As I got richer and richer I became more stridently middle-of-the-road – a social democrat rather than a democratic socialist, to borrow from The Life Of Brian.

Yes, and it didn't go too well. I appeared as an unpaid stage-filler in the 1995 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Julius Caesar at London's Barbican theatre, directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Christopher Benjamin, John Nettles, Julian Glover as Cassius, my army commander, and Hugh Quarshie, with whom I had a memorable moment … Continue reading Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

My wife might suggest cooking.

Brutto near Farringdon station

'Hark', by Ed McBain, an 87th precinct story featuring the ensemble of grubby cops whose daily task is managing big-city crime in a unique interpretation of the word 'collegiate'

Tony Benn.

In no particular order... The News Agents, Slow News from Tortoise, Taskmaster Podcast with Ed Gamble, The Rest Is Politics, British Scandal, The NS Podcast, Trendy, BBC Newcast.

Yes, age 17. I'd try to wear flat shoes instead of the 6-inch platforms I felt might make me more attractive.