From Wagu burgers to AI, Jesse Armstrong to Neil Jordan, the FT Weekend Festival catered to the one percent and the curious, and more often than not a mixture of both.  

Potentially the last remaining Broadsheet (certainly in the UK) to give a damn about as-objective-as-it-gets journalism, I was chomping at the bit to hear what the line-up of erudite speakers and their interviewers had to say. 

Immediately after Tim Harford’s ‘Why smart people believe silly things’ (guilty, I think), I hot footed it to the Food and Drink Tent to get the lowdown on what the point is of restaurant critics.  After 45 minutes with Tim Hayward, Jimi Famurewa and Jay Rayner, and some incisive questioning by Harriet Fitch-Little, the answer was clear: entertainment. Jay confirmed “Ours is a writing job… As long as readers want to turn the page…”

Jesse Armstrong on Succession followed, immediately after what the FT considers to be the biggest issue of the day:  America and China’s relationship, or lack of. The latter’s tricky we pretty much all agreed, however cultural collaboration could be a way forward, Gillian Tett suggested. That garnered a round of applause, but was as nothing compared to the one Mr Armstrong received shortly afterwards.

Jesse’s spot was the hottest ticket in the grounds of Kenwood House that day: queues round the block and up to the Literature Tent told us so.  And, it was hardly surprising.  A blockbuster production virtually the entire audience that day had watched – demonstrated by a show of hands early on. 

I struggled to curb my question: Who wrote Tom’s lines?  Was it just one person?  If so, please please can you give me their phone number, in fact all their contact details, because I want to marry him, her, them.

I restrained myself.  Instead, a member of the audience asked “Who is cousin Greg modelled on?”  Jesse’s reply was straight and sweet: “A lot of me” or words to that effect. 

Already a pastel de nata and sharp coffee down, the brain needed further nourishment.  The Wagu burger got my money, but the variety of vittles on offer was wide. 

A more relaxed afternoon followed, with my attention taken by a ‘How to style it Q&A’ and Neil Jordan on novel ideas. 

By 5.30pm ish I’d earned a break.  Sitting on a straw bale with tea and a melting brownie, I got chatting to L and G – a junior doctor and media professional respectively. We talked pre-loved and vintage fashion, style, and getting dressed in the morning – as is my wont. 

“What do you think is missing in media coverage of fashion/vintage shopping?” asked G. I didn’t hesitate: “The intellectual aspect” I replied.  “The media focus on the apparent trend for shopping pre-loved and vintage. I think it would be interesting to delve deeper into that. What’s really driving our current shopping habits? Has that changed forever? Is it about money? Is it about climate change? Do we still care? And, if not why not?”

I looked around at my fellow FT Weekend Festival goers: a uniformity of casual verging on careless style proliferated. Money didn’t appear to be an issue here – but then how the one percent and the curious dress is a whole other story. 

Thanks to the Financial Times for a thought-provoking day.