When war ends the battle begins

Tony Benn has led a curious life. A huge political presence without having a part in real policy decisions, his diaries have still shown him to be a Zelig-like character. He announced his most recent volume would be his last, so Sam Delaney called him for a chat.

And more…

Letter To My Younger Self is delivered by evergreen funnyman Ed Byrne. His younger years were a race to run from small-town Ireland. He’s not convinced his younger self would be happy with how things turned out.

Staying with funnymen, Stephen Merchant has prepared a seven-point guide to creating the perfect sitcom. It involves The Simpsons and humiliation.

John Bird’s column is a must-read. Raw and moving, it deals with the death of his brother and the aftermath provoked.

Meanwhile, Brendan O’Neill is in New York and writes a love letter to both the city and to Lou Reed as he takes a walk.

Elsewhere, we have vendor Ilie Preda from Alnwick in Northumberland. He is working to help give his kids a better future – a focused man.

Can I also direct you to big Nev, the cult TV personality from The Call Centre. He stopped by the office this week to teach the vendors some new sales techiques, then went out onto the street to try selling. See how he got on.

Take a look too at the TV review. Rarely before has daytime TV been so properly, and effectively, filleted. There is more else, of course, including Gok Wan, the Gruffalo and Prince Philip worshippers…