Conference season is always a bit of a whirlwind. But Conference season with Grant Tucker is even more so. Thanks to Grant I met this familiar face. You might be looking at this picture and thinking we look a tad withered, a little red in the face perhaps. Well that's because meeting Boris Johnson isn't as easy as you might think.
I was in a fringe meeting when Grant came running in - can't really call it running, it was more like a brisk walk, his arms rigid and his hands flat at his sides like a regimental toy soldier - and grabbed me by my underarm: "KATY? Can I borrow you?"
I wasn't given a moment to respond as Grant whisked me out the door. Once outside the fringe meeting it was deemed necessary and acceptable to break into a full-speed-ahead sprint, Grant Tucker style. He screamed at me over his shoulder, his luscious lego-man locks shrouding his eyes: "Hurry up Katy! BORIS is on the MOVE!"
As we legged our way inside we saw BoJo and his entourage enter the main hall through an entrance not 50 feet away. Grant knew exactly through what door we could intercept them. Slowing to a hault and cool as cucumber Grant swung open the door twice his size and nonchalantly stepped into Boris' path: "BORIS, Hi. We're from Biteback Publishing, we've just published The Bigger Book of Boris. Have you met Katy?" OBVIOUSLY he hadn't but it made me feel self-important enough to stick my hand out and say "hi, I'm Katy" in the voice of Harry Enfield's nosey neighbour, Michael Paine and pretend like I was someone he might ever have come into contact with.
On another occasion Grant had on him a copy of The Bigger Book of Boris, compiled by the Big Cheese himself, in which Boris took the liberty of writing a short letter:
To Grant,
Congratulations on making something out of my vacant, maundering drivel!
All the very best,
Boris
It is, of course, much much more than that. Get your copy here for just £6.99. Never know when you'll run into him.