Former oil executive is the new Archbishop
The Bishop of Durham, Reverend Justin Welby, returned to the City yesterday when he was confirmed as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul’s Cathedral. No stranger to the Square Mile, the new Archbishop worked in corporate finance for two oil companies before he retrained as an Anglican priest in his mid-30s. Tweeting to his online followers after the ceremony, his message was: “Sitting in new office, spoken to Nigerian friend: Minor inconveniences of moving as against floods and utter poverty. Need to stop whinging.”
■ Good news for City thespians: there are two new financial sector-inspired productions on the horizon. The first by Anders Lustgarten – If You Don’t Let us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep – looks at what life might be like in a privatised world where hedge fund managers can hedge on social issues like crime and healthcare. The play, starring The Kumars actress Meera Syal (pictured), runs at the Royal Court Theatre from 15 February to 9 March.
For a more playful take on the financial sector, the Bush Theatre is offering up Money: The Game Show by playwright Clare Duffy. The production involves £10,000 of hard cash being gratuitously flashed on-stage while the audience is “invited to play a series of high stake games that explore how the world’s economic system came to the brink of collapse.” From now until 2 March.