In theory this Thames Flyer thing is pretty appealing. What red-blooded male doesn’t want the “James Bond” experience of going wicked fast up the Thames while sipping elegantly on expensive champagne?

But then, in a lame attempt to justify the ridiculous fee of six hundred pounds per hour, they go too far. They promise, as though it were a good thing, that they will puncture your manly fantasy with “commentary . . . provided by standup comedians.” Honestly, who on earth wants that?

Of course, as The Economist notes, the current financial crisis might mean passengers get more than their money’s worth by the grim entertainment of “investment bankers jumping from bridges.”