Utter

TV Balderdash and Piffle is a new BBC2 series in which various guests with the help of the general public try to find the origin of words or else older written evidence than that quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary. It's an excellent programme which looks at the English language in a fun accessible way. Victoria Coren (Alan's daughter), the presenter, is someone I've only really met through her column in The Observer, but she's a very good, precise speaker. And funny and gorgeous, up there with Sarah Beany and Daisy Goodwin as someone I'd love to ..... go out for a drink with some time.

Her Wikipedia entry is particularly illuminating though. She's a semi-professional poker player and here's the real surprise the co-author of Once More With Feeling the book about the attempt to make the best hard-core porn movie ever. With Charlie Skelton. The ringer from Space Cadets...