Ed’s diner

In a world where politicians can turn into newspaper editors and former newspaper editors can seize the most coveted job in radio news, it should not be at all surprising that a former shadow chancellor and Labour MP known for his bullish manner has morphed into a chatshow host on radio. Not only that, he’s rather good at it.

Ed Balls’ Dream Dinner Party (Radio 4, Thursday) takes the time-worn formula of putting together a fantasy guest list, seating them round the same table, and waiting for the fireworks to go off, and triumphantly revamps it for the digital age. With some pretty sophisticated editing software, there’s no longer any need to invent the conversations that might erupt if you invite a lot of dead people — Denis Healey, Nancy Astor, Joan Rivers, Les Dawson and Danny Kaye — to share a meal and, with luck, a few fiery verbal exchanges.