Career
He was deputy editor of The Guardian and continued to write a weekly column for that paper until 4 October 2007, called "Elsewhere" and with the byline Smallweed. Until 10 September 2005, he also wrote a second weekly column, under the pseudonym "Smallweed" (and occasionally under anagrams, such as "Dame Wells", and "Lee Laws Doctor of Medicine"). He continues to contribute to the paper on an occasional basis, including a piece about his premature death being falsely reported in this article.
His book Jabez: The Rise and Fall of a Victorian Scoundrel, a biography of the Victorian era politician and swindler Jabez Balfour, was shortlisted for the Saga Award for Wit, also known as the Silver Booker, as well as the Whitbread Book Award for biography.
