John Simpson
English journalist
Reading the news. It’s a dull job.
What is the worst job you have done?
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
Change of mind
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
What would you like to leave your children?
Death & what remains
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's long-running Q&A repeatedly asks this standing question, with minor tense variation.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
At a pub in Rotherham. I was a really bad waitress and I ended up being demoted to chopping the potatoes and I even got fired from that.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 November 2025 source ↗
Others on this question
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Edith Bowman
Scottish radio DJ and television presenter
When I was a kid I was a chambermaid in my family’s hotel, and I once found a strap-on that someone had left behind.
Jane Asher
English actress and author
Doing an episode of Doctors was a bit of a nadir.
Mo Gilligan
British comedian
Handing out leaflets for a dry cleaner’s, because no one wanted them and, if people did take them, they just threw them on the floor.
More from Rebecca Lucy Taylor
View profile →Julie Hesmondhalgh – she’s the kindest, brightest, most truthful woman. She’s so talented, works hard, cares about the right things, puts her energy in the right places. I adore her.
My mind is changing about being a mum. I got a dog and the way I feel about it is a lot, and I realise maybe I would want to be a mum.
I’d like all my effort noticed.
I am consistently disappointed in the music industry. Every time someone says that I’m underrated, that feels extremely disappointing because I’ve done my end of the bargain.
Five to 10, when I was just playing out and I didn’t realise I was a girl. Before my boobs came in, basically.
High self-esteem.
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