Tom Burke: When were you most embarrassed?

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The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

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Putting chocolate mousse in my agent’s face. Somebody had done it to me – that thing where they go, “Smell this, it smells funny”, and then they put it in your nose. A year later I was in this French restaurant with a very 1980s-style dessert trolley and, before I knew it, I had a bowl of chocolate mousse in front of me. And my agent went, “What’s that smell?”, and it felt impossible not to … I immediately felt awful and tried to apologise. He, of course, said that he found it funny. But I knew he didn’t.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 May 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Esther Freud

I bumped into an old schoolteacher and her even more ancient and deaf sister, and she shouted to her, “Remember Esther? Now she writes books … ABOUT HERSELF.”

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 July 2026 source ↗

Frank Cottrell-Boyce British screenwriter, novelist and actor

I once found myself chatting to a big handsome bloke at a party in Oslo. I said, “And what do you do?” “Well,” he said, “I am the king.” Being a great wordsmith, I zinged back, “Oh. Errm. Cool.”

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 July 2023 source ↗

Graydon Carter

That time I congratulated a waitress on being pregnant.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 June 2025 source ↗

Tom Fletcher

I was in Oliver! when I was 10 and I peed myself on stage in front of however many people the Palladium holds. It was the stuff of nightmares.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 November 2025 source ↗