Bland on Bland

“At 67, you can't give a brief, potted history of your life,” said the engaging, charming and slightly irascible Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT, batting away the opening question.

The chairman's spartan office is noteworthy only for the baroque backdrop provided by St Paul's Cathedral, whose magnificent dome can be seen from Bland's ninth floor office in central London.

A few days earlier, there had been a commemorative service held in St ...