One of the problems with soap operas is that their endless twists and turns generate a level of interest that is wildly disproportionate to their importance. Lazard, the investment banking soap opera par excellence, is the same. Many investment banks frequently lose in a few days what Lazard makes in a year but the latest storylines coming out of the firm keep us glued to the television.

Like all good soaps, Lazard has two central characters in chief executive Bruce Wasserstein and chairman Michel David-Weill, whose frequent personality clashes provide the basis of the plot, with the rest of the cast revolving around them.