In my childhood, when I didn’t think about whether it was happy. It just was.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 October 2018 source ↗
The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
In my childhood, when I didn’t think about whether it was happy. It just was.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 October 2018 source ↗
At home with my dogs, or on the boat going waterskiing on a beautiful day in Miami. And having a hit song that connects with people.
In recent times, when I was looking after my mum. She would take me on journeys in her mind and I’d travel with her wherever she went. I felt happy that I had the opportunity to have that time despite her illness.
Probably during my childhood growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Last week, lying under a hat on Folkestone beach.
Dawn French, because I am sitting next to her and she says if I don’t say her, she will hurt me.
I’ve been to two postmortems in real life, and spent the last 14 years talking about death at work – so, pretty close.
Any writer who thinks I’ve ruined their work in performance.
A cellist, inspired by my mum and dad’s friendship with Jacqueline du Pré, and seeing a documentary about her.
I would like the poem Cherish by Raymond Carver. It was read by my dad at my wedding, and is my absolute favourite.
Listening to the last 10 minutes of the podcast S-Town. It is one of my favourite reminders of what life is truly all about.
Angela Griffin, Martin Kemp, Charlotte Church, Alan Cumming, Maxine Peake, Patricia Hodge
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