This reminded me that prior to writing for the Guardian, Christopher Lloyd was also a contributor to the Observer. Or rather, he wasn't...
In 1988, I joined the Observer (one of the more serious British Sunday newspapers, American readers) as deputy editor of the colour supplement. It had been going through a bit of a strange era with lots of changes of editors and contributors and so on. As deputy, my job was to look after things like budgets and production.
We had a whizzkid deputy managing director at the time who was very keen on saving money, and was always nagging me to make economies (sack a few journalists, that sort of thing).
One day he came to me with a list of contributors who, he said, were paid each month but never seemed to contribute. I was able to tell him that all but one were the real names of people who compiled crosswords and bridge columns and puzzles etc under pseudonyms. The only one I could not account for was a C Lloyd.
I cudgelled my brains for a couple of days and then dimly remembered that Christopher Lloyd had written for the Observer at one point. Good grief, could it possibly be him?
I asked the sub-editors and they said, yes, Christopher Lloyd did indeed write a column until it was chucked out by Dennis Hackett (a former editor of Nova magazine and Today newspaper). This had been about a year previously.
I rang Christopher Lloyd and put it to him (as they say in court) that he was on the Observer's pay roll. Yes, indeed, he said.
But you never write anything, I said.
No, he said.
We had a whizzkid deputy managing director at the time who was very keen on saving money, and was always nagging me to make economies (sack a few journalists, that sort of thing).
One day he came to me with a list of contributors who, he said, were paid each month but never seemed to contribute. I was able to tell him that all but one were the real names of people who compiled crosswords and bridge columns and puzzles etc under pseudonyms. The only one I could not account for was a C Lloyd.
I cudgelled my brains for a couple of days and then dimly remembered that Christopher Lloyd had written for the Observer at one point. Good grief, could it possibly be him?
I asked the sub-editors and they said, yes, Christopher Lloyd did indeed write a column until it was chucked out by Dennis Hackett (a former editor of Nova magazine and Today newspaper). This had been about a year previously.
I rang Christopher Lloyd and put it to him (as they say in court) that he was on the Observer's pay roll. Yes, indeed, he said.
But you never write anything, I said.
No, he said.
But we pay you, I said.
If you're stupid enough to pay me for not writing anything, he said, I'm certainly not going to make a fuss about it.
Would you like to write for us, I said. Since we are paying you.
I'd be delighted, he said.
And so the Christopher Lloyd column was reinstated in the Observer. For about five minutes. I was incredibly excited about it, but no one else seemed to share my enthusiasm. About a year later, he went to the Guardian. Who can blame him? We had one of the best gardening writers in history and no one gave a toss.
Would you like to write for us, I said. Since we are paying you.
I'd be delighted, he said.
And so the Christopher Lloyd column was reinstated in the Observer. For about five minutes. I was incredibly excited about it, but no one else seemed to share my enthusiasm. About a year later, he went to the Guardian. Who can blame him? We had one of the best gardening writers in history and no one gave a toss.
