Quotes

It would be nice to meet someone who lives up to my mother. That's what I look for in a girl - strength, intelligence and humour.

[If I could change anything about myself I'd...] have a better-looking chest, mine is shaped like a barrel.

[If I could pass any law it would be...] to allow 16 year olds to vote.

[I am currently reading...] Whatever Makes You Happy by William Sutcliffe. I'm a big fan of his work.

[My greatest weakness is...] girls. One girl at a time of course but I am pining for someone at the moment.

[The song I can never get out of my head is...] Proof by I Am Kloot.

[My favourite place in Britain is...] the heronry in Regent's Park.

[The most expensive thing I've ever frittered money on...] is a Dior duffel coat.

[The best thing my parents taught me...] is tolerance and generosity. And not to ask too many questions.

[My biggest influence...] is my mother. Everything I do is for her.

[When I'm feeling down I...] tend to wallow in it, and ask others to do the cheering up for me.

I'd hide while I smoked but I was quite good in lessons. The teachers were like: 'He smells of cigarettes but he's quite good at geography. He knows his drumlins from his terminal moraines.' I have a friend who's retained his geography knowledge. We sometimes have a geography-off in the pub, which sounds like something my character in Bad Education would do. I ran for head boy. I didn't get it. It wasn't a disappointment. If you're head boy the legacy isn't 'head boy', it's 't***'.

[If I have time to myself I...] generally see my friends and drink too much. Or I'll go to the cinema. Since becoming single, I have to go out to occupy myself.

[I know I'm having a bad hair day when I...] look at my reflection.

[It's not good for my image but I like...] smoking. I don't do it that much though.

[When I was a child I wanted to be...] a footballer, playing for Tottenham Hotspur. My dad would take me to see them as a kid.

[Not a lot of people know this but I'm very good at...] football. I play whenever I have a chance.

[If I can, I always try to avoid...] the tube. It's overcrowded, overheated and under cared for.

[on my last holiday I went to...] Altea, Spain, visiting a friend and it was blissful.

[My best friend is...] I haven't had a best friend since primary school but I've got loads of good friends from different stages of my life.

[The best day of my life is...] today.

[I drive...] a VW Golf Mark 1 Convertible.

[My last meal would be...] I don't eat meat any more but as it's my last, it'd have to be ham, egg and chips.

[My proudest moment...] was my mum watching me in the West End when I was in Entertaining Mr Sloane.

[You may not know it but I'm no good at...] skiing. It always feels like loads of effort for very little reward.

[To wake myself up I...] have a strong cup of tea - white, with three sugars.

[The most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me is...] nothing really. People don't really do romantic things for me. I don't know why. I'm single at the moment but I can be quite the romantic in relationships. When I like someone, she'll know about it.

[The thing I love most about Manchester is...] It's not London.

[The best Manchester band of all time is...] Ooooft. That's tough. Huge fan of James, New Order, Oasis... but it's gotta be the [Stone] Roses, I think.

[Manchester has everything except...] A decent football team.

[People's biggest misconception about Manchester is...] That it rains all the time. It's important that when the sun is out you look up! When it's raining we're either under umbrellas or with hoods up. When it's sunny look up and marvel at the beautiful architecture.