My friend Ed came over to my house on Wednesday, to eat roast chicken and drink wine and laugh. I’ve known Ed for a long while and the talk was full of remembering other evenings, other friends and other dinners. Food is good like that. Tom knows that feasting pricks the memory such that one …
It’s very hard keeping a secret. You people know about secrets, about what lies beneath the surface of a person. Without wishing to get too Shrek about it, people are like onions and uncovering the layers of a character is what actors are for. Some characters are all about keeping secrets, like yours, Ray, plotting …
I went camping this summer, in Dorset with my eldest, Miriam and my youngest, Silas. We pitched camp in our usual busy field a couple of miles outside Swanage, but then on our way to town for fish and chips, we passed a beautiful, empty, wide-open site, and our heads were turned. So back we …
I’m so sorry not to be there with you in the studio this morning. It sounds fun. Having said that, though, perhaps it’s for the best because I have a suspicion I might be just a touch intimidated because my word you’re a disciplined bunch. And, to be frank, I am not. But you, Tom, …
I’m a very possessive person. Not that I don’t like to share my stuff. Come round to mine for a barbecue or a cup of tea and it’s ‘mi casa es su casa’. You want to borrow a book? Fine. Drive my car? Go ahead. No. I’m possessive of my space. I have my spot …
I’ve been feeling old. I went climbing yesterday with my son Silas. We’ve been climbing together for about five years and his fearlessness and strength have amazed me from the start, but the difference now is that he’s a professional. He works at the wall every weekend and he climbs at a higher standard than …
So, I went to church yesterday. Obviously I needed some spiritual sustenance since, as both Wimbledon and the World Cup were resting, we found ourselves in the literally horrifying situation of no actual sport happening. Except for the Grand Prix, the cricket, the Tour de France, the rugby league… Oh. Now I am what’s called …
Let’s start with the gross bit. A little while ago I developed an unpleasant ear infection, my ears gummed up and for the next three weeks I was unable to hear very much at all. Now, to be honest, there are times when not being able to hear is a relief. When a meeting is …
Bank holiday is like therapy. In the middle of busy and ordinary, there’s suddenly a moment for special, for the seaside, for friends, for beer in the garden, for a deep breath and a sigh of contentment. A bank holiday is good for the national psyche. Now, I have a group of psychiatrists who I …
When I was a little boy, every time I went to a birthday party, my parents would say the same two things to me: “Remember what your name is and remember who you belong to.” I found this very confusing. How could I forget my name? And who did I belong to? I thought it …