Tom Allen
British comedian
Never save anything for best.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
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.
To know thyself, as Shakespeare said.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 October 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 137 →Offer kindness always.
People remember how you make them feel more than they remember what you say or do.
Always sleep on any decision.
More from Dervla Kirwan
View profile →At my mother’s funeral last year.
About five years ago, I was in a play that was an unmitigated disaster. I had to rally the troops and go out every night.
That I am a terrible actor.
A little bit more self-confidence.
Warm, intelligent, accommodating.
A few weeks ago, walking on the beach in Anglesey with my dogs and my husband.
More on time & hindsight
- When were you happiest? 577 answers
- What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore? 77 answers
- What scares you about getting older? 61 answers
- What is the best advice you have ever received? 28 answers
- If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? 23 answers
- What is something you were told by a parent, teacher, or mentor that you still repeat to yourself? 22 answers
Also answered this
Roger Ebert, Henry Marsh, Erin O'Connor, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Alex Lawther, Shobna Gulati
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- All time & hindsight questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject