Sir Cameron with his claret jug

This evening though, they are looking forward to enjoying a glass of good claret - Noël had suggested Blue Nun to complement the view but Cameron said he drew the line at drinking that - and they are having the most enormous fun.

The two men are discussing the theatre. Sir Cameron believes that he can learn a lot from Sir Noël's experience of the theatre, just as he teaches others his own valuable lessons from life in the West End. Indeed, for him, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama is a major creative force in Scotland, as it is discovering and training the leading artists of tomorrow. Although Sir Cameron's namesake, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, has created many unique masterpieces (and where would the Scottish soul be without Robbie Burns?), his nomination for Scotland's most outstanding piece of art is the view of the Cuillin Hills on Skye that he gazes at from his home in Loch Nevis (Gaelic for Loch of Heaven!).

"Sláinte!" Each of the friends cups a tasting beaker in his hand, its size and shape perfect for absentmindedly swilling around the crimson liquid as they talk. The beakers and the claret jug are finished with hundreds upon hundreds of tiny little hammer marks, creating thousands of reflections which serve only to accentuate the glorious blue that surrounds them.

Sir Cameron is a musical theatre producer, whose current worldwide productions include Cats, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, and the acclaimed revivals of My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Oklahoma!

Sir Cameron's chosen charity is
The Scottish Wildlife Trust