Reece Shearsmith
British actor, comedian and writer
There's a man at the tube who hands out ShortList magazine. He has never given up trying to make me take one. I admire that.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
My wife, Ruth, because she holds the fort, making it possible for me to do what I do.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 September 2016 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 406 →
Lleyton Hewitt
Australian professional tennis player
Greg Norman, for the way he handles winning and losing.
Annie Mac
Irish broadcaster and DJ
My parents, for still being in love after 40 years.
Gabor Maté. He is very eloquent and articulate about the role of trauma in our lives.
More from Ray Mears
View profile →The sound of nightingales, but it is the most lovely sound. If someone said it was an elf playing a flute, I would believe them.
For being genuine.
In a helicopter crash in Wyoming in 2005. My cameraman broke his back and both legs; the pilot broke his back. The helicopter didn’t catch fire, so I’m still here today.
While tracking wolves in Idaho, we came across a wolf carcass. It was likely the pack had been poisoned in a deliberate act. I am a hunter, but I respect wildlife and I also respect predators.
Right now. I live in the present.
More on values & belief
- What is the trait you most deplore in others? 197 answers
- What is something everyone in your world agrees about that you think is wrong? 79 answers
- What are you unwilling to optimise? 30 answers
- What have you come to understand about what it means to be human? 14 answers
- What is the most overrated virtue? 10 answers
- What do you need to believe in order to get through the day? 9 answers
Also answered this · A–Z
Abi Morgan, Adam Clayton, Adeel Akhtar, Adwoa Aboah, Alfre Woodard, Alice Eve
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All values & belief questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject