Who Showed up for the Daddy???

Last night's opening night of Who's the Daddy? caused a paparazzi frenzy at Islington's tiny King's Head Theatre (See News, 27 Jun 2005). But which of the political and media gliterati were brave enough to turn up for the new farce about David Blunkett, Boris Johnson and various Spectator-centred scandals, written by the magazines own theatre critics, Toby Young and Lloyd Evans? Much to the dismay of the photographers, none were in attendance. Aside from the cast and authors, they had to make do with Sheridan Morley (who Spectator editor Johnson sacked a few years back in favour of Young). Apparently, neither Blunkett nor Johnson has been to see the show yet – though their lawyers have. One of the other philanderers portrayed, Spectator writer Rod Liddle, did however attend a preview. His verdict, published this past weekend in the Sunday Times was fairly uncomplimentary: “this witless amalgam of knob jokes, bum jokes, tit jokes, single entendres, buggeries and blow jobs” is, he wrote, “entirely untroubled by even the slenderest vestiges of insight, of a sense of darkness, of subtlety, of sharpness, devoid of a single killer line.” Though Young and Evans have kept their jobs at the Spectator - which, in Liddle’s view, is “a testament to the magnanimity and generosity of the man, Johnson, they have so delighted in publicly humiliating” – it looks unlikely that either of them, or indeed anyone else, will be reviewing Who's the Daddy? for the weekly magazine.

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