The Les Humphries Singers

It's a very big day for me today, work-wise. Probably the biggest day in the working year. The guests are invited, the music is done, the numbers finalised. So wish me luck.

So to take our minds off things, let's talk about Jamie Oliver and his new American odyssey.

Did you see this? He's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Sometimes he's mine, sometimes not. I either love him or hate him, and I think that's probably how we all feel. He's clearly mellowed a lot, especially since he's had kids. He's not quite so manic and irritating, but he's quite obviously a man with a lot on his mind.

I quite enjoyed his new show, but he's got this terrible habit of making something, then when tasting it, walking away backwards as if waiting for some flash of lightning. Of course what he's created is always marvellous, but at least he's not got that Valentine Warner affectation of going, 'Mmmm, that is serioulsy, really, really, really, good', about his own food. Where's the modesty.

In the course of the show, Jamie met and cooked with ex-Mexican gangsteers in East LA. He was terrified underneath, you could tell, and kept calling his cooking cohorts things like bruv and brother, and high-fiving them. He was embarrassed to be white and rich and tried to cover it all up by being super-casual, and though he did quite a good job he was definitely pleased to get out of there.

I've warmed to him again. I've met him on a couple of occasions and found him to be a bit frosty, which always colours one's judgment, but I'm prepared to overlook it.

See you in the morning.