The BBC failed to have an injunction granted to stop Collins from publishing his autobiography, which revealed he had played The Stig since 2003, replacing Perry McCarthy’s black suited character in the hit show.

When asked who might replace Collins, Clarkson said: “Richard can’t drive and James is too slow. We’ll get somebody, don’t you worry. Top Gear is damaged but not out. I’d love to have…Cameron do it.”

Ben Collins, a Formula 3 driver who lives in Bristol with his wife and three children, received a £250,000 advance from publisher Harper Collins.

Peter Carey – Parrot and Olivier in America

Emma Donoghue – Room

Damon Galgut – In A Strange Room

Howard Jacobson – The Finkler Question

Andrea Levy – The Long Song

Tom McCarthy – C

Controversially, the high profile Martin Amis and Ian McEwan weren’t nominated, but the selection does represent a diverse mix – from Peter Carey’s comic adventure to Andrea Levy’s historical fiction.

Chair of the judging panel Andrew Motion said:

It’s been a great privilege and an exciting challenge for us to reduce our longlist of thirteen to this shortlist of six outstandingly good novels. In doing so, we feel sure we’ve chosen books which demonstrate a rich variety of styles and themes – while in every case providing deep individual pleasures.

The release of his memoirs, the 700 page ‘My Journey’ therefore marks the official return of Blair to political debate, having maintained what he describes as his ’silence’ for three years. Covering everything from his ’strained’ relationship with Gordon Brown, to the fox hunting ban, Diana and of course, his decision to invade to Iraq – critics and commentators have wasted no time in dissecting the tome which earned Blair an alleged £4million advance.

The BBC have rounded up the best responses from critics – with The Times on one hand calling him a ‘remarkable politician’ and Conservative blogger Iain Dale questioning whether he was a ‘good leader’ following his remarks that he knew Gordon Brown would be a ‘disaster’.

The Guardian have highlighted the best quotes from Blair – which include ‘do they really suppose I don’t care … don’t regret with every fibre of my being’ on Iraq deaths, and ”analytical intelligence, absolutely. Emotional intelligence, zero’ on his successor, Gordon Brown.

For upto the minute reactions to My Journey follow Andrew Sparrow .

Whilst a level of controversy was to expected, the release of My Journey has ignited debate amongst all camps – Labour party members fear it will upset the impending leader elections, anti war protestors are threatening to protest his Blair’s high security book signing and his gesture of donating all profits to the British Legion has been dismissed as cynical ‘blood money’.

With limited promotion organised in the UK, it remains to be seen if, and how, Blair will respond to his critics.

Photograph: David Levene

With an estimated five tonnes of chicken consumed over the long weekend and 25,000 bottles of rum, thousands of revellers flocked to West London to celebrate it’s 25th anniversary.

With 16,000 records being played across 41 different sound systems, Notting Hill Carnival is renowned not only for it’s flamboyant parades and delicious food, but also it’s vast soundtrack – with DJs and MCs playing everything from reggae to dub, to socca, dancehall and hiphop. By far the best party of the weekend was the Red Bull Major Lazer Sound System – which saw the likes of Dave Rodigan and Diplo and Switch aka ‘Major Lazer’ entertain the gathered hordes of Carnival-goers. Playing everything from dancehall to electro, with a nod to Bob Marley, the all-day party ended in a fit of wonderful chaos, as fans climbed onto the stage and speakers.

As organisers now look to make Carnival 2012 one to remember when ‘all eyes will be on London’, the rest of us can all take a well earned and count down until next August.

The annual festival of the year is about to hit London town hard as the August Bank Holiday weekend rapidly approaches. Introduced as a local festival set up by the West Indian immigrants of the area in 1966, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from around the world. With scores of impressive sounds, spectacular floats, hundreds of stalls lining the streets and, of course, the traditional steel drum bands, Notting Hill can expect to be swarmed by 1 million visitors, along with the more than 50,ooo dancers and singers scheduled to perform. Live stages also feature local bands, top international artists and sounds from around the world – Eddie Grant, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean, Courtney Pine and Burning Spear have been among the eclectic line up in previous year.

When we think of Carnival, images of bright, outlandish costumes, imaginative floats and dancing on the streets inevitably spring to mind. The Carnival parade winds through three miles of Notting Hill’s streets, flanked by visitors jostling to get a look at what’s happening. Not only are we overwhelmed with the colours of the Caribbean, are senses overcome with the smell of Carnival. We’re not talking greasy burger vans and and sickly-sweet stools, we’re talking traditional Caribbean food. For many of us, Carnival, one of the few British festivals to offer such authenticity, is all about a taste of culture offering the perfect introduction to jerk chicken, rice and peas and rum punch as well as the odd taste of other exotic cuisines.

Carnival can’t come soon enough for Londoners having endured a dull week of rain and grey. The weather has once again negotiated around the Notting Hill celebrations, the forecast set for sunshine as the clouds clear, the sound systems boom, the drink and food flow and the party begins! As the sun is shining and the weather is sweet, let the good time roll!

