Author’s note: Derek Gadd, the vox populis of the Brains Trust is actually a real person. But with a name like that you cannot expect to remain anonymous – the limelight will surely seek you out. And so it was that we published the interview with the shy celebrity
The Brains Trust celebrates the festive season by featuring a rare interview with the nations favourite vox populi – Derek Gadd.
Looking relaxed in his stylish corduroy trousers, suede shoes and unusually patterned tie, he exuded the quiet confidence of a man who knows that his breadth of experience and wide ranging interests allow him to tap into the pulse of the nation and reflect the quiet pragmatism that is the hallmark of the English.
“I think it’s very often just a case of right place, right time with me” explained Derek with his customary modesty stepping slightly to the left seconds before a meteorite slammed into the ground beside him. “I don’t really see myself as anyone special, I just seem to find myself in many situations where I feel I can offer some help and a constructive comment or two.”
Derek has enjoyed a hugely varied career, turning his practised hand and watchful eye to many different roles with deceptive ease. “It’s hard to say which I’ve enjoyed the most. My roles in the Police started with working my way up from a constable right the way up to becoming their head bee trainer and really allowed me to feel I was giving something back to the community. My time in the army was great and of course my recent time in the Government and civil service has been fantastic
Outside of work, his myriad of sporting achievements are also the envy of many lesser mortals. His lithe, tanned muscular body is a familiar site in many of England’s sports stadia. However success also breed jealousy. When he became the first man to break the three-minute mile, there were muttered allegations of performance-enhancing drugs. But Derek faced them with his usual good humour quipping “The thought of a nice cup of tea at the end of my run was enough to enhance my performance”. His good grace under fire went a long way to helping him become the head of the British athletics squad.
He also has a great fascination with technology and has been integral in the development of the World Wide Web. “It was strange, but I remember having a chat with Tim Berners Lee and said ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if you could, like, click on a bit of text on the screen and that could take you to another screen with related information on it.’ And he said ‘Awesome. That would be hyper cool, man’ And I joked ‘No that would be hyper text’.” His website is still seen as a seminal example of the web-designers craft, recently garnering a string of awards. It remains the most popular website in the entire world
Derek has not always been so lucky in love, however. Too many incidents featuring the world’s most beautiful people record the name Gadd somewhere in their telling. The unseemly cat-fight between Lollabrigida and Loren that broke out as the two Latin beauties challenged for his affections. The continual stream of paparazzi camped on his door to see which frail super-waif will be accompanying him to the latest premiere. The unfortunate naming of him in the Cruise/Kidman divorce case as the source of adultery with both parties must also have weighed heavily.
As Derek concluded the interview and got up to leave, this reporter noted that the torrential rain outside stopped and a bright shaft of sunlight shone down illuminating the path of this extraordinary ordinary man.
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