WE were watching television the other night when the General Manager raised her hand to indicate she knew what I was about to say.

She was correct. I was about to ask why yet another male ‘celebrity’ was being interviewed indoors while wearing a scarf.

The interviewer did not seem to be shivering so I guess the property was warm enough. So why did the interviewee require to have a scarf wrapped round his neck?

The answer is simple. They think it looks terribly twee. Personally I think it looks simply daft.

If someone comes into your home on a winter evening wearing a scarf you will offer to hang it up so that he or she will get the benefit of it when going back out into the cold.

I also feel sure readers would not think of keeping their scarf on and risk causing offence by appearing to suggest the room was freezing.

Regarding television types, it is important to be ‘different’ and for some the wearing of a scarf indoors puts across a message. Quite what this message is escapes me.

Another matter that has been an irritation for some time is when politicians are interviewed on the box wearing an obviously expensive suit but minus a tie. I understand this is to appear cool, relaxed and approachable. My belief is that it looks untidy and suggests the individual couldn’t be bothered to wear a tie.

An historian friend was asked to be one of the guests on a regional television programme. He turned up at the studio wearing a neat sports jacket, freshly-pressed slacks plus a new white shirt and a plain tie.

My friend is no fuddy-duddy but was amazed when asked to remove his tie. He went along with the request — as did his fellow guests — but could not understand the concept that the programme would somehow be more acceptable to viewers if nobody wore a tie.

I am now watching television with an eye to identifying new trends such as the aforementioned scarf being discarded in favour of a fisherman’s oilskin hat.