Asil Nadir, Britain’s most notorious fugitive returned today, landing at Luton airport with his possey of lawyers, personal staff and journalists. Fleeing Britain in 1993, Nadir had been due to answer 66 charges of theft and false accounting in a £34m fraud trial, but fled to France and then northern Cyprus in a private jet in the middle of the night. Returning to face the multimillion-pound fraud charge that followed the collapse of his Polly Peck food and electronics empire, Nadir remains positive of his innocence, confidently stating that “everybody should be deemed innocent before they are proven guilty.” However, journalists remain scathing, questioning Nadir, “if you didn’t steal, where is the money?” This is a question that will be resolved as of due course, Nadil due to appear at Old Bailey next Thursday to begin his trial. Until then, he will have to wear an electronic tag until the end of his trial and pay a bail surety of £250,000.

The 33 Chilean miners who have so far been trapped for 3 weeks are facing the bad news that they will be stuck for the forseeable future, “hoping to be with them…before Christmas.” Health Minister, Jamie Manalich, said the miners have taken the news of their delayed rescue calmly, adding “I think that we’ve been able to talk with them very frankly and they’ve accepted it and they’re calm and they want to work well with us.” To keep their spirits high, the miners are receiving clothes, medicine (amongst which are antidepressants) and games, down a 700 -meter borehole. Having been living on half a glass of milk and 2 mouthfuls of canned tuna per day, along with rations similar to that on a space mission, the miners have lost about 10kg in weight each. Despite being on the verge of starvation, the miners have been urged to keep a close eye on their weight to ensure they can squeeze through the narrow escape shaft when they are eventually rescued.

Sally Mann’s first solo exhibition graces the Photographers’ Gallery in central London as an edited version of the touring exhibition, from the 18 June-19 September 2010. Photographer Sally Mann (b. 1951, USA) has become world renowned for her large black and white photographs. First coming to prominence for Immediate Family (1984-94), a series of intimate and revealing portraits of her three children, Mann’s work is deeply rooted in both her family and the landscape she lives and works in. Taken over a period of 10 years, Immediate Family illustrates the powerful relationship between mother and child, capturing the rawness and vulnerability of her children playing and acting towards the camera in their hometown, Virginia. The exhibition is introduced, however, with Faces, forming the final part of a longer series of work on display called What Remains. Faces is a compilation of up-close prints of Mann’s three, young children: Emmett, Jessie and Virginia, considered a more intimate extension of Immediate Family. The portraits of a grainy and burnt-out quality, classically frame her children’s faultless faces, freezing their angelic youth in time. The series What Remains collaborates family with landscape, the latter displayed in a selection of beautifully arranged portraits of decomposing bodies returning to the land. Delicately touching upon the social taboo of death, Mann coaxes us to reflect upon our own mortality and place within nature’s order.

Mann’s collection can be described as expressive and personal, offering a sense of physicality through her use of both intimate material, combined with prints using antique cameras and early photographic techniques. Her trademark of the ghostly lit and flawed finish is a result of Mann’s unique handling of the camera. Not only does she use the wet-plate collodian process (a technique introduced in 1981), Mann often makes use of the back of her truck as a temporary dark-room when making work outside. The accidents that happen in the dust and the dirt of her outdoor working environment all leave their marks, but it is the drips and stains across the prints that is all part of the appeal for Mann, as it is the appeal for many others, finding it difficult to critique a collection of work displaying such understated chastity.

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum celebrates the fabulous Fifties with an exclusive Friday night show, Retro Hollywood Glamour. Following the raring success of the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition, the V&A are keen to encourage their guests to reignite their inner Fifties persona for a fun and frock-filled Friday night. Including events from Daniel Hersheson’s blowdry bar, leaving your locks a la Grace Kelly, along with L’Oreal’s Paris Hollywood Makeover, making a mirage of Marilyn Monroe’s. What’s more, Oscar-nominated costume designer, Deborah Nadoolman, sharers her inner-most secrets to her style, as does curator Jenny Lister as they take guests on a tour of the Grace Kelly exhibition before talking about the world famous V&A fashion collection. Taking place on Friday August 27th, the free event works on a first come, first serve basis, so make sure you get there sharpish as not to miss out on all the fashion fun!

Despite being inundated by everyday prejudice and death threats, a record number of female candidates are running for Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections next month. Amidst growing tensions in the capital of Kabul, fears of a repeat of last years catastrophic election are ripe, as women are struggling to campaign at all outside a few areas. In a desperate attempt for them to promote their positions from afar, the city has been plastered in posters of by the female candidates, however, it is rare to find one not defaced with slashes of bright red ink. Relatively speaking, Kabul is far more secure and liberal-minded than most other parts of Afghanistan, the capital attracting candidates from areas where people feel too threatened to stand. Candidate, Najila Angira says “the Taliban’s time is finished… we are making the new Afghanistan and they will never come back.” However, as far as the Taliban are concerned, Angira stands for almost everything a woman should not be and therefore faces a turbulent run as she hoards off death threats, struggling to make herself heard as September 18th, when voting is billed, fast approaches.