Lodge began with a lengthy reading from ‘A Man of Parts’ his new biographical novel about HG Wells, before Stephanie Merritt asked him why he had chosen to write a novel rather than a biography.

Novelists of advancing years start to run out of life experiences on which to draw, so someone else’s life can provide a source, said Lodge. The use of fictional form allows for more dialogue and more narrative although Lodge made it clear that everything of consequence in the book is founded in fact.

Lodge feels that though Wells was flawed in many respects he was very aware of, and honest about his own weaknesses. “His ability to foresee things that would happen to society was quite uncanny.” Although he was a Fabian he wasn’t really a socialist, more of an idealist with an impractical vision based on an optimistic world view. Though this diminished in later life.

Wells was a contradictory character in many respects; a womaniser and a feminist, confident and insecure, comic and serious. Lodge is also disinclined to be categorised as a comic novelist “this isn’t a comic novel, though it does have humour in it”.

Perhaps it was the relatively early hour or maybe the relentless drizzle that has set in at Hay, which kept people in their beds. The Barclays Wealth Pavillion was only about half full for the writer who famously as a comedian was the first with Rob Newman, to sell out at Wembley.

Nevertheless a pack of press photographers dashed to the front of the stage and drew Baddiel’s fire “are you going to be here the whole time it’s fucking distracting”.

He was here principally to talk about his new novel ‘The Death of Eli Gold’. Eli is the survivor of a suicide pact with his fourth wife (it’s on the flyleaf so I’m not spoiling here). Another of the central charachters is Eli’s 44 year old son, Harvey. Aaronovitch is quite disparaging about Harvey; Baddiel reveals that many people on Twitter have said that Harvey is much like the the author, an observation with which he clearly does not entirely disagree. The book, from which the author reads, is compassionate, complex, awkward and amusing.

Baddiel is intelligent and funny (and so is Aaronovitch) and this was a highly entertaining session. The missing half of the audience unquestionably missed out.