Charged with the task of finding a new Director General of the BBC after the fall of George Entwistle, the chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten (pictured) could usefully consider himself as a candidate. Such a move would not be unprecedented in the la-la land of the Beeb. When arts supremo Alan Yentob required a presenter for the culture show Imagine, he could think of no one better qualified than himself. Despite criticism, he took the job — and the extra moolah his new duties brought him.

Seriously, though, Patten’s sights are said to be fixed on the BBC’s former head of news, Tony Hall, who was turned down for the job of DG in 1999 and later became chief executive of the Royal Opera House.

Hall would appear to be a man not lacking in self regard, if the programmes produced by that august institution are anything to go by. I have in front of me the one for the Royal Opera’s recent production of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelung. Lest anyone should be in doubt about who’s in charge, Hall’s name is the most prominent thing — the ROH logo and date “2012/3” apart — on the first of its glossy white pages. Indeed, there is a double whammy of it, for beneath “Chief Executive Tony Hall” appears “Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE”.

Like New York in the song, he’s so good they named him twice.

Credited at the bottom of the page is the organisation that foots a huge chunk of the ROH’s bills: Arts Council England.

With so much public money involved, we should take a keen interest in who is getting freebies at Covent Garden. Tim Walker of the Daily Telegraph reported that Hall’s largesse over Ring tickets extended to George Osborne, Michael Gove and Wantage MP Ed Vaizey. Their value totted up to £2,664. Nice perk — if you can get it.