So what's a former BBC boss worth?

BBC director general Mark Thompson enjoyed a splendid farewell at Broadcasting House the other night and all the big names and big egos were out in force – including Mark Byford, who left the corporation a year ago with a reputed payoff of £1m and a pension pot near £4m. Proving wealth doesn't yield a better barber, he was still sporting a distinctive bird's nest hairdo, reports the Guardian. But after 16 months, has he got that high-powered private sector job? Er, not yet. But then again, with a pension pot that size, is he bothered?