Boris Johnson’s new biography of Winston Churchill could be read to an intelligent child before bedtime or by a curious teenager who remembered that George Bush borrowed a bronze bust of Churchill for his presidency. Most independent readers will find it easy going because the message is clear: Churchill was great; but more than that, he wasn’t quite the way he is depicted nowadays, even by his supporters. The Churchill that emerges from these pages is a prodigious writer and reader, soldier, politician (obviously), journalist, husband, father, wit, ambitious and pragmatic operator as well as ridiculously prolific producer of memos, policy documents, commentary on any manner of issues, the inventor of the tank (they’re called tanks because the military tried to keep their precise purpose secret by describing them as water tanks for troops) and…you get the idea. Johnson sets out to take in turn every conceivable criticism of WSC and turn it upside down as you would a dustbin full of blasphemous printed scorn and, after pimping it to resemble a lever-arch folder, refill it with corrections, more accurate accounts and maybe excuses too, not to mention sentimental anecdotes and in fairness the odd admission. There’s little doubt the great one had his faults to which he himself admitted. He was narcissistic and self-assured, reckless and rude, exploitative and contemptuous of party politics. Ironically, this last accusation is an asset in politicians now. Much of what he said would not fly nowadays, especially in uber PC Britain. But the thing about Churchill was that he had enormous personality and, if Johnson is right, compassion and vision to boot. He had it all, kind of – a bit of family dysfunction and depression colours a historical figure, though the book claims his black dog...

Doctor Who’s eighth series has come and gone and it was one of the better ones. In fact, it was quite excellent, compared to Steven Moffat’s series 6 in particular. There were a lot of good episodes, a lot of good monsters, and, most importantly, a lot of good acting, specifically from Jenna Coleman. Those who are familiar with Doctor Who will know that Jenna Coleman’s character Clara Oswin Oswald was introduced to us as a plot device. She wasn’t really a companion; she was mostly a mystery to be solved. And she stayed that way for all of her first series without getting a lot of character development or a lot of opportunity to show off her talents. She was rather forgettable and I wanted her gone. Then series eight happened, and I realised that Jenna Coleman could actually act. Which was nice. The series opener, “Deep Breath,” gave us a pleasant hint of what was to come as did “Into the Dalek” and “Robots of Sherwood.” In “Listen” she improved. In “The Caretaker” she improved again. In “Kill the Moon” she became one of my favourite companions. Now I want to make it perfectly clear that I strongly disliked most of that episode due to its large assortment of scientific errors and gaping plot holes. However the last five minutes – when Clara stormed out of the TARDIS – were spectacular. Jenna Coleman delivered some of the best acting on Doctor Who since its reboot in 2005. Peter Capaldi, the new Doctor, a favourite actor of mine, had been outshone. Jenna Coleman stole the show, in that episode and in many of the following episodes, and that was fine. I’m happy that she has had such a wonderful opportunity to showcase her...