Great to see Keith Richards interviewed by Andrew Marr this morning.

I was watching the programme when Dan Donovan, another musician and smoker, sent me a text:

Just watched Keith Richards interviewed on Andrew Marr. He's sitting indoors smoking with ashtray on table and on the BBC. How refreshing.

A second text read:

Iconic eloquent smoker and in his seventies.

I assume Richards insisted on smoking because I can't imagine the BBC volunteered the ashtray.

What I can imagine is a series of meetings among BBC top brass asking whether an interview with Richards was worth the criticism they would get on social media for 'allowing' him to light up.

Of course it was. The man is a legend and he's no fool. Although Marr was referring primarily to hard drugs when he questioned him about his lifestyle, it was refreshing to hear Richards neither condone nor apologise for his habits, most of which are in the past if you believe his autobiography.

"Don't do as I do" was as much as he would say (laughing as he said it) and most people would concur with that because if you read his book Richards does appear to have an unusually strong – possibly freak – constitution.

Others haven't been so lucky but the wonderful thing is he doesn't preach in the way many former addicts do.

And he hasn't given up all his vices, as today's interview proved.

The funniest thing was reading some of the comments on Twitter. Here's a selection:

@BBC very disappointed to see Keith Richards smoking on the Andrew Marr show. Why was that allowed to happen?

@BBC I can't believe @AndrewMarr9 is interviewing #keithrichards whose smoking during his interview! Is he too famous to follow rules?

Keith Richards smoking as he is being interviewed on the Marr Show. Everything about it looks wrong #signofthetimes

Really? What a strange world we live in.

Andrew Marr clearly didn't mind. He was "honoured" just to be in the same room as one of his heroes.

Whatever, it was a brief but welcome break from Corbyn mania even if Marr did slip in a question about the new Labour leader.

Richards handled that expertly too, wishing Corbyn all the best without divulging what he thought of his politics.

A smoker and a diplomat. Fancy that.