Not that there was anything bland about his predecessor. In fact Ken Livingstone was one of the most colourful characters in British politics – before he became Mayor of London.
In his eight years in that post though – apart from one or two headline-hitting gaffes – Red Ken became a serious hard-worker.
He helped the capital through the horror of the July bombings and was not afraid to make tough policy decisions – the congestion charge, for example.
Perhaps to many people's surprise, London has been a well-run city under Livingstone.
He fully deserved the praise from the man who beat him in the election. Boris described Ken as a "very considerable public servant".
The battle between these two huge personalities caught the imagination of the electorate, with each candidate polling more than one million votes.
But if there was concern about Livingstone when he first took charge in London, then there have to be serious doubts about the new Mayor.
Is Boris a credible leader? The burden of responsibility for controlling the day-to-day affairs of the country' busiest city will certainly test a politician who has in the past sometimes been dismissed as a joke.
Let us hope Boris is fully aware of what he has let himself in for.