Pandora: Where Macca leads, Jordan follows

(PA)

Those wearying of Katie Price's honeyed figure adorning tabloid front pages may want to breathe a sigh of relief: it appears that the multi-talented model is to pursue a lower profile for the foreseeable future.

Price (aka glamour model Jordan) gave her long-time media handler, Claire Powell of Can Associates, the heave-ho several weeks ago in the wake of her split from husband Peter Andre (also managed by Powell).

Now she has announced Powell's replacement: Alan Edwards, founder of the trans-Atlantic PR firm, the Outside Organisation.

"At this stage she's been feeling an onslaught of attention so we're going to try and calm that down," explained an Outside spokesman. She has already cancelled her appearance on Friday night With Jonathan Ross, scheduled for the end of this week.

Intriguingly, Edwards's firm also represents Paul McCartney, whose divorce lawyer – the formidable Fiona Shackleton – is to handle Price's divorce. Insiders were keeping tight-lipped as to whether or not the shift was directly prompted by the advice of Shackleton, who doesn't talk to the press, though the prospect is not unlikely: "She might have recommended us," conceded the spokesman. "If she did, I'm sure that would have been helpful in deciding things."

Sophie's show gets the go-ahead

Congratulations, once again, to Sophie Winkleman, who moves ever-closer to international stardom. As regular readers will recall, the former RSC actress (currently starring in the BBC's Robin Hood) recently landed the lead in a proposed US TV series from the team behind Friends and Frasier. Winkleman, the fiancée of Lord Freddie Windsor, filmed the programme's pilot episode several weeks ago. Now we hear that the show has been picked up and will enter production shortly. Who said cracking America was hard?

Draper and Padel go head-to-head

Controversy-seekers were left with something of a diary clash at the Hay Festival last night, as two speakers, both accused of smear campaigns, took to the stage at the same time, on opposite sides of the event. Both Derek Draper and Ruth Padel had talks scheduled for 7.30pm, his concerning his psychology book Life Support, and hers examining Darwin's role in poetry. In the event, Padel proved the more popular draw, with tickets selling out hours before hand. No one, to Pandora's knowledge, was seen jogging between the two.

Izzard hits the road with Kinnock

"I know you're all disgusted with politics at the moment," boomed an excitable Eddie Izzard to the (probable) alarm of Cardiff's passing shoppers over the bank holiday weekend.

"But I am here encouraging people to vote."

Apparently, the cross-dressing comedian had taken to the streets alongside his old friend Neil Kinnock in order to campaign for Labour party votes in next month's European election. This is not as odd as it sounds: Izzard is a long-time friend of the party, and thought to have an eye on a Euro seat himself.

"If we don't make the EU work, then the world is screwed," he memorably told Newsweek last year. "End of story."

Prezza welcomes his granddaughter

Tremendous news: John Prescott has become a grandfather.

His son David – recently a freelance PR after leaving a long-term post at Geronimo communications – and daughter-in-law Roz welcomed a little girl, Ava Grace, into the world late yesterday afternoon.

Fittingly, Prescott Jr kept friends abreast of the birth's progress with twice-hourly twitter updates (sample quote: "am examining my scrubs. Purple!") No doubt Roz was thoroughly grateful.

pandora@independent.co.uk