Continue
News this week that the London 2012 Olympic torch will tour every corner of this country (including Albert Square in Eastenders) reminds me of the ludicrous day back in 2004 when I was invited to run with the Olympic torch in the Peloponnese as the torch made its slow way from the ancient site of Olympic to the Athens Olympic stadium.
It had only been lit by the "eternal flame" the day before at an emotional ceremony at Olympia attended by the great and the good of Greece (and, er, me) but 24 hours' later I found myself in the middle of nowhere about to receive the torch and run for two kilometres to a village which was waiting for the torch's arrival with bunting and a band.
I clasped the torch, held it to the heavens as instructed, turned and started to jog towards the village, followed by a convoy of police out-riders, police cars, TV crews and even helicopters hovering above.
Suddenly I heard a shout of horror. I looked around, saw officials in a car pointing to the torch and discovered that the "eternal flame" had been extinguished.
"What have you done?" asked a perplexed Greek. I tried to make a joke out of it. "Maybe I was running too fast," I said, a suggestion met with a stern face.
An official ran up, took from his pocket an inscribed "I love Athens" cigarette lighter, re-lit the torch and told me to hurry as the torch relay was now running late.
I was told later that this was the first time the Olympic flame had gone out - on my watch.
And as I watched from the stands of the Olympic stadium as the Olympic flame was lit by the torch at the opening ceremony, I realised that only a few people knew that it had not, in fact, derived from the ancient site of Olympia, but from some random official's cheap cigarette lighter.
