘N-n-nevah!’ she expostulated in her finest ‘uh hairndbairg…?’ style; the fool persevered – why not, he asked? ‘Because I could not play a woman with such a peculiar notion of hos-pitaliteah!’