View from the Boundary: Andrew Bailey

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
The TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

**Jonathan Agnew** (0:06)
How do you follow the head of MI6 who was our guest at Lords? Well, how about a person who occupies one of the most responsible positions in the country? One of his predecessors, founded Chance to Shine, who was MCC president, his most recent predecessor is now Prime Minister of Canada. So there's a bit of pressure on our guest who has a job which goes back to an original charter set in 1694
He's been in position since 2020 We all have an interest in his decision making because it affects our money. Who else will bring a gold bar as a cake? Of course, it's the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey. It's lovely to welcome you.

**Andrew Bailey** (0:42)
It's a huge pleasure and thrill to be here, I can tell you.

**Jonathan Agnew** (0:45)
Well, let's start with a cake because I mean, you know, that was fantastic. Richard Moore failed last two weeks ago to bring a cake. He was going to bring one apparently modeled on the MI6 building and something went wrong.
That is a gold bar and I'm estimating it's around about the 12 kilogram.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:03)
A real gold bar is just over 12 kilos. Yeah. So it looks like a gold bar.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:07)
It does. As long as it doesn't taste like a gold bar.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:10)
It's not 12 kilos heavy. I have to put in a name check for my colleague James Orchard and his sister Rebecca who made it.
It's tremendously authentic. Now a real gold bar is worth about 1.25 million pounds. I don't think Kate doesn't quite make it.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:25)
But it's about the right size.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:26)
It's about the right size, yeah.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:27)
The writing on it, it says fine gold.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:29)
Yeah.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:30)
That is to all intents and purposes.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:33)
Gold bars come in one of those few shapes. That's what we call a hovis bar. So it looks a little bit like the loaf. Yeah.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:41)
It's actually called a hovis bar.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:42)
Well, that's the nickname.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:44)
Yeah. Well, welcome. What do you think?

**Andrew Bailey** (1:47)
It's a proper test match.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:48)
Yeah.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:49)
Here we are, what, lunch on day four.

**Jonathan Agnew** (1:52)
We've made it to the fourth day.

**Andrew Bailey** (1:53)
We've made it to the fourth day. There's still plenty to go.
I'm enjoying it. I mean, it was a good morning's play. I thought Archie's opening spell was fast. I mean, he's got a tremendously efficient action. I mean, you obviously did when you.

**Jonathan Agnew** (2:09)
How do you know that?

**Andrew Bailey** (2:10)
Because I used to watch you and also because I can tell a story about you at school, if you like.

**Jonathan Agnew** (2:15)
Oh, not one of those awful stories about bullying or something?

**Andrew Bailey** (2:19)
No, no, no. You were unfortunate. Well, I know about it. It was good from our point of view. So I went to school in Leicester, so we share a common background.

**Jonathan Agnew** (2:26)
Wigiston Grammar School.

**Andrew Bailey** (2:27)
Yeah, Wigiston.

**Jonathan Agnew** (2:27)
Yeah.

**Andrew Bailey** (2:28)
And so we played Uppingham. This was back in, this would have been back in about mid 70s. And I think we only played Uppingham second at that time.

**Jonathan Agnew** (2:39)
Yes, you did. I'm afraid Wigiston Grammar School was not considered worthy of the first team.

**Andrew Bailey** (2:44)
Yeah, I wasn't actually playing that day. But anyway, look, we turned up and the Uppingham Cricket Masters came to our house and said, look, we've got this lad coming back from injury. So he won't be on top form. But he has played a couple of games for sorry seconds. So we were all out for 12 Somebody took eight for two.
And you tell me that was your best, is that your best ever?

**Jonathan Agnew** (3:14)
Well, until I took nine for 70 against Kenton. But thank you for mentioning it.

**Andrew Bailey** (3:19)
Do you remember the game?

**Jonathan Agnew** (3:21)
I do know. I actually do. It is ridiculous because I have got such a terrible memory now. I think I just watched too much cricket. But I actually do. I remember where the pitch was. I think because it was a ridiculous. I think the game is over in half an hour.
We both, I know, but I do remember that. But you did play cricket.

**Andrew Bailey** (3:44)
Yeah, not very well, but I did play cricket. Yeah, I did. I played a bit at school. I played a bit of club cricket in Leicester when I was growing up and still when I was actually going to university. So I played for OBE Seconds. OBE is almost a suburb now of Leicester, but it's a little bit south of Leicester.