Sir Keith pied as RAG revive tradition

See more photos of the Rector getting pied here

Finally! A Rector who isn't afraid to take a pie to the face! The annual pieing of the Rector, a tradition that was discontinued during the reign of Sir Roy Anderson (whether that's because he objected or due to lack of organisation is unclear), has been revived ahead of Imperial College Union's RAG Week which begins on Monday.

The devilish RAG Hit Squad assembled in the Sherfield Building at around noon on Tuesday and began their preparations. Whipped cream was the order of the day – shaving foam doesn't have the same feel – and just after the hour they moved to their ambush location on the steps of the Queens Tower.

Sir Keith O'Nions, who just happened to be walking onto the middle of the Queens Lawn moments later, smiled and laughed as the Hit Squad gave him three well-placed pies to the face. He took the pies with the jovial manner of, well, a man with a knighthood covered in delicious whipped cream.

However, the RAG Chair, Naida Dzigal, was not to escape pieing. The Hit Squad, after finishing with Sir Keith, turned on their leader and ensured that she did not escape unscathed.