By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent

Star turned the focus onto the prime minister's spin chief

And thanks to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's evidence to the same committee, it has taken on all the trappings of the Roman games.

Mr Straw may not have meant to - possibly - but he has pitched Alastair firmly into the centre of the Coliseum. Let's hope he brings his net and trident.

In a blunt assessment of the notorious "dodgy document" produced as part of the case for war on Iraq, he branded it a "complete horlicks."

But how did that happen, he was repeatedly asked.

His answers amounted to: "Don't ask me, it was nothing to do with me. Ask Alastair Campbell tomorrow.

"But yes, it should not have been tinkered with in the way it was, that was not in the government's interests, it was extremely embarrassing for the government and allowed our critics to claim we were making it all up as we went along.

Not verbatim

"It should probably never have been published in the first place but, by the way, it is still the case that everything in that document, even the altered bits, was absolutely accurate."

He even apologised to the individual whose thesis had been lifted from the internet to form part of the dodgy document.

Not a verbatim account of Mr Straw's words perhaps, but exactly what the core of his argument was.

Campbell will explain dodgy dossier

No wonder Mr Campbell is so eager to come before the committee to put his side of the argument.

He, of all people, can spot a scapegoat when he sees one in the mirror.

Meanwhile, Mr Straw revealed he was now only "hopeful" that weapons of mass destruction will be found within weeks or months in Iraq.

That is substantially different from the absolute confidence regularly expressed by the prime minister that they will be found.

Brittle moment

He also frankly admitted he had no idea why Saddam Hussein had not used weapons of mass destruction during the war.

He also denied that four officials named previously as involved in the production of the document had anything to do with it.

That's another one Alastair will have to grapple with on Wednesday afternoon.

There was also a brittle moment when Mr Straw challenged one of his tormentors Tory MP John Maples - to show anything in the document was not true.

When Mr Maples replied with one, albeit small example, Mr Straw snapped back: "that doesn't seem to be a hanging offence."

Overall the foreign secretary gave a robust and coherent defence of the government's reasons for going to war.

What he probably failed to do, however, was remove the suspicion that documents were "sexed up" to back the case for war.

Clearly, neither did he persuade the government's critics that Saddam Hussein had been a threat on the scale suggested in the run up to the conflict.

It was a riveting and, at times, confusing performance and much of the good stuff will be during the private session on Friday.

But it was also only the appetiser for the main course which comes when Mr Campbell steps into the arena on Wednesday afternoon.