Loz Newton on Radio 4.

There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. I was at school with Loz and still see him now and again. I enjoy his company but – or maybe because – he was always a bit of a handful. Loz came from a a big Irish family, hardly unusual at my school. He had a sister called Mary. Again, hardly unusual. But Mary Newton grew up to be Mary Portas and her autobiography, Shop Girl, is being serialised on Radio 4. “Lawrence” features quite prominently. This morning’s episode was about the sudden death of their mother when Loz was just 14. I remember this very well but hadn’t fully appreciated just how devastating it must have been. Mary gave up her place at RADA to take care of the family which is why Loz is so proud of her. But what’s clear from this book is that Mary is equally proud of him.