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The feral beast: Jimmy shooed out of 'Guardian'

Saturday 29 November 2008 20:00 EST
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After years of planning, Guardian Media Group moves into new offices in King's Cross tomorrow. But spare a thought for Jimmy Blisset, the cheerful head of the post room at Farringdon Road, who will not be joining colleagues.

Last week posters appeared all over the building as part of a campaign spearheaded by 'Observer' feature writer Ed Vulliamy to save "the best department head in the company". Alas the campaign has come to nothing – GMG has subcontracted the post room to TNT, and poor Jimmy is out in the cold.

Marie hasn't gone native

Fans of Marie Colvin, right, don't need telling what a first-rate journalist she is. The award-winning foreign correspondent has been filing incisive reports from danger zones for more than 20 years. But was it necessary to give her a picture by-line over a double page spread on piracy in Somalia in last week's 'Sunday Times'? Those who don't know of her trademark eyepatch might have thought she had got carried away in her undercover investigations.

Nathan resists lure of US celebs

Move over Perez Hilton. The 'Mail on Sunday' is launching a showbiz blog called Nathan Kay's Party People. The Beast hears that US celeb magazine 'InTouch Weekly' recently tried to poach Kay with a job as senior editor. But Kay, currently deputy diary editor, was persuaded to stay at the 'MoS' with the offer of his own blog. "It's true," he says. "It starts this Sunday and I will be updating it daily!" Good luck.

'Telegraph' says farewell to obit ed

The latest swing of the axe at the 'Daily Telegraph' has claimed obituaries editor Andrew McKie. One of Fleet Street's last remaining gentlemen, McKie was a mine of information, some useful, some not, and always had an apposite anecdote to hand. After seven years in the post, McKie will be replaced by former foreign correspondent Harry de Quetteville. Motoring editor Peter Hall is also leaving the hub.

Bottled water claims plugged

Hacks at the 'Evening Standard', already banned from claiming taxis on expenses, are now not even allowed a sip of Evian. Diminutive news editor Hugh Dougherty sent an email reading: "Our highly successful Water On Tap campaign has been shortlisted for an Environmental Press Award with the result to be announced later this week. In honour of this, from next Tuesday I am going to scrutinise everyone's expenses to see who is still claiming for mineral water and deduct it from their claim." Flagons of chianti are presumably still ok.

Giles' team spirit questioned

No loyalty to 'The Guardian' from Giles Foden, below, who abandoned his newspaper to join a table of literary agents at the recent PEN quiz. His team won, while The Graun was left trailing somewhere in the mid teens behind 'The Independent'. The 'Mail on Sunday' fared well, not unhindered by the presence of one James Fairweather. Incredibly well-informed, he is something of a regular on the quiz circuit although is not known to be an employee of the 'MoS'.

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