Chris Packham
English naturalist
Fourteen. Dew-soaked plimsolls, flying my kestrel before school.
When were you happiest?
Question
What would you like to leave your children?
Death & what remains
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
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.
When I was climbing I was absolutely happy. I can use a climbing wall, but that’s not the same as real climbing.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 March 2025 source ↗
Others on this question
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Boris Becker
German tennis player, coach, and commentator
I am happiest with my family.
My first payday as a professional actor, knowing this was the beginning of the rest of my life, and the day my daughter told me I wasn’t the worst dad in the world.
Dan Stevens
English actor
My wedding day, eight years ago.
More from Chris Bonington
View profile →Compassion, resourcefulness and resilience form a rounded good person. So that’s what I’d like to leave my children and grandchildren.
The loss of Conrad.
There are so many instances when I’ve come very close to death that it’s difficult to pick one.
Becoming more physically active.
It’s my snoring that keeps Loreto awake!
I left the army and got a job with Unilever in Northern Ireland. They were very strict and you had to have a hat, and when you went into a shop you had to raise your hat to the shopkeeper and then sell your wares. I was selling margarine.
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