First Impressions: Christopher Timothy
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I am debating which play to do next and then I am looking forward to being part of Carols By Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham where I am giving the reading, including wonderful readings from Dickens and the Scriptures.
When are you at your happiest?
I have to say that I am at my happiest when working. Apart from being with my family, that gives me a lot of pleasure.
What is your greatest fear?
I worry about the health of my family and not being able to do what I love.
What is your earliest memory?
Being around the font at my brother’s christening in Wales. I remember meddling with the flowers and being told off by my aunt. I would have been around three or four.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I don’t like that I sometimes feel envious.
Who has been your greatest influence?
It would be my mother and also a much-loved teacher called Mr Ridings. I remember liking him because I enjoyed English and he greatly encouraged me.
What is your most treasured possession?
I am not sure I can think of a possession but my family would be most treasured to me.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
When people have a ‘that’ll do’ attitude.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I would have to say that it’s my nose – it is a touch more bulbous than I would like!
What is your favourite book?
My favourite writer is Charles Dickens and so I love A Christmas Carol. I also admire Stephen King and really enjoyed Delores Claiborne
What is your favourite film?
I have two: Double Indemnity and the wonderfully dramatic The Shawshank Redemption.
Clockwise from left: A roast beef served medium rare, much-admired film icon Montgomery Clift and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol
And your favourite piece of music?
The Welsh National Anthem sang by a stirring male choir.
What is your favourite meal?
It would have to be medium-rare roast beef and all the trimmings.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
I would invite the actor Montgomery Clift. I have always admired his skill and technique, so I would like to invite him to dinner to discuss this!
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
When I was at school, a teacher told me that I would never amount to anything!
Do you believe in aliens?
No – I have to say I don’t. However, I used to know Sir Patrick Moore and enjoyed quizzing him.
What is your secret vice?
I guess it would have to be envy. That is not something I am proud of.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes I do, although I occasionally have to be reminded by my wife!
Which phrase do you most overuse?
It would be an expletive used in frustration at something I view to be an injustice.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
No idea really – my life is okay so long as my family are healthy and happy and I am involved in good quality work.
Can you tell us one thing people might not know about you?
That I am 100 per cent Welsh.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
Something simple like, ‘He was a good bloke’.
Christopher Timothy reads in Carols By Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall on 19, 20, 23 and 24 December, and at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 22 December. For more information: www.raymondgubbay.co.uk
At the moment I am debating which play to do next and then I am looking forward to being part of Carols By Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham where I am giving the reading, including wonderful readings from Dickens and the Scriptures.
When are you at your happiest?
I have to say that I am at my happiest when working. Apart from being with my family, that gives me a lot of pleasure.
What is your greatest fear?
I worry about the health of my family and not being able to do what I love.
What is your earliest memory?
Being around the font at my brother’s christening in Wales. I remember meddling with the flowers and being told off by my aunt. I would have been around three or four.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I don’t like that I sometimes feel envious.
Who has been your greatest influence?
It would be my mother and also a much-loved teacher called Mr Ridings. I remember liking him because I enjoyed English and he greatly encouraged me.
What is your most treasured possession?
I am not sure I can think of a possession but my family would be most treasured to me.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
When people have a ‘that’ll do’ attitude.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I would have to say that it’s my nose – it is a touch more bulbous than I would like!
What is your favourite book?
My favourite writer is Charles Dickens and so I love A Christmas Carol. I also admire Stephen King and really enjoyed Delores Claiborne
What is your favourite film?
I have two: Double Indemnity and the wonderfully dramatic The Shawshank Redemption.
Clockwise from left: A roast beef served medium rare, much-admired film icon Montgomery Clift and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas CarolAnd your favourite piece of music?
The Welsh National Anthem sang by a stirring male choir.
What is your favourite meal?
It would have to be medium-rare roast beef and all the trimmings.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
I would invite the actor Montgomery Clift. I have always admired his skill and technique, so I would like to invite him to dinner to discuss this!
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
When I was at school, a teacher told me that I would never amount to anything!
Do you believe in aliens?
No – I have to say I don’t. However, I used to know Sir Patrick Moore and enjoyed quizzing him.
What is your secret vice?
I guess it would have to be envy. That is not something I am proud of.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes I do, although I occasionally have to be reminded by my wife!
Which phrase do you most overuse?
It would be an expletive used in frustration at something I view to be an injustice.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
No idea really – my life is okay so long as my family are healthy and happy and I am involved in good quality work.
Can you tell us one thing people might not know about you?
That I am 100 per cent Welsh.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
Something simple like, ‘He was a good bloke’.
Christopher Timothy reads in Carols By Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall on 19, 20, 23 and 24 December, and at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 22 December. For more information: www.raymondgubbay.co.uk