"Tam Dalyell has a passion for eggs, which he carries around with him. In the BBC's Glasgow canteen he was offered a cup of tea. 'Thank you,' said Tam, producing two fresh eggs from his pocket, 'and I'll have these lightly boiled, please.'"

["You can't really understand Tam Dalyell unless you meet his mother," a friend once remarked. "She used to stride around West Lothian a yellow stockings, referring to Cromwell as 'that man!'"]