If I have time to myself. . . I listen to The Archers omnibus. No one is allowed to speak to me between 10am and 11.15am on Sundays. I put on the radio and immerse myself in the dramas of Ambridge as I bake a cake or cook a stew.

You may not know it but I'm no good at. . .making puff or flaky pastry . . . far too timeconsuming and tricky, and the ready-made versions are terrific.

A book that changed me. . . was a novel I read when I was 18. a fellow actress Judith Stott gave me Edna O'Brien's Girl with Green Eyes. I had abandoned reading at this time and this was the first book that seemed to be speaking directly to me.

Comfort eating. . . working my way through an entire pack of Munchies, if I've stopped at a garage for petrol; or a whole bag of Revels if I'm at the cinema.

I wish I'd never worn. . . a puffball dress in the '80s. Always a mistake for me to try to be too up-to-the-minute.

My favourite building. . . I do love the Gherkin, as they call it . . . a great use of modern technology to work out the maths of all those stunning diamonds of glass, and a terrific addition to London's skyline.

My biggest regret. . . is never thinking of those witty retorts, particularly during my school days, until in bed at night and far too late.

It's not fashionable but I like. . . being called an "actress" rather than an "actor" and . . . illogically . . . being a "chairman" not a "chairwoman".

If I wasn't me I'd like to be. . . a baby . . . just so I could try it all over again.

The shop I can't walk past. . . Sally Parsons in Bute Street, South Kensington. She brings in a fantastic selection of clothes from all over Europe . . .

always something there that I can't resist, and she knows just what will suit me (so no puffballs).

My favourite work of art. . . apart, of course, from any one of my husband's brilliant drawings, I'd like a Rothko please; he produces an unspeakable emotion that hits me right where it counts.

The soundtrack to my life. . . is Mozart, Mozart and more Mozart (above)