FIRST IMPRESSIONS: ANN WIDDECOMBE
What are you working on at the moment?
My autobiography, which will be out in the summer.
When were you at your happiest?
Oh dear, now there is a question! I’ve always been happy. But I was at my happiest probably when I was Shadow Home Secretary. I was able to draft policy and propose measures that would have had a tremendous impact – if we’d got in.
What is your greatest fear?
Heights.
What is your earliest memory?
It is from when I was very, very young. Post-war, we had utility goods and I was sitting in a utility pushchair, which was a bit of tin really, but it was painted red. And I can remember being pushed around by my mother.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Almighty God.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m pretty impatient.
What is your most treasured possession?
Family photographs.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Lack of humour.
Do you have a fantasy address?
The middle of Dartmoor; I already live on Dartmoor but I would love to live right out in the bleak wilds. Perhaps in a little tent.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Not much.
What is your all-time favourite book?
On The Western Front, because it shows the caught up in a war not of their own making.
What is your all-time favourite film?
The Pianist. It is fantastic. In the end he is betrayed by friends and saved by an enemy. It’s real life, it really happened. I think it’s so powerful.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
I’m tone-deaf so about all I can hear is Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony, because I can actually hear the surprise when it clangs. It’s a very good Ann is moved and surprised by Haydn’s music and the film allegory for life – there you are, everything is going smoothly and you’re beginning to nod off with the rhythm of it all and suddenly life strikes a hugely discordant note and you jump out of your skin.
What is your favourite meal?
Roast lamb with mint sauce and red currant jelly. I associate it with my childhood – and I just like the taste.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Charles II, because I could ask him if he did marry Lucy Walter. Jane Austen, because I think she would observe people minutely. Saint Paul, because I would want at least one serious note at the dinner party, and Anton du Beke, so that we could dance on the table afterwards.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Excluding those in the Bible, I would say probably William Wilberforce.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I really can’t remember because I really don’t give tuppence.
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe there is probably life out there, but I don’t believe that it has attempted to contact us.
What is your secret vice?
A whisky and soda nightcap.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Oh, I wish I’d thought of that earlier’.
What single thing would improve your quality of life?
A couple of cats around the place. I spend time away doing pantomimes and other things, so I will have to wait till things settle down a bit.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
'She was a good friend'.
Ann Widdecombe’s autobiography, Strictly Ann, is published by Orion Books, priced £20.
My autobiography, which will be out in the summer.
When were you at your happiest?
Oh dear, now there is a question! I’ve always been happy. But I was at my happiest probably when I was Shadow Home Secretary. I was able to draft policy and propose measures that would have had a tremendous impact – if we’d got in.
What is your greatest fear?
Heights.
What is your earliest memory?
It is from when I was very, very young. Post-war, we had utility goods and I was sitting in a utility pushchair, which was a bit of tin really, but it was painted red. And I can remember being pushed around by my mother.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Almighty God.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m pretty impatient.
What is your most treasured possession?
Family photographs.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Lack of humour.
Do you have a fantasy address?
The middle of Dartmoor; I already live on Dartmoor but I would love to live right out in the bleak wilds. Perhaps in a little tent.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Not much.
What is your all-time favourite book?
On The Western Front, because it shows the caught up in a war not of their own making.
What is your all-time favourite film?
The Pianist. It is fantastic. In the end he is betrayed by friends and saved by an enemy. It’s real life, it really happened. I think it’s so powerful.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
I’m tone-deaf so about all I can hear is Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony, because I can actually hear the surprise when it clangs. It’s a very good Ann is moved and surprised by Haydn’s music and the film allegory for life – there you are, everything is going smoothly and you’re beginning to nod off with the rhythm of it all and suddenly life strikes a hugely discordant note and you jump out of your skin.
What is your favourite meal?
Roast lamb with mint sauce and red currant jelly. I associate it with my childhood – and I just like the taste.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Charles II, because I could ask him if he did marry Lucy Walter. Jane Austen, because I think she would observe people minutely. Saint Paul, because I would want at least one serious note at the dinner party, and Anton du Beke, so that we could dance on the table afterwards.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Excluding those in the Bible, I would say probably William Wilberforce.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I really can’t remember because I really don’t give tuppence.
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe there is probably life out there, but I don’t believe that it has attempted to contact us.
What is your secret vice?
A whisky and soda nightcap.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Oh, I wish I’d thought of that earlier’.
What single thing would improve your quality of life?
A couple of cats around the place. I spend time away doing pantomimes and other things, so I will have to wait till things settle down a bit.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
'She was a good friend'.
Ann Widdecombe’s autobiography, Strictly Ann, is published by Orion Books, priced £20.