FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CLARE BALDING
What are you working on at the moment?
I have just finished filming a programme called Britain’s Brightest for BBC One, which goes out on Saturday nights. I’m also closely involved with a website called Historypin.com, which is about how our everyday lives have changed over the last 60 years.
When were you at your happiest?
I’m a very happy person, but probably during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. I loved them both.
What is your greatest fear?
Being unprepared. My recurring anxiety dream is being stranded on air, talking nonsense.
What is your earliest memory?
Candy. Candy was a boxer dog. Hers is the fi rst face I remember and she was my guardian and my best friend.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Alice, my partner. She understands what I want to achieve and the mark I want to leave, and she is very wise.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I wish I had more time. I am not very good at giving myself free thinking space.
What is your most treasured possession?
My dog, Archie, isn’t a possession but he is my most treasured non-human member of the family. Also, when Alice took me to Venice for my 40th, we bought the most beautiful Murano glass objet d’art. It’s a very beautiful piece and I’m very fond of it.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Disloyalty. I also deplore prejudice and misogyny and homophobia. And I don’t like people who aren’t genuine.
Do you have a fantasy address?
I’m particularly drawn to big Georgian houses. Hampshire is lovely. I used to say to Alice that one day we would live at Sydmonton Court, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s house. A couple of years ago she came to the Christmas party that they have there. She took one look at the house and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
It would be nice to have smaller thighs and bottom. It would be particularly useful for riding but I have learnt to live with what I have.
What is your favourite book?
Caitlin Moran’s How To Be A Woman. It’s very infl uential and has certainly changed the way I approach life. I hope every 14-year-old girl reads it.
What is your favourite film?
Love Actually. I love it. The world is divided between people who love Love Actually and people who don’t.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
I’m very into Caliban’s Dream, which was part of the Olympics Opening Ceremony and it just brings it all back.
What is your favourite meal?
Dinner out with Alice in Chiswick, either at La Trompette, which is very smart, or Charlotte’s Bistro, which is a lovely place.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Caitlin Moran, Liza Tarbuck, Judi Dench, Davina McCall – it would be a really good girls’ night – and Romola Garai, whom I think would be really interesting.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Mary Wollstonecraft. She wrote A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman and I think she was the fi rst recognised feminist writer who provided the ground on which everyone else has built.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
Critics don’t realise how misogynistic their language is. I recently got called ‘bossy’ by a writer, which I don’t think you’d ever say of a man. Another critic used to go on about Prisoner: Cell Block H and The Killing Of Sister George, basically giving me stick for being gay. AA Gill did the same but you get a bit bored with that. I’m thick-skinned enough for it not to really bother me.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Not enough. I’ve had a lot of letters about the book and I need to reply. But I do write and say thank-you for presents.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Lovely.’
What would you like your epitaph to be?
She changed the world.
Clare Balding is fronting the launch of an online energy archive called Remember How We Used To..: www.historypin.com/rememberhow
The campaign is in association with npower: www.npower.com
I have just finished filming a programme called Britain’s Brightest for BBC One, which goes out on Saturday nights. I’m also closely involved with a website called Historypin.com, which is about how our everyday lives have changed over the last 60 years.
When were you at your happiest?
I’m a very happy person, but probably during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. I loved them both.
What is your greatest fear?
Being unprepared. My recurring anxiety dream is being stranded on air, talking nonsense.
What is your earliest memory?
Candy. Candy was a boxer dog. Hers is the fi rst face I remember and she was my guardian and my best friend.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Alice, my partner. She understands what I want to achieve and the mark I want to leave, and she is very wise.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I wish I had more time. I am not very good at giving myself free thinking space.
What is your most treasured possession?
My dog, Archie, isn’t a possession but he is my most treasured non-human member of the family. Also, when Alice took me to Venice for my 40th, we bought the most beautiful Murano glass objet d’art. It’s a very beautiful piece and I’m very fond of it.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Disloyalty. I also deplore prejudice and misogyny and homophobia. And I don’t like people who aren’t genuine.
Do you have a fantasy address?
I’m particularly drawn to big Georgian houses. Hampshire is lovely. I used to say to Alice that one day we would live at Sydmonton Court, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s house. A couple of years ago she came to the Christmas party that they have there. She took one look at the house and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
It would be nice to have smaller thighs and bottom. It would be particularly useful for riding but I have learnt to live with what I have.
What is your favourite book?
Caitlin Moran’s How To Be A Woman. It’s very infl uential and has certainly changed the way I approach life. I hope every 14-year-old girl reads it.
What is your favourite film?
Love Actually. I love it. The world is divided between people who love Love Actually and people who don’t.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
I’m very into Caliban’s Dream, which was part of the Olympics Opening Ceremony and it just brings it all back.
What is your favourite meal?
Dinner out with Alice in Chiswick, either at La Trompette, which is very smart, or Charlotte’s Bistro, which is a lovely place.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Caitlin Moran, Liza Tarbuck, Judi Dench, Davina McCall – it would be a really good girls’ night – and Romola Garai, whom I think would be really interesting.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Mary Wollstonecraft. She wrote A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman and I think she was the fi rst recognised feminist writer who provided the ground on which everyone else has built.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
Critics don’t realise how misogynistic their language is. I recently got called ‘bossy’ by a writer, which I don’t think you’d ever say of a man. Another critic used to go on about Prisoner: Cell Block H and The Killing Of Sister George, basically giving me stick for being gay. AA Gill did the same but you get a bit bored with that. I’m thick-skinned enough for it not to really bother me.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Not enough. I’ve had a lot of letters about the book and I need to reply. But I do write and say thank-you for presents.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Lovely.’
What would you like your epitaph to be?
She changed the world.
Clare Balding is fronting the launch of an online energy archive called Remember How We Used To..: www.historypin.com/rememberhow
The campaign is in association with npower: www.npower.com