Shocking revelations about the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire emerged on Radio 4's News Quiz last week, no less.

According to comedian Carrie Quinlan, he once heckled her while she was in the middle of a disparaging routine about the monarchy.

“Shame!” came the cry from the Lord Lieutenant.

Not surprising really, as he is the Queen’s representative for Oxfordshire.

Talk about not knowing your audience.

One thing does remain a mystery, though. Was it present incumbent Tim Stevenson, right, or his predecessor Hugo Brunner who let their feelings be known?

Maybe the guilty party could let The Insider know, post haste.

  • Many of The Insider’s colleagues at the Oxford Mail are feeling a little sore this week after their exertions in the Oxford United 12th Man football tournament on Sunday.

Possibly not as sore, though, as U’s chairman Kelvin Thomas, who limped out of the tournament early with a nasty ankle injury.

But exactly how did he get it?

“He dropped his wallet on it,” claimed one wag from inside the United Legends camp.

  • What’s this? Word reaches The Insider that Magdalen College Junior Common Room – the social arm of the famous Oxford University college – has voted to rename itself as Gryffindor, in a nod to the world famous Harry Potter novels.

Cherwell – the university student newspaper – reported that a motion, proposed by third-year Zoe Tyndall, was passed at a recent meeting with only six votes in opposition.

The motion noted that “Magdalen College embodies the values of courage, daring, nerve and chivalry”, the characteristics of the Gryffindor house in Harry Potter novels.

The JCR will now be referred to as such in “all official documents”, apparently.

What a load of old Hogwarts.

  • This sounds like a petition that is likely to drive people at Oxford City Council around the U-bend. Apparently a drive to get people to sign up to save the city’s under-threat toilets – and there are still three facing the threat of closure – has now topped 300.

Controversial moves to shut seven toilets caused something of a stir when they were announced by John Tanner earlier this year.

Since then the council has found the cash to do a U-turn and has pledged to save some. But campaigners are hoping some additional pressure will give, erm, councillors something extra to go on and, who knows, perhaps the motivation to go the whole hog and save all seven.

Will it work? Watch this space.