My glove affair with Sooty

FORGET Sir Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Miss Piggy and all the other screen legends I've interviewed.

This week I met a real TV icon.

Sooty.

Admittedly he wasn't too forthcoming in spilling the beans about his racy life, the time he squirted Cherie Blair with his water pistol or his love triangle with Soo and Sweep.

He was as silent as ever, which made the phone conversation a little difficult. Fortunately his companion, Richard Cadell, was able to reply on his behalf.

Amazingly, our furry friend turns 60 next week.

I wish I knew his anti-ageing secret, as there's not a wrinkle on him and he's as bright yellow as ever.

Read this Sunday's Mercury to discover what Sooty (and Richard) had to say.

I've also been chatting to Michael Buerk, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef this week. His appearance wasn't quite as disastrous as he'd led me to believe. In typical self-deprecating style, he'd told me he was a hopeless cook who had only ever made scrambled eggs on toast before, yet he seemed to be chopping and slicing wtih the best of them.

He told me the worst part of filming the BBC1 show was continually having to stop cooking to tell the cameras his thoughts on how he was getting on.
"That really got on my tits," said Michael, using language he never used while reading the Nine O'Clock News.

He also revealed an interesting fact about reality shows - that celebrity contestants get paid the same amount no matter how far they progress in the competition.

Michael was relieved to go out in the first round, especially as he pocketed the same "substantial" fee as the finalists who endured hours more blood, sweat and tears in the kitchen.

It hardly seems fair, does it? I almost feel sorry for these poor, hard-done-by celebs.
Only almost, mind.