My dad was a diplomat and after living in America, where I was born, he was posted to Cairo.

My parents' generation's benchmark was simple: Fat Equals Bad.

My parents both had Oxford degrees, they read important books, spoke foreign languages, drank real coffee and went to museums for pleasure. People like that don't have fat kids: they were cut out to be winners and winners don't have children who are overweight.

As an actress and comedienne, I'm a huge fan of he theatre and the Tricycle in Kilburn is my favourite in London. I dragged my kids to a performance of 'Twelfth Night' there, where they handed out pizza. Who knew that all it takes to get children interested in Shakespeare is a snack?

I don't subscribe to the 'Doctor Who' magazine and we've only got the normal amount of 'Doctor Who' fridge magnets.

I'm the co-chair of the PTA at my kids' school, Ashmount Primary, in north Islington, London.

If I'm hunting down gifts, I like to buy locally.