Sublime

For a leading lady to bring me a letter from her father-in-law is a new experience. She is married to Michael Attenborough, son of Richard, and when Dickie was in New York recently for the opening of Young Winston I dropped him a note. His reply said it was very sweet of me to offer to look after Jane, adding that he knew I would do this anyway. Th

She herself later said: ‘It’s been a huge advantage during my professional career that I’ve always looked like a cheerful, fat missionary. It wouldn’t be any use if you went around looking sinister, would it?’ Any student who visited her sunlit office was entirely unaware that she stored a small, bejewelled revolver in her safe.