Well, of course Mark Darcy had to die...

In between working on Susan Leslie's campaign for  the Dunfermline by-election campaign, I have spent the day in mourning. And if you tell me that you can't mourn the death of a fictional character, I will simply respond that you have no soul.

Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has revealed that she has killed off her hero, human rights lawyer Mark Darcy. Bridget is now a widowed single mum with much younger boyfriend. And if you think I'm being silly about it, you should know that it's the second most read story on the BBC website.

I wonder if Mark Darcy would have been quite as popular if he hadn't been played so perfectly by Colin Firth. Who can forget that wonderful fight scene with Hugh Grant to It's Raining Men? The success of the first film was down to the marriage of Firth's acting, Sharon Maguire's novel directing, and Helen Fielding's writing.

That Darcy is gone, though, shouldn't really have come as a surprise to us. We should have sussed it as soon as Fielding let us know that she was writing another book. Surely Bridget would have learned her lesson in the Edge of Reason. There's no way that Mark and Bridget would split up. It just wouldn't be credible and even if they did, it would just be a re-run of EoR. Boring.

No, if the Bridget Jones story is to become a trilogy, Darcy had to die. It was the only way. Yes, I'm sad and I think it's a course fraught with danger, but of course I'm going to buy Mad about the boy when it comes out in just 11 days' time. Why wouldn't I?

But why do I say fraught with danger? Well, I made the stupid mistake of reading Bridget Jones on a train. If you read a book that is laugh out loud, tears down the face hilarious, you need to do it in private or people look at you as if they are terrified of you. Edge of Reason wasn't quite as funny, but it was still on the light side of light entertainment. This book might well have a toyboy and nits and all the usual sorts of scrapes, but it's going to have real pathos and sadness intertwined all the way through it as we find out more about Darcy's demise. There is a risk that this book will try comedy and tragedy and fail at both. It can't be the Bridget Jones we know and love, can it? It's supposed to be frothy and frivolous and I don't see how it can be. I can't wait to find out, though.

Total Politics let me write for them.....

Those nice people at Total Politics have let me write for them about the Scottish Elections. I think there might actually be stuff in there that I haven't told you already. And Colin Firth and chocolate get a mention. Could you want more?

The article, See Saw Scottish Election goes to the wire,  is here.

Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Stephen Fry back fairer votes #yes2av

I fully subscribe to the notion that it is not possible to have too much Stephen Fry or Colin Firth in your life. I have been successful in passing this philosophy onto my daughter who has long adored the former and is now getting quite into the latter.

I'm pleased to see that Stephen and Colin head up a list of celebs who are backing the Yes to Fairer Votes Campaign. Martin Bell, Joanna Lumley, Firth's King's Speech co-star Helena Bonham-Carter, Art Malik, Eddie Izzard, Billy Bragg, John Cleese and Tony Robinson.

Colin Firth said:

"The referendum is a once in a generation opportunity to change our clapped out politics for good. I’ll be voting Yes."

I liked Stephen Fry's comment, too:

"The last couple of years have been faintly depressing for anyone who cares about the health of our political system.  Yes, Westminster has made a start putting its house in order, but we still have a voting system in place that is not up to the job."

But it's not really about celebs, is it? Ordinary people up and down the country explain why they will be voting yes in the referendum in a new campaign video. Their reasons include wanting to make their MP sweat, being fed up of having to vote tactically and negatively to keep someone out rather than put someone in and wanting to ensure that people's votes are heard and that they count.


One contributor is 16 year old Niamh Francis from Edinburgh. She isn't old enough to vote in May, but knows what she wants for the future:

"I’ll be too young to cast my vote in this referendum, but it’s my voice at stake just the same.  I’m joining this campaign because when I vote for the first time I want it to mean something. I don’t want to have to vote tactically. I want to vote for something not against something."

Here's the video in full.




Oh, and if you hear the No lot talking about having to spend a fortune on counting machines, it's nonsense. They count the votes by hand in Australia and in fact in the US, their electronic voting system was considered a barrier to implementing AV. It's interesting to note that the No Campaign, made up primarily of those with power protecting their vested interests, spends its time scaremongering, while the yes campaign has ordinary people telling a positive story.

Why vote Lib Dem book sells out on Amazon in 2 days

I really didn't think Colin Firth could go any higher in my estimation.

I mean, who can forget this scene from Pride and Prejudice in 1995?



Or those hilarious fight scenes with Hugh Grant in the Bridget Jones movies?

Or his not very good but heartfelt rendition of Our Last Summer in Mamma Mia?

Or his portrayal of the heartbroken, brooding writer who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper in Love Actually?

Then we find out that not only is he a Lib Dem, but he's willing to stand up and be counted as one by contributing to this book.

This is a book which was only published 2 days ago but is already out of stock on Amazon. They had better get some more soon.

The book isn't just the Colin Show, though - it has contributions from, among others, Brian Eno, Gary McKinnon's mum Janis Sharp and Floella Benjammin as Lib Dem Voice highlighted the other day.

Let's hope that 2010 is a winning year for both Colin in the Oscars and the Lib Dems.