A musical about Nigella? I am surprised it has taken so long

I first became aware of Nigella Lawson some time in the 1980s: she was a columnist for the Evening Standard, and if you had a job in London in those days you had to read the paper, whether you liked it or not. At the time, the term Nepo Baby had not been coined, but it might have been made for her: the daughter of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, of whom I had a very dim view, for various reasons; so I was at first suspicious. The name, for one thing: it bespoke an overbearing parental ego, for a start. I also could not help noticing the byline photo: and there was no getting away from the fact that she was rather good-looking; considerably more so than her father. But the tube journeys were long and boring, so one read the Standard, and its columnists: and against the odds, and despite my misgivings, I found her columns sane, intelligent, and well-written; and often politically at odds with the line of the government. I was, in short, impressed.

Since then, of course, we have all become very familiar with her indeed; it can be safely said of her that she needs no introduction. But she does merit an explanation: for there are few celebrities who have managed to curate their image so well; few, if any, have achieved such prominence over such a long period of time without getting on anyone’s nerves. No one, it seems, has a bad word to say about her: I certainly don’t. We have followed her career for decades, and have enjoyed pretty much every moment; unless she was having a bad time of it, and she did, when her first husband, John Diamond, beloved by all who knew him, died far too young, of cancer; then there was her marriage to Charles Saatchi, and when photos emerged of it looking very much like he was committing violence upon her, a nation rose in outraged sympathy.

Of course, everyone wanted to be married to her: she has managed to personify a kind of ideal woman: wife, and mother, and chef, and sexpot, yet without anyone getting upset about this; and with the additional element of her Jewishness; but as Jewish mothers go, she is very easy-going. If that stereotype is somewhat overbearing, she defies that stereotype. She has traded on her looks, certainly; but with a knowingness that manages to disarm all criticism. People get the feeling that she would be nice to meet in person; and, having done so myself, I can vouch for the fact that she is as delightful as you would hope or wish.

People get the feeling that she would be nice to meet in person; and, having done so myself, I can vouch for the fact that she is as delightful as you would hope or wish