Holy Hitch

Christopher Hitchens, the most famous atheist in the world, was a wonderful, generous godfather to Alice Cockerell

- Alice Cockerell

My godfather was once the most famous atheist in the world.

Although Richard Dawkins had a rival claim, there was a time when no one did celebrity scepticism better than my godfather, Christopher Hitchens. Strange to say, but I think of him particularly at Christmas.

Funnily enough, he actively lobbied for the job as my spiritual guardian.

It was the late 1980s and although he hadn’t quite wrestled himself into full atheism, he was belligerently agnostic enough for it to come as a surprise to my mother when he petitioned her: ‘I remember he focused me with those dissipated blue eyes, which bulged at moments of great intensity, and said, “Please, Bridge, let me be her godfather. I will be such a good one.” ’

Hitchens’s career as a godfather was a curate’s egg. Ironically enough, he always came good at spiritual milestones.

He bought my presents at Tiffany’s. For my christening, he gave me an engraved silver rattle. For my confirmation, he gave me a beautiful, silver chain necklace, as well as his book, The Missionary Position.

He inscribed his polemic about Mother Teresa with the words, ‘To my dearest goddaughter Alice, I congratulate you on joining the Church and hope, with this tome, to give some context.’