Arts Diary: Will Marriott

After arriving an hour late for the Reading set, Guns N' Roses showed similar poor time-keeping at Bramham Park, and after complaining on stage that they weren't allowed to play as long as they wanted to, Axl it seems still has an axe to grind.

The singer has been posting his post-festival thoughts on Twitter, and it appears he is not a happy man.

"Our start times at the Reading and Leeds Festivals had nothing to do with us as the previous bands came offstage when they did and we went on within our contracted and documented changeover time period," he wrote on Monday, before adding: "If you are aware of our changeover time, the average length of our show and the general nature of how these types of festivals run, all of which are no big secrets... why book us?"

Finally, he signed off with: "It's a cash grab with no respect for the fans or the band and somehow an unwanted inconvenience for the cities and law enforcement."

Sheffield won't know what's hit it. The annual Doc/Fest has managed to secure the UK premier of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work along with a special guest appearance from the irreverent comedian.

The film, shot over the course of a year, exposes Rivers's private dramas and reveals the toxic mixture of self-doubt and anger which fuels her comedy.

"We are thrilled to premiere Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work in the UK at Sheffield Doc/Fest," says Ricki Stern, who co-directed the film with Annie Sundberg.

"During the course of making the film, we filmed for several weeks in the UK, and Joan's audiences are always a blast. Having Joan with us at the festival is going to make the event all the more special."

A masterclass, "The Making of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work", will take place on November 4 followed by a further screening on November 5, and the comedian is due to attend both events.

Philippa Gregory has built a career writing about ancient Royals, but it seems she's not too keen on the present lot.

Promoting her latest book, The Red Queen, the North Yorkshire author was asked whether she would like to abolish the monarchy, and while her response didn't exactly call for bloody revolution, it was at

best lukewarm.

"They're perfectly agreeable people but I don't think we need royalty in Britain today. It's time we grew up as a country. It's time to be citizens, not subjects."

Damien Hirst is among the celebrity artists helping to raise money for the Warchild charity.

Canadian guitar-maker Carparelli is to auction a series of 10 guitars, each painted by well-known artists, to raise money for 10 charities.

Hirst's effort is a colourful one, but when it is put up for sale by Christie's later this year, only those with a healthy disposable income should apply. The guitar already has a guide price of between 50,000 and 70,000.