Have you heard of Black Rod?

Marjorie and Dorothy Stevens said they were fans of BBC news

Westminster can think of only one thing at the moment and that is the row over whether Tony Blair's office sought a bigger role for the prime minister at the Queen Mother's lying in state.

But what do the public think? And have they even heard of Black Rod? BBC News Online asks people at Victoria Station in central London.

Lee Cummings from Crystal Palace was standing reading his copy of the Sun newspaper when we caught up with him.

Asked if he knew who Black Rod was he initially replied: "No, I've never heard of him.

Ms Price said the name Alastair Campbell meant nothing to her

Not to be deterred we asked if he had heard of the Prime Minister's director of communications Alastair Campbell.

He again said no, although he said he obviously knew who Tony Blair was.

But as to the row between Number 10 and Black Rod's office Mr Cummings thought it might be something to do with British Rail.

Not an unreasonable assumption since he was being quizzed in a station.

Shortly afterwards he recalled that Black Rod was connected with Parliament, where there is a garden named after him.

Bushra Rasheed from Gillingham was just off a train when we cornered her.

She said that she thought Black Rod was "a ceremonial guy in Parliament".

Asked about the row she said: "Is that where Tony Blair was accused of seeking more publicity at the Queen Mother's funeral?"

Nicola Cotterill from Birmingham said: "That doesn't mean anything to me. I've never heard of Black Rod and I don't know who Alastair Campbell is."

Maria Chalidze from Hackney predicted she would not know the answer to the question adding that she thought there was a row about a civil servant from Number 10 ringing up Black Rod over the prime minister's role in the wake of the Queen Mother's death.

Sisters Dorothy and Marjorie Stevens, from Hornchurch, said they had heard of the row because they both listened to and watched BBC News.

Dorothy said: "Yes as far as I can gather someone wanted Tony Blair to have a more prominent part in the Queen Mother's funeral."

Marjorie said: "I know as much as my sister about it."

Mr Jackson knew about the row

Hugh Kendal-Ward said he had never heard of Black Rod.

Asked about the row he said: "I don't even know about it."

Cecille Price from Carshalton said: "I've never even heard of Black Rod nor of Alastair Campbell."

While Peter Jackson from London, who was having coffee at the station, said: "Black Rod - he's the guy in Parliament whose kicking up a fuss about Tony Blair and the Queen Mother's funeral."