AT THE Daily Record, those journalists old-fashioned enough to want to get out of the office are being told to use company pool cars. Sadly, these vehicles have, we are told, seen better days. Our source tells us that one car in particular hasn't even got wing mirrors. Surely a serious disadvantage when engaging in Starsky-esque car chases with The Scottish Sun.
Noticed on the BBC iPlayer site last week: the three most watched shows were Glamour Girls, Eastenders and Page Three Teens. What a vote of thanks for those BBC staffers trying to provide a public service! Whaur's your Lord Reith now?
We note that Jenni Lang, communications manager at PriceWaterhouseCooper, is jumping ship on Tuesday to become corporate communications manager for Scottish Gas. Lang has close links to the Lib Dems, having once been part of the party's media team and helped out on the PR side during general elections. For a company inextricably linked to gas, these political love-ins are becoming something of a habit. Lang's job was once held by Kevin Pringle, the SNP diehard and adviser to Alex Salmond; while Carol Aitken, Lang's boss to be, used to be married to a Tory MP. Staff reunions seem set to be a tense affair.
MW likes a man who cuts to the chase. Following Rangers' historic victory over Fiorentina, Scotland on Sunday editor Les Snowdon emailed all his contacts, including former first minister Jack McConnell, with simple request: "Can anyone help me secure a couple of tickets for the Uefa Cup final in Manchester?" Acknowledging that there is many a senior Scottish hack attempting to pull strings in a less upfront manner, MW is only too happy to spread the net wider. Anyone able to oblige should contact Les at Scotland On Sunday.
Sunday Herald diplomatic editor Trevor Royle appeared on the BBC's The ONE Show last week. Interviewing him at Stirling Castle about the origins of Andy Stewart's classic ditty A Scottish Soldier was Myleene Klass, below, the pop star and all-round sex kitten. Royle held his nerve, however, and just about kept his mind on military matters. "She was very easy on the eye, very natural and very professional," he admits gruffly. "The admiration was mutual, of course." The odds of a Christmas duet start shortening now.