the times | Wednesday October 14 2020 1GT 9

times

A

s everyone surely

knows by now,

Dominic West and

Lily James were

papped at the

weekend sharing

a scooter, taking

in the sights and

getting very close (kissing) at an

outside restaurant table in Rome.

Then yesterday, just as the

Twittersphere was in full meltdown

(it turns out that West is an actor of

special interest to us... not sure that

Eddie Redmayne’s indiscretions would

have had the same effect), West and

his wife came out to meet the press in

the garden of their home in Wiltshire

and told reporters: “Our marriage

is strong and we’re very much still

together,” before handing out a written

statement, signed by them both.

So. Let that be the end of it then.

On the other hand we were all just

slap bang in the middle of exchanging

shock horror texts... “Oh NO!” and

“God, of course he was going to get

caught” and pontificating as to what

exactly would happen next. They may

want to put it all behind them, but

we’re not quite past it yet.

We have theories and a standout

one in particular. You could argue

that being in Rome, in the sunshine,

in a restaurant (mask-free zone) on

the brink of another wave of Covid

restrictions just went to their heads

— a moment of madness.

They are actors after all. You might

wonder (some have) if it was some

kind of put-up job to raise publicity for

the film the two of them are working

on (long shot that one, admittedly).

Or you could come to the obvious

conclusion that James is a very pretty

young actress and West is one of those

men who can’t say no, and we’d sort

of guessed that about him already.

There are men who, instinct

instantly tells you, are more up for it

than others. Their taxi light is almost

always on — they radiate availability

— which is why they are known (they

are now) as Taxi Light Man. It’s not

that they’re necessarily looking for

trouble; they’re not. But force of

habit, a need to spice up the everyday,

a low boredom threshold and —

depending on your point of view — a

reckless romantic spirit or a tendency

to self-sabotage with a side order

of vanity means that they are never

100 per cent not available — even

when they think they are.

Of course Taxi Light Man comes

in several different guises. There’s the

proportion of TLMs than, say,

accountancy or farming.

Age comes into it too. Matt Smith

may have some of the characteristics

of Taxi Light Man, but he’s still too

young and unmarried to be classified

as TLM. Even a stack of marriages

doesn’t automatically make you

TLM — look at someone such as

Rod Stewart. Very much the ladies’

man for a while, he also, apparently,

has the settling down cease-and-desist

gene, so... not a TLM.

Your typical TLM is 50-plus, and

just at that point when you think

they may indeed have given up their

roguish pursuits it turns out they

haven’t, and probably never will.

What really distinguishes TLM

from other men is his — for want of

a better word — charm, or what your

mother used to call a “twinkle’’, or a

“glad eye’’. If you find yourself sitting

next to TLM at dinner you might start

the evening thinking, “Shame I didn’t

get the really fit one,” — and end it

thinking, “He is rather gorgeous and

I think he really gets me.”

This is absolutely key to the appeal

of TLM because what woman would

risk hooking up with a married serial

philanderer if she wasn’t convinced

that she and she alone understood him

and was in turn “seen’’ by him. That’s

the way it works. Of course, if he has

These guys

are in the

business of

making

people feel

special

Men who always have their taxi

light on: is Dominic West one?

The actor, 50, has

been pictured

kissing his co-star,

Lily James. No one

is all that shocked,

says Harriet Smith

the come-to-bed eyes and impressive

back catalogue, so much the better.

Also worth noting is that there is a

reasonable chance that TLM’s female

dinner companion will feel the laser

focus of his attention regardless of

whether or not he intended her to.

Not saying they can’t switch it off,

exactly, just that you might get Taxied

almost accidentally.

These guys are in the business of

making people feel special, not just

the cutest girl in the room, and

making them love him back.

Finally, let’s spare a thought for

the man who looks a lot like TLM, but

has nothing but the noblest intentions

For example, Martin Kemp, who

appears like a flashing-eyed bad boy

whom you couldn’t trust as far as you

could throw him, but apparently isn’t

at all. It’s important to be clear that all

hotties in the world of pop and film

don’t go down the road of chasing

skirt, although some do.

THINGS TLM SAYS TO HIMSELF

I just love women

This is totally harmless

I love my wife and in a way she would

understand this, I think

Christ, how am I going to pay

for all this?

What are the chances of getting

caught?

I’ll probably regret this but...

Monogamy is not really for people

like us

I just need to escape once in a while

THINGS TLM SAYS TO HIS WIFE

It was nothing

I can explain

What we have is completely different

I think this has actually been blown

out of proportion

I can change

I will change

I’ll never see her again

You have to understand what it’s

like being away from home

You have to understand the pressure

I’m under

I’m so sorry, it was never meant to

get to this stage

I think someone’s framing me

Unapologetic Seducer — Mick Jagger

would be in that category. Jack

Nicholson was a TLM back in the day;

could still be for all we know. Charles

Dance has a touch of it, don’t you

think? Not that we can prove anything.

Then there’s the bashful, Gah I am

Awful, but Please Love Me sort. That

would be Boris Johnson. Who can

forget the moment Amber Rudd

described him as “the life and soul of

the party but not the one you want

driving you home”, which was clearly

a reference to his ability to lead, but,

given his reputation, everyone took

to be a Not Safe in Taxis dig.

Otherwise, there is the Lost Soul

(baby, maybe you’re the one who could

turn my life around). Ben Affleck

might be in this group, though he is a

bit young for the title, and conceivably

Russell Brand, but it could just be that

he was more of a manic shagger.

And last, but not least, there’s the

Fun, Sexy Guy in Need of Attention

and that’s pretty much the full and

only explanation for his behaviour.

Ewan McGregor (don’t sue us, just

guessing based on the wolfish smile

and rumours) and West spring to mind.

TLMs tend to have a few things

in common: at least one ex-wife, but

also their chosen careers. Politics,

journalism and the entertainment

business tend to attract a higher

Dominic West and

Lily James in 2018.

Above right: West with

his wife, Catherine

FitzGerald, this week

DAVID M BENETT/GETTY IMAGES; SPLASHNEWS.COM