Phil Daniels: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Originally asked

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

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

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

Recorded Phil Daniels said elsewhere, not written here

My mum – she's in her 90s, lives on her own, is lucid, wise and funny. And knows what a selfie is.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 July 2014 source ↗

Others on this question

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Bonnie Raitt Singer and guitarist

Dolores Huerta.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, September 2022 source ↗

Richard Schiff

Martin Sheen, simply the kindest and most fun-loving person and serious activist I’ve ever known. If Jesus was alive today he’d point to Martin Sheen and say, “That’s what I was talking about.”

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 April 2026 source ↗

Rebecca Lucy Taylor

Julie Hesmondhalgh – she’s the kindest, brightest, most truthful woman. She’s so talented, works hard, cares about the right things, puts her energy in the right places. I adore her.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 November 2025 source ↗

Douglas Booth

My friend Josie Naughton, the co‑founder and CEO of the charity Choose Love, which supports refugees and displaced people. She left her job working for Coldplay to dedicate her life to this cause.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