Boris Johnson shuffled into the committee room a couple of minutes after 2pm, to find a gaggle of his staunchest defenders there to support him.
Tory MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg, Michael Fabricant, Scott Benton, Mark Jenkinson and James Duddridge and Lia Nici - Johnson’s former Parliamentary aides - were all front row - loudly ‘hear hearing’ the disgraced ex-PM as he took his seat for the grilling.
Meanwhile, Labour ’s Chris Bryant, who recused himself as chair of the committee, sat in a window alcove at the back of the room, out of the way of the cameras - listening intently and taking lengthy notes on Commons headed notepaper.
The session was twice interrupted for MPs to vote - with the first bell ringing for MPs to vote on Rishi Sunak ’s Brexit plan.
While the ex-PM was voting, the members of the committee huddled around, comparing notes on Mr Johnson’s half-delivered opening statement, with Chair Harriet Harman and ranking Tory Bernard Jenkin whispering and making notes on strategy.
Mr Johnson and his supporters returned in record time - barely ten minutes. One Tory Brexiteer joked there probably hadn’t been much of a queue for the ‘No’ lobby.
When he was interrupted for a second time, Mr Johnson could be heard muttering under his breath: “This is annoying.”
It’s remarkable that in more than 30 years of political service, Harriet Harman has never developed a poker face.
Mr Johnson was barely into his opening statement when he began to call into question the legitimacy of the Committee - and of Harman herself - prompting a furrowed brow, a head tilt and crossed arms.
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As the marathon session progressed, her expressions hit the full range of incredulity, from ‘looking down her nose, above her glasses like a sceptical schoolteacher’, to ‘chewing a particularly vigorous wasp.’
And she wasn’t alone in breaking the air of calm during the ex-PM’s increasingly improbable testimony.
Several of Johnson’s answers prompted laughter from those observing the committee’s questioning - particularly his claim that he “might very well” have made remarks about social distancing during a speech to a rule-breaking party, but only to tell the allegedly four-deep crowd how important the measure was.
This laughter irritated one of Boris’ pals - Michael Fabricant - so much he turned round and told the culprits to be quiet.
And as the session entered its fourth hour, and the hot, standing-room-only venue became even more tetchy, the remaining vanguard of Boris-backing Tories began to loudly grumble at a line of questioning taken by their backbench colleague Bernard Jenkin.
Mr Fabricant loudly denounced the grilling as “pathetic”.
They never quite reached the point of heckling committee members, but they weren’t far off.
But the loudest laughter came as Mr Johnson claimed to have “enjoyed” the questioning.
“Well, there’s another lie,” said one onlooker from the back.
