Gordon Brown isn't exactly someone you think of as a laugh a minute. He may not be your top choice for pub companion, but yesterday there were moments - just a few - when he had the Hay festival audience chuckling beneath the pouring rain. He was here to promote his new book, Courage (how does he find time to write books?) As he dished out a mean line in anecdotes, there were some smart alecs who said they'd heard all the stories before. But never mind, here are two that went down particularly well:
• George Brown (whom he says he's often mistaken for) was in Washington on an official visit. At a reception he was the little worse for wear. The music came on. He spied a small purple figure and went over: 'May I have this dance?' The purple figure replied: 'Firstly, you're drunk. Secondly, this is not a waltz, but the Venezuelan national anthem. Thirdly, I'm the papal nuncio.'
• "I grew up surrounded by books. And my study floors has always been strewn with them. One day I came back from a lecture to find my house had been burgled. I rang the police. As they were looking round, a policeman went into my study and said: 'It's been totally ransacked.' I had to admit the burglar hadn't even been in that room."
