Books

Been meeting celebrities at Cheltenham Literary Festival this week and has got a job. So here's a literary themed quiz.

• One book you’re currently reading:

I'm about half way through Doctor Who: The Taking Of Chelsea 426. It's about the war between the Sontaran's and the Rutans invading the Chelsea Flower show. Pretty good stuff. Three years of a creative writing course has made me cringe when I read stuff we were told not to do - there's some pretty bad writing techniques and cliches in this book - but the story is decent.

• One book that changed your life:

I'm not sure any one book has. Lots of books have influenced my writing style. At uni the books I credited in essays on my writing style include The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Talk Of The Town by Ardal O'Hanlon, Martin McDonagh (he wrote plays not books, but I did credit him a few times). In terms of writing guides The Writers Tale by Russell T Davies and On Writing by Stephen King.

• One author’s works you’d be stranded on a deserted island with:

Who was it who wrote 'A Beginners Guide to Raft Building'? It would have to be Douglas Adams. Hitchhikers Guide is just brilliant and I think the Dirk Gently books are underrated because people compare them to the Hitchhikers books. I really liked the idea for the book he didn't finish writing when he died: "Dirk Gently is hired to investigate a crime that is never stated, by someone he never meets. So starts interviewing people at random." Really mental idea, would have been good.

• One book you’ve never been able to finish:

Ron Manager, Marvellous. Paul Whitehouse is a good comedian, but a bad writer and Fast Show characters never work in anything longer than a two minute sketch.

• One book that made you laugh:

Lots. That Mitchell and Webb Book made me laugh on nearly ever single page. Tony Hawks Around Ireland With A Fridge makes me laugh a lot too. It's released on DVD as a film (and I think available free on his website), it's not been selling to well and promoters aren't helping him much so do check it out. It's good but the book is better.

• One book that made you cry:

I don't think any books have made me cry. I don't tend to read sad stuff. Rob Pope's textbook about Creativity was so tedious the thought of it makes me cry. We had to read it for our course.

• One book you keep rereading:

I don't often read books again, but The Hitchhikers Guide trilogy, Tony Hawks' books, Paul Merton: My Struggle are all books I revisit.

• One book you’ve been meaning to read:

I regret to say I've not read any Sherlock Holmes, but I now own the whole set so I will get around to it soon. Or, just because of the title, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse by Robert Rankin.

• One book you believe everyone should read:

How To Cheat At Cooking by Delia Smith. Because it's practical.

• Finally, grab the nearest book. Open it to page 17. What is the fifth sentence?:

Icarus realised that the world could be changed for the better by relocating things. (Waiting for Godalming by Robert Rankin)