Seconds out

I understand the hand-to-hand fighting between tattoo-ed 75-year-old sea dog David Dimbleby (Charterhouse, Christ Church Oxford and Bullingdon) and dapper 52-year-old Huw Edwards (Llanelli Grammar, University College Cardiff and London Welsh) over who should front coverage of the next General Election is not yet over - and it's creating tensions in BBC News and Current Affairs.

Dimbleby started with the 1979 results show, when Robin Day was still allowed to smoke cigars on screen, "electronic graphics" first vied with the cardboard Swingometer, and giant pictures of Callaghan and Thatcher constructed from "x"s swung over the Blake's 7 set.

Time Lord

He's been on a publicity charge ever since the Guardian first suggested there was a debate about whether he should get the 2015 gig - some of it to do with his holiday films from last year, sailing round the UK on licence-fee funds. Unfortunately his most recent appearance, on 5Live, offered views about the future size of the BBC.

Huw, meanwhile, is concentrating on corporate and charity gigs, a Christmas concert or two, and campaigning for the oldest Welsh church in London.

Ymunwch a ni yn @EglwysJewin am 1045 bore fory. A warm welcome to all who join us at Jewin Welsh Church tomorrow morning at 1045.
— Huw Edwards (@huwbbc) November 23, 2013

The obvious answer is to wait and review the form book in 2014, but that's not the BBC way, with its buttock-clenching drive to rehearse.