I had an Edinburgh, middle-class childhood and a public school education.

People may say that what I do is very clever, but it's not really at all. It's not Swift.

When George Bush finally leaves the White House, the satire industry will briefly join the rest of the economy in recession. It will certainly be the end of an era.

I love the 6 Nations rugby. I feel very Scottish then. I feel very Scottish now, sitting in the middle of Chelsea. But thats part of our heritage - being part of Britain, part of Europe. I love being European.

British politics is more nuanced. Part of the problem with New Labour is that they are a moving target.

I'm much more used to the TV shows, which are demanding to write and perform but very fulfilling.

That business aspect of the media, that Charlotte Street world, the advertising and programme executives, it leaves me absolutely cold. I'm supposed to be the director of a television company, but I've only ever seen that company as a vehicle for making the kind of programmes we wanted to make, getting our ideas on the screen.