Alan Titchmarsh
Gardener and broadcaster
Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. That’s me, really.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
We don’t play songs at funerals where I’m from, but if they had to – Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 February 2021 source ↗
Others on this question
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Sandi Toksvig
Danish and British broadcaster, comedian and writer
How about The Hokey Cokey? That’s always fun, especially if they’re carrying the coffin.
Rick Astley
Singer, songwriter and radio presenter
I’d like to go all melodramatic and have Vide cor Meum by Patrick Cassidy from Kingdom Of Heaven. It’s also in another Ridley Scott movie, Hannibal. It’s an operatic piece and absolutely amazing. Obviously Ridley Scott thinks so, too..
Shirley Ballas
English ballroom dancer
We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters.
More from Fatima Bhutto
View profile →Today, waking up in the dark hours of the morning with a litter of puppies snoozing on my bed.
I don’t know. I prefer it that way.
That to-do list I am supposed to get through but can’t summon the energy for in these weird, distracted times.
Chekhov said, any idiot can weather a crisis, it’s the day-to-day living that wears you out. I think the same is true for great achievements. It’s not a big thing, but one ought to feel proud about the small moments in which you might have helped, cared for, or done something good for others.
More on death & what remains
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- How close have you come to death? 209 answers
- If you had only one day left to live, how would you spend it — and what would you deliberately avoid doing? 54 answers
- What happens when we die? 51 answers
- What would you like to leave your children? 46 answers
- How would you like to die? 44 answers
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