What is your favourite book?

The Molesworth books by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle. I hope somebody reading this knows what Molesworth is. It was written back in the 50s, and is a philosophical view on life from the perspective of a schoolboy. It was four books but now it's been compiled into one.

Who is your favourite character?

I've always liked the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland who just grins and then disappears. I've always thought if I can be something that would be good. Or the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. Anybody who is having fun.

What was the last book that you read?

Johnny Ball's Ball of Confusion, a puzzle conundrum book. I was asked to write an endorsement for it and rather than flick through I found myself reading every single word.

Which character would you most like to be?

Probably one of the favourite characters I mentioned.

Which character do you think you could fall in love with?

Philip Reeve's lovely Mortal Engines series has a strange heroine whose name is Hester. She's a fantastic, interesting character. Hester is an orphan who has been in a battle and lost an eye. She's hard as nails but there's also something delicate about her as well. She'd eat me for breakfast but it would be her.

Which book do you think everyone should read?

That is such a toughie, I'll have to go back to Molesworth I'm afraid. I'm stuck in my ways.

Where is your favourite place to read?

In the bath. I can look at a book and I think; that one is three baths, that one is six baths. There was one of the Philip Reeve books I thought would be a six bath book, but I did it in four. It was such a good book that but it was freezing when I got out. I must have been in for an hour and a half.

Where do you most like to write?

I scribble anywhere, I wrote a poem for my new book on the train today. The actual writing process is more typing up these ideas. I do that in a lovely room at the top of my house surrounded by keyboards, magic tricks and a pinball table.

If you were a superhero what would your superpower be?

Definitely invisibility, once you've got that you can do anything. You can scare people, disappear and move things.

What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

If you're not enjoying it, change it. It's as simple as that. If you're not entertaining yourself, you're not entertaining everyone else.

What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever said given to you?

A very old bacon sandwich. I was at a book signing down in Cheltenham and I'd been given something to eat, but I'd been so busy signing books that I got up and forgot about it. Some kid had picked the sandwich up, then about a year later when I came back, they said, "you left something last time you were here". There in a bag was this old bacon sandwich, looking quite healthy considering how long it had been kept. I didn't eat it.

Can you tell us a joke please?

Knock, knock?
Who's there?
Interrupting cow.
Interrupting cow wh…?
"MOO!"