E4 reality show Made in Chelsea is back tonight with its third series. This news makes me very happy because I LOVE Made in Chelsea! Why? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that it casts Britain’s elite in such an unflattering light…
There is one character, though, who comes across as being alright: Hugo (pictured). Oh Hugo, intelligent, perceptive, suave Hugo! OK, so he cheated on Millie, but Millie cheated on him first…
Anyway. One of the tragedies of Made in Chelsea to date is its failure to include a lawyer in its cast. There must be loads of City law trainees living in Chelsea who’d make perfect TV fodder, but inexplicably Channel 4 ignores them.
Still, the show has a legal link. As the more eagle-eyed of you may have inferred from the headline of this post, Hugo’s dad is a lawyer. And not just any lawyer, but none other than SJ Berwin litigation partner Tim Taylor QC.
Judging by his responses in a recent interview for his firm’s in-house magazine, Hugo’s dad – one of just a handful of solicitors to have been awarded silk – seems to be a bit of a character.
Interviewer: “Explain your speciality in a nutshell.”
Hugo’s dad (pictured): “I can balance a glass of Chablis on my forehead and drink it without using my hands – Oh you mean at work? I am paid to argue with people about money and fly around on aeroplanes… at times what I do is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”
Interviewer: “Congratulations on being made a QC. Has it made a difference to you and your work?”
Hugo’s dad: “It has been a blast: I have always enjoyed dressing up. The Silks ceremony is kind of like your wedding day with the bride failing to show up, with 120 people in wigs and tights while Chancellor Ken Clarke officiates.”
Interviewer: “Is there any temptation to follow your son’s footsteps and break into television?”
Hugo’s dad: “In respect of my TV debut, my son’s mother was ‘in makeup’ and being filmed with him by E4 when I stopped in for a drink a couple of weeks ago, and I think that’s far enough. I don’t think the market is quite ready for a lawyer’s version of ‘Ab Fab meets the Osbournes’ yet.”
I beg to differ. In my opinion, the market is ripe for a legal profession version of Made in Chelsea. And if Channel 4 doesn’t make one, I might be forced to commence filming of a budget Legal Cheek YouTube version.