Penny Black's Insurance Week - 23 May 2013

So it came as little surprise to hear that recently appointed Biba executive board member Graeme Trudgill celebrated the conclusion of day one by belting out a selection of Queen hits at his association’s ‘Guilty Pleasures’ event.

Having taken on the persona of Freddie Mercury for the evening, Trudgill was in no mood to have his night out cut short – even after the ‘rozzers’ arrived at midnight to turn down the volume (reports this was sparked by CEO Steve White’s tuneless take on the Spice Girls classic ‘Biba [Viva] Forever’ are unconfirmed).

A tanked-up Trudgill was last seen slumped at the bar surrounded by a pile of empty shot glasses.

Far be it from Penny to offer Biba timetabling advice, but the 10:30, day two, scheduling of a session on ‘Financial Reporting and Operational Management’ may have contributed to the small audience.

A blushing Penny was forced to watch as speakers debated whether to forge ahead or wait for stragglers from David Miliband’s session. Ten minutes and three arrivals later, it was clear they had been beaten by the lure of bacon sandwiches.