Brenda Blethyn: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

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.

Recorded Brenda Blethyn said elsewhere, not written here

An old tutor at Guildford School of Acting – Ian Ricketts. He is a wonderfully inspiring man.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 April 2012 source ↗

Others on this question

Erin O'Connor English model

Annie Lennox - she's a private woman with integrity.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 March 2008 source ↗

Shirley Manson Scottish singer and songwriter; lead vocalist of Garbage

Greta Thunberg, a brightly coloured little bird in a coalmine, desperately sounding the alarm for others while laying her childhood to waste.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

Gabby Giffords. She’s a survivor of gun violence and a relentless champion of sensible gun safety measures.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, September 2025 source ↗

People who do hard, honorable work in obscurity.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2024 source ↗

I hope that time hasn't come yet.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 April 2012 source ↗

I was really disappointed not to be auditioned for Pride & Prejudice, but then they changed their minds and I got the part of Mrs Bennet.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 April 2012 source ↗

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