The TV stations which had propelled him to prominence now acted as cheer- leaders for his political ambitions. The corporate structure of his company, Fininvest, took over the levers of government, with himself as prime minister and friends and associates as ministers and high functionaries. It could have been a script from one of the soap operas he broadcasts He was sun-tanned, charismatic, impeccably dressed. Promising jobs and prosperity, his party swept to power after a dramatic three-month campaign. How the pendulum has swung for Silvio Berlusconi. Eighteen months ago, when the smiling face of Italian private television entered politics on a mission to "save the country from the Communists", he seemed to wear an aura of success that rubbed off on everything he touched.

"It has always been the APSP's view that this action is totally out of proportion to the incident."Mr Goldman, who will have to pay his remaining costs of about pounds 8,000, said it had been worth it: "You can't value everything in money. I'm not trying to be clever or philosophical, but I was only concerned with the principle, spelt le at the end."He added that he expected to be banned for life from the association.. ever came to court," the judge said.He ruled that there should have been a reasonable break and it was "quite untenable to require competitors to go from 8.30am to 12.15pm without the opportunity of relieving themselves".The three defendants Clive Spate, Allan Simmons and Graeme Thomas, who ran the APSP as a non-profitmaking organisation, will have to pay a percentage of Mr Goldman's costs plus their own which will total somewhere between pounds 10,000 and pounds 20,000.Mr Simmons, president of the APSP which changed the rules governing breaks between games in 1991 as a result of this incident, said the association was "surprised and disappointed" by the result. It was a fitting end to a surreal case. After four days and costs of more than pounds 20,000, Mike Goldman, a solicitor, was awarded pounds 90 damages - somewhat short of the pounds 5,000 he had sought - by Judge Anthony Hallgarten, who said he considered the hearing "lamentable".The judge had to decide whether three officials of the Association of Premier Scrabble Players (APSP) had not allowed Mr Goldman, 62, sufficient time for a "natural" break at a Folkestone tournament in 1990, which Mr Goldman claimed made him lose the game after his time clock was started before his return.Factors taken into consideration included the distance to the lavatories, the presence of a cowboys' convention in the same hotel, and the strength of differently aged bladders."I have to say I am deeply sorry that this case...

BY GLENDA COOPER Standing outside the second-floor lavatories of the Central London County Court, a former Scrabble champion said he was "extremely relieved" that his distress at losing a tournament after spending a penny had been recognised Behind him three Scrabble players burst into tears. We're sorry they feel they can't continue their all-the-year-round operationBut he said Mr Noble was "doing it for artistic, not financial, reasons", and added, "the upside for us is that we can now have opera, recitals and music at the Barbican Theatre."To the provinces, page 21. He would now have to find other productions for half the year.He said: "Adrian's decision has come as a surprise. It has a consequence for the Barbican that we'd rather not have had I've spent a lot of time negotiating the current deal. He pointed out last night that both the Barbican Theatre and the smaller Pit theatre had been designed by the RSC for their exclusive use. in terms of access we will be the truly national theatre," he said.But the RSC's decision has stunned officials at the Barbican Centre, on the edge of the City, and the City of London Corporation - which gives the company pounds 3.6m a year, a figure that it recently doubled from pounds 1.8m.Bernard Hary, acting managing director of the Barbican, negotiated the money for the RSC. But it will add two other new residencies in regional cities and dramatically increase its touring."At any time there will always be an RSC play on the road ...