Growing up in a Canadian household that was more British than Big Ben, I dreamed of flying to England myself and visiting the places my family never tired of talking about. I always woke up before the plane landed.

I'm at that age where I watch such things with two minds, one that cackles at these capers and another that never gets much beyond a rather jaded and self-conscious smile, like the Mona Lisa.

During a long career in TV broadcasting, I spent a lot of time contributing to other people's creations.

The very best people are like that. They don't entangle you like flypaper.

Whenever I'm with other people, part of me shrinks a little. Only when I am alone can I fully enjoy my own company.

Not very good with death? Father was a military man, and military men lived with death; lived for death; lived on death. To a professional soldier, oddly enough, death was life.

If poisons were ponies, I'd put my money on cyanide.