Bean juice

It looks like the coffee shops of Great Portland Street will not suffer in trade after the departure of current BBC Trust Director Nicholas Kroll. His successor has just been announced - Jon Zeff, who, like Kroll, comes from the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Indeed Zeff was batting for the Department in the last interminable Charter renewal running from 2004 to 2006, as Kroll lobbied for the BBC.

Mr Zeff has had entertaining times at the DCMS - trying to steer Jezzer Hunt through the tricky and eventually unsuccessful Murdoch/BSkyB bid, where Sky lobbyist Fred Michel was being briefed by Special Assistant Adam Smith who suddenly resigned; it all became of interest to the Leveson inquiry. He's also looked after National Lottery negotiations, and is thought to have been involved in conversations with S4C. More recently, he's led on the pastoral pleasures of rural broadband.

On the coffee front, I was idly browsing the online version of f-b.no, the noted Norwegian interior design organ, and spied Jon and parter Ali taking some java in trendy Islington cafe/furniture shop, 2 & 4.