Managed profile Not claimed by Roger McGough

Roger McGough has not joined FLAPSS and has not endorsed it. This page is a reference record assembled from published interviews and public remarks. Every answer below is a direct quotation with the source and date shown next to it.

Roger McGough

b. 1938

Born in Liverpool, Roger McGough, 88, worked as a teacher before forming the Scaffold with John Gorman and Mike McGear in the 1960s; they performed poetry, sketches and comic songs and had a No 1 hit with Lily the Pink. McGough hosts Radio 4’s Poetry Please and has published more than 100 poetry books for adults and children, including Collected Poems 1959-2024. He has four children and lives in London with his second wife.

8 answers 0 followers

Question Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?

I’m embarrassed when I get people’s names wrong.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 January 2026 source ↗

Question How would you describe yourself in three words?

Unimpeachable, nonpareil, self‑effacing.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 January 2026 source ↗

Question What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I had dreams of becoming the first scouse pope. Unfortunately, the girls got to me first.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 January 2026 source ↗

Every quotation above is reproduced from the source shown beside it and has not been edited. Roger McGough did not write these answers for FLAPSS. Request a correction or removal.