Where do you call home?
Home is a dilapidated Regency wreck in Hampshire.
You’ve adapted The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard and The Castle of Otranto for the BBC. Where do you your best writing?
I do my best writing at the kitchen table, if nobody else is there.
Do you prefer pottering around the house or garden?
I prefer pottering around the garden as it’s cheaper and quicker to make it look pretty than the house.
Describe your favourite piece of jewellery…
My favourite piece of jewellery that I still have is a necklace that looks like pirate treasure. It has topaz interlinked with brass discs that look like doubloons on one side and are covered in old gold glitter on the other side. It makes my neck go green, but I love it.
To what or where would you book tickets tomorrow if you could?
If I could visit Pompeii tomorrow, I would.
Which famous female do you most admire?
I admire Ruthie Rogers of The River Café. She has helped legions of young creatives find their way in life, including me, when I was young.
What is for dinner tonight?
Dinner tonight will probably be roast chicken.
You have an unexpected afternoon on your hands. What do you do with it?
If I have an unexpected afternoon on my hands, I write.
What is your most prized possession?
My most prized possession is a Charles Clay grandfather clock. It is as old as our house, given to us by my husband’s parents and has a lovely deep tick and a pleasant chime.
What is currently on your bedside table?
On my bedside table are: the book Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, a framed photo of my children, a red pencil case with broken jewellery inside that I intend to mend, a leather-bound notebook and a strange American 1930s handbag that is shaped like a bucket and clicks shut.
