A bit late in the day, but sorry to lose Ken Taylor

I'm afraid that I've only just picked up on the sad news of the death of Ken Taylor, father of former Truro MP Matthew.

Ken was a screenwriter of some renown and will be best remembered for adapting The Jewel in the Crown for TV, although I recall he was also rather proud of The Camomile Lawn which dealt with rather racy themes (for 1982) and got dubbed Camomile Porn by some wag.

Tim Pigott-Smith has written a good obituary in the Guardian, concentrating on Ken's professional career.

I knew Ken and his wife Jill through Matthew and because they very kindly gave me a bed for a couple of weeks when I started working in the House of Commons during a gap year after leaving school. Matthew, as my MP, had got me work with Paddy Ashdown and also kindly volunteered his old room in his parents' house. I was never quite sure whether he checked with them first. But Ken and Jill were magnificently welcoming and hospitable and it was rather weird to be staying in a room decorated with pictures from Matthew's student activism days - long hair, long coat, moody looks and all.

My thoughts are with Jill, Pam, Matthew, Vikki and Simon.