My impotence in the face of war.
What keeps you awake at night?
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Question
What does love feel like?
Relationships
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A long-running fixed question in The Guardian's weekly Q&A questionnaire.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
One after the other, thoughts come banging in – and it’s no sleep for you tonight, dearie.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 June 2025 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 198 →
Peter Capaldi
Actor and director
Our ancient cat miaowing, because it’s got dementia.
Sleep apnoea and tinnitus.
Robert Bathurst
English theatre and television actor
Rats scurrying in the roof. I won the last war but it’s only a matter of time.
More from Arlene Phillips
View profile →Being let go from Strictly.
A Biba dress when I really couldn’t afford it. It was every scrap of my money and I’ve never parted with it.
Like you’ve got hot-water bottles all over you.
I play Classic FM in the car – emotional music brings me to tears thinking about people I’ve loved and lost.
In a Dagenham factory at 6am, picking soldiers’ greatcoats from wars around the world to sell at the market in Chelsea. I smelled like mothballs, and no one would come near me.
Loving, creative, demanding.
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