Superstar Boris

I've spent most of this morning on Kensington High Street for the launch of the consultation on the western extension to the congestion charge zone.

It was one of Boris Johnson's key election manifesto pledges and he was turning up to launch it himself.

Nothing out of the ordinary about that you might say.  However I witnessed something which I thought was quite extraordinary.

I consider myself quite privileged that I get to interview the Mayor very regularly and seem to take it all in my stride.  Although it's usually in a much more controlled environment, either at City Hall or in some private room at a shopping centre or something.

Anyway, back to today and as well as the TV cameras and radio and newspaper reporters, there were dozens of paparazzi gathered outside South Ken tube station waiting for the Mayor’s arrival.

And it was at that point the buzz really started with tourists and locals stopping what they were doing to wait for whoever was arriving.

Some of them had the sense to ask the media who we were waiting for.  Others just stood around, maybe expecting Mariah Carey or Madonna or someone - I hope they weren’t disappointed when Boris turned up!

When he did arrive things just became.. well.. bizarre.

He decided to go on a walkabout.  It was the sort of thing we normally see politicians doing - and the Mayor was handing out consultation leaflets and chatting to locals.

But there was a massive scrum around him of paps and locals and the odd drunk, all trying to get a glimpse of the man from City Hall.

Some cars started to stop on the roads - and people were darting out of shops, camera-phones in hand, poised and ready to say hello and capture the moment that Boris came to town.

They didn't used to do that for Ken!

The man himself, of course, took all of this in his stride.  He chatted to as many people as he could, even cooing over a baby that was with its mum.  Boris was unflappable as ever, almost completely unaware of his superstar like status - and the melée that was going on around him.

The walkabout passed without incident and Kensington High Street returned to its usual bustling self; and after doing a round of interviews, the Mayor slipped off with his advisors.

Drama over.

Although, I did have a little chuckle to myself when I was waiting for the bus back into town. Boris cycled past me, with no escort and peddling furiously presumably on his way back to City Hall.

You wouldn't find the likes of Madonna and Mariah doing that!