DID I tell you I'd been ill? I lost the entire weekend, drifted through Monday and Tuesday in a haze of Lemsip and whisky, and finally surfaced on Wednesday morning.

I hate being off sick. It's a rare occurrence anyway, but I can't help but feel that I'm letting down my colleagues on the Evening Beast.

Anyway, I didn't fancy the early shift, but thought that I could get in for the afternoon turn, so I'm there having a shave when there's a knock on the front door.