Elvish singing ripples across the reception at Aston University, where 700 delegates from around the world have gathered for Tolkien 2005, a four-day conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the full publication of The Lord of the Rings. The singing comes from the substantial figure of Mole - Paul Smith in the normal world - who crams into his days a full-time job, semi-professional church singing, a "personal attachment" to Tolkien's leading dwarf Gimli and regular attendance at Discworld conventions. [More]