I was very surprised that the FT left such a significant fact out of its front page coverage of Dawn Airey’s move back to FIVE as CEO today. Only a couple of months after she was promoted to the ITV board.
I’m sure I heard Michael Grade had prohibited any lunches being claimed on expenses from The Ivy, since their failure to reinstate Bang Bang Chicken on the menu. The move was clearly enough to make Dawn review her options. After-all, how is a board member of one of the leading broadcasters in the U.K. meant to go without her sticky toffee pudding?
Tess Alps, Thinkbox tsar, was shrewd enough to notice that The Ivy is of course just a walk around the corner from FIVE’s office in Long Acre. While ITV’s building in Gray’s Inn Road is quite a schlepp from the media haunt. Rupert Howell is thought to enjoy the brisk walk, to build up his appetite before lunch there. But the opportunity to nip around the corner for lunch has obviously proven too tempting for Dawn.
I’m sure Dawn will exact her revenge when she returns to FIVE and buys more than a desert portion of ITV. I hope the regulator has had a stiff sherry to steady their nerve for the months ahead?
Perhaps Sky will simply offer FIVE their share of ITV at half the value they paid for them? Oh the excitement is unbearable. I can’t wait for The Times to serialise memoirs by Michael and Dawn at some point in the future.
Filed under: 2008, April | Leave a Comment
Tags: Dawn Airey, FIVE, ITV, Michael Grade, SKy, The Ivy
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