My favourite story concerns Thomas Beecham, famed conductor and wit, who was at an after-show meet-and-greet, and spotted, with dread, a familiar woman across the room coming towards him. Sir Thomas was famous for forgetting names. When she arrived at his side, he gave the non-committal greeting, ‘How lovely to see you!’ She replied, ‘Sir Thomas! How delightful!’ or some such. He was now stuck of course. ‘And how is everything?’, he ventured. ‘Oh, just fine’, she said. ‘And your husband – what’s he up to?’ ‘Oh, you know’, she said. He’s still King’.

5pm