Tom Fletcher: Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?

Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?

Originally asked

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

The Guardian's weekly The Q&A repeatedly uses this standing prompt, with minor contractions and word-order variation.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Tom Fletcher said elsewhere, not written here

A pair of Back to the Future shoes. They were auctioned off for Michael J Fox’s Parkinson’s charity, so I bid and I won. I am a huge fan of the films and if there was ever a pair of shoes I should own, it was those.

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

Others on this question

View all 197 →

Shappi Khorsandi Iranian-born British comedian

A walk-on part for my mum in Les Misérables. It was in a charity auction. She always dreamed of being in a West End show.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 February 2017 source ↗

Rachel Whiteread English artist

A car, which is used like a van; I should have just bought the van.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 December 2017 source ↗

Lee Child

A painting by Renoir, paid for by demanding a huge fee for a screenwriting deal with a producer I didn’t want to work for. The movie was never made.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 June 2025 source ↗

Sandi Toksvig Danish and British broadcaster, comedian and writer

My five-litre Ford Mustang.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 March 2018 source ↗

More from Tom Fletcher

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Question When were you happiest? Time & hindsight

On stage with my band.

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

Question Which moment embarrassed you most? Failure & regret

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 ↗

Question What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? Failure & regret

“You’re not in Busted any more.” I successfully auditioned to be in Busted and then a couple of days later I got a phone call to say that I was no longer needed as they were going to keep it as the three of them. But it ended up being OK.

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