Today, I met one of the world’s few remaining legends. Yes, today, I met Len Goodman! For those that, for some inexplicable reason, don’t know who he is, I will quote from the blurb on his wonderful bible-for-the-21st-Century, Better Late Than Never:
“In an age of ill-deserved celebrity, Len Goodman is a man who’s truly earned his moment in the spotlight. At near-pensionable age, his big heart, cheeky sense of humour and no-nonsense advice have turned him into an unlikely idol for millions.”
He is also the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, the greatest show™ on English TV. For those that really don’t know, Strictly Come Dancing is a show that exemplifies the twin pillars of British Civilization, celebrities and ballroom dancing. Anyway, Len was down at Westfield® London to sign copies of his (aforementioned) book. He was a true gent, coming into the store with his trademarked “seVEN!” and signing books and posing for photos. There were a few photographers from the local papers, brandishing their Canon 1D Mark iii’s and Canon L Lenses. When I stood next to them with my little T2, they noticed and crowded round to get a look at an “old skool film camera”. It was pretty sweet, the huge security guard looked pretty impressed.
When it came to my turn, Len was incredibly cool, even posing for a photo with me. Unfortunately, at that exact moment my camera decided to die, failing to load the new film properly, no matter how many times I tried, and leaving me without my future-family-heirloom. The security guard looked decidedly less impressed. I think that the problem may have been that Len’s devastating power, when looking directly into the camera, is too powerful for film, and can only be captured by digital technology. When I got home, I found that the next film worked fine, which just served to confirm my theory. All in all, it was Strictly Wonderful!
There’s a couple of other photos from Westfield® London in there too, this time from the opening day’s crowds coming to worship at this new temple to Mammon.
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