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Pollock loves to weave a tale. There's the one when former TV-am chief Bruce Gyngell accused him of producing programmes that were 'too gay' and Pollock stormed out, only to be charmed back by the mercurial boss.

Then there are the stories of how Pollock helped Ulrika Jonsson make the switch from secretary to weather girl, and of when he was a PR minder to Ingrid Bergman and Lorraine Kelly while running his own business as a celebrity agent.

Pollock might be a name dropper extraordinaire, but his ability to schmooze with the great, the good and TV stars has served him well in his role promoting the capital's premier gay event, Pride London. The fact that he worked at Planet 24 with Bob Geldof, for example, meant that the Irishman felt it was his duty to inform him last month that he was planning a 'little event' in Hyde Park that would clash with Pride London on 2 July.

Geldof's Live 8 could have pushed Pride right out of existence but for the fact that the pair were able to chat about how they could salvage the situation. So this Saturday Geldof will ride on the front float of the Pride London march down Park Lane, alongside Pollock.

'That way, there's still a good chance the TV crews will cover Pride, and Bob gets a ride through the crowds into Hyde Park,' says Pollock.

His extensive list of friends also meant Pollock could summon some high-profile gay people to support Pride London, which is in its second year.

Sir Ian Mc-Kellen (with whom Pollock spent last weekend at Oslo Pride), Chris Smith, Graham Norton and Stephen Fry are all patrons, although Fry said he'd 'rather be a matron'.

This support, together with that of Pollock's office mate Peter Tatchell, the gay rights activist, has been crucial for the event. The group rose out of the ashes of the Mardi Gras organisation, which had become unpopular with the gay community for commercialising the 34-year-old community-based Pride brand.

These days, Pollock, who was head of Mardi Gras, treads a careful line between retaining the grass-roots element of Pride and gaining support from sponsors. Virgin Mobile has put its name to the cabaret stage and Ford is sponsoring the Terrence Higgins Trust float. Pollock is keen for brands to attach themselves to specific events or floats so that they are seen to be actively supporting the community.

Despite his determination that corporate sponsors should not dilute the event's community feel, Pollock wants to attract more sponsorship money, and reels out lists of statistics backing the lucrative market for the 'pink pound'.

Recent press stories have speculated that corporate money is abandoning the gay cause because it has become such a mainstream issue. Pollock accepts that being gay 'is becoming acceptable as a viable alternative lifestyle', but emphasises that the campaigning side of the Pride brand is still alive and well.

This year, Pride is tackling hate crimes and bullying in schools as part of its community action brief. And, says Pollock, Pride still serves an important function as a way of coming out for many gay men and women.

Pollock, who will only admit to being in his 'mid-fifties', says the feeling of supporting the community is what sustains him through the endless Pride committee meetings. He is, he says, a great 'plate spinner' and has evolved the skill of managing armies of volunteers by capitalising on their own gay pride.

He is also motivated by the fact that next year's event - EuroPride - is set to attract gay visitors from all over Europe, thanks to support from VisitBritain. Pollock has ambitious plans to run the 2006 march down London's Oxford Street and Regent Street and include a EuroPride 'Shop Till You Drop' day, with discount vouchers to keep retailers happy. 'It'll be a gay invasion,' he beams.

CAREER HISTORY

1983-1993: Head of entertainment and features, TV-am

1993-1998: Chief executive, Entertainment Partnership

1998-1999: Head of entertainment, Planet 24

1999-2004: Chief executive, Mardi Gras 2004-present Chief executive,

Pride London