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But there was an intriguing undertow below all this that wasn’t readily discernible; bear with me for a minute while we work through it.

“My philosophy is centered around people,” said Straus, who asked the media to “bear with” his English after spending four years in Germany.

If something goes wrong, a question is fluffed or the music skips, Phil will shout: "Do bear with me ladies and gentleman, this is a live show" - to loud jeers from the room.

Signs on empty shelves read: "Please bear with us while we fix some technical issues affecting product availability."

He later defended those comments in a Telegraph article, insisting he had never been an "apologist" for President Putin, but added "if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don't be surprised if he responds".