It's never much fun at school - it's just dates. Then as you get older, for some reason, you get more interested.

Don't overdo the booze especially while flying - just because it's there doesn't mean you need to drink it. Everything in moderation.

Depends on the evening. A good red wine is nice in cold weather. A Claret or a Rioja. I've got a good gin we make from damson plums. And you can't beat a glass of champagne every now and again.

I get nice letters, but really I have no idea. I just try to enthuse people. You've been married for 31 years.

I've covered a lot of the British countryside and the UK from top to bottom and side to side. It's such a pity more people don't appreciate what's on their doorstep.

I get up to 400 letters a week, so I have a full-time PA, but I try to answer everything. People don't seem to realise that if they send something living in the post it's going to die on the way. Especially when you wrap it in a polythene bag.

Once I was on a plane and a woman said to me, 'Now, what's the matter with my tomatoes?' And I said, 'Well, it's a bit difficult to see from here.' She took offence and said, 'I was only trying to be friendly.'