Irvine Welsh
Scottish novelist
I haven’t achieved anything of note yet.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Failure & regret
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
Change of mind
Question
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Failure & regret
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Verbatim recurring item in The Guardian Q&A; two fully readable publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Getting elected as MP for the Rhondda in 2001 despite everyone saying I was too “exotic” or “flamboyant”, ie gay.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 September 2025 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 192 →
Shirley Ballas
English ballroom dancer
Getting the job on Strictly at the age of 56.
Joanne Froggatt
English actress
Being a decent person.
Roger Allam
English actor
I was very proud of doing Falstaff, because it seemed to go well.
More from Chris Bryant
View profile →Brave, naughty, diligent.
An earthquake in Peru forced me and a young man into the street, where he had to introduce me to his family at three in the morning.
Zelenskyy for holding out against Putin.
A dog, though my husband would prefer a cat.
When I worked out I was gay and decided to leave the church at 29.
Mum, because I never really knew how to cope with her alcoholism.
More on craft & work
- What is the worst job you have done? 230 answers
- How do you know when a piece of work is finished? 67 answers
- What do you do when you feel creatively blocked or stuck? 66 answers
- How does a new work begin for you? 63 answers
- How much rewriting or revision do you do? 46 answers
- What is the part of your job that people would be surprised is most of your job? 41 answers
Also answered this
Edwina Currie, Louis Theroux, Clive Myrie, John Lewis, John Prescott, Emma Barnett
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All craft & work questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject