Londoner's Diary: Clubland is so over for me now, says Pelly

Guy Pelly, right, with wife hotel heiress wife Elizabeth Wilson
31 May 2016

Ta-ra Tonteria, au revoir Mahiki: a nightclub veteran is saying goodbye. Guy Pelly, the man behind some of the Chelsea crowd’s favourite clubs and best friend of princes William and Harry, is leaving the industry for good.

The Londoner was at an event recently and spotted Pelly across the way, and couldn’t resist asking where his next club would be. He is, after all, the man who founded Public and Whisky Mist after starting out at Mahiki, and even organised the Duke of Cambridge’s stag do. But his partying days are over. “I’m moving on from nightclubs,” he said. “I’ve been married for two years and now I’m leaving it to the next generation.”

He leaves quite a legacy. The curly-haired son of a car salesman has the Midas touch; in his heyday he turned London’s nightclub scene into a hedonistic playground for monied youth while maintaining an egalitarian approach to entry. “People come to the club not because of the celebrities that may be there but because they know they’ll have a mad night,” he said.

So what’s next? “I have a new venture,” he teased, “but I can’t talk about it presently.” How coy.

The Londoner has a hunch. Given his experience in hospitality and the rise in popularity of independent, boutique hotels such as Chiltern Firehouse and The Zetter Townhouse, could we soon be checking into the Pelly Suite? He has, after all, found the perfect partner: his wife Lizzy Wilson is the heiress to the Holiday Inn empire. We’re sure the princes will have a new favourite city destination by 2020.

***

From the rugged beaches of the Greek island of Kythnos to the crinkled pages of the London Review of Books echoes the cry of a lonely heart. “Writer, male, 65, Booker-longlisted," seeks a “lively, affectionate and intelligent girlfriend.” The writer, John Murray, listed for his 2003 novel Jazz, etc, is on the hunt for a companion to share his Mamma Mia! paradise, where he teaches fiction-writing. Surely the beginning of a romance for the ages.

Chukkas away for the stage set

The cream of the British acting world flocked to watch Prince William compete in the Audi Polo Challenge Day, including James Nesbitt, Adrian Lester and Tom Hardy. Dominic Cooper relaxed with Nell Gwynn actress Gemma Arterton. She won an Evening Standard Theatre Award last year and will soon star in new film The Girl with All the Gifts. “I’d be bored playing all strong female parts,” she told The Londoner last summer, ahead of production. “What I’m interested in is playing honest, real women rather than the ‘ideal.’” Still, nice to have one’s Pretty Woman moment on the polo field.

Friends defend Keira’s honour

Film directors take note: criticise an English rose and risk the thorns. In an interview with The Independent, John Carney attacked two-time Oscar- nominated actress Keira Knightley, vilifying her acting style and large entourage: “Keira’s thing is to hide who you are and I don’t think you can be an actor and do that,” he said. “I like to work with curious, proper film actors as opposed to movie stars ... I don’t want to rubbish Keira but you know it’s hard being a film actor and it requires a certain level of honesty and self-analysis that I don’t think she’s ready for yet.”

The gauntlet thrown decisively down, it was up to Knightley’s more appreciative colleagues to take up her cause. Mark Romanek, the American director of 2010 drama Never Let Me Go, tweeted: “My experience with Keira Knightley was utterly spectacular on every level. I have no clue what this guy is talking about.” He insisted that Knightley’s only entourage had been her mother, playwright Sharman Macdonald, and signed off with a parting shot, accusing Carney of arrogance.

Lorene Scafaria, who directed Knightley in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, also stood up for the actress. “I agree with Mark. Keira was a joy to work with. Present and easy and really, really good at her job. Just lovely.” So that settles it.

***

The next James Bond “will not be what you expect,” franchise director Sam Mendes told a Hay Festival audience this weekend. Rumours have been wild but Kate Beckinsale has tweeted her own suggestions: “Fun dinner with Michael Sheen, David Walliams, Tom Bennett and me. Basically the top four candidates to be the next Bond at one table”. The Londoner’s pick has to be Kate.

Oh the great EU see-saw

The Londoner was at the Mondrian hotel on the South Bank last week for a spring fling at its rooftop Rumpus Room, and while guests enjoyed the cocktails the Brexit discussion raged between High-Rise actors Luke Evans, pictured, and Sienna Guillory.

“One day I’m in and one day I’m out,” Evans told us. “It’s like a f***ing see-saw: you read one thing one day and you change. “I don’t want to have to get my passport stamped every time I go to a country in Europe. I’m in Europe all the time so I guess that means I’m in.”

Guillory, meanwhile, is less conflicted. “I’m definitely voting to stay in,” she announced.

Argumenty McArgumentFace of the day: Tory Jo Johnson called fellow minister Ed Vaizey an “absolute c***” via text for backing the Boaty McBoatface campaign. Vaizey’s reply? :(

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