2019-06-01+Woman+and+Home

The45-year-oldTVpresenter, explorerandauthor tellsIsabelleBroom

aboutgrowing upwithparrots,overcomingshyness, hisnewseriesof

children’sbooksand why he likes to indulge in the naughtier things in life...

In conversation with

B e n Fo g l e

Igrewuplivingabovemyfather’s

veterinaryclinic.Wehadtowalk

throughthereceptionandpastthe

consultingroomtogetintoourhouse

above,andI usedtospendthe

afternoonsonceI’dfinishedschool

watchingDadoperateondogs.Beats

watchingTV!Thehousewasrightin

thecentreofLondon– I couldsee

OxfordStreetandMarbleArchfrom

mybedroomwindow– andit wasa

busy,busyplace.Twooftheclinic

nurseslivedwithusandtheywere

verymucha partofthefamily.It

wasfullofdogsandparrots,as

wellaswaifsandstraysthatwould

beinvitedupfromthekennels

each night – but I loved it that way.

DrSeusswasmychildhoodhero.

Hewaseccentric,irreverentandsofree

andliberalwithhisprose.I lovedhis

crazyhumourandhisbooksmademy

brainfizz.TheCatin theHatis stilla

Foglefavourite.I wasalsoa massive

fanofRoaldDahlasa child.Hecame

tomyschoolwhenI wasnineand

readfromTheBFG. I’llnever forget

that magic morning.

I wasn’tatallintrepidor

adventurousgrowingup.

Onthecontrary,I was

theshyestofchildren.

I failedallmyexams,

whichstrippedmeofany

confidence,andreallyI washappiestat

homewithmybelovedGoldenRetrievers,

LibandLex,whoweremybestfriends.

Wespentoursummersin Canadawith

my father’s family (he was born there),

ofGuinnessbelongingtoa man– not

me, I hasten to add – in the pub.

Wetravellotsasa family.Thisyear,

I amtakingmychildren[Ludo,nine,and

Iona,seven]onsafariin Mozambique.

Travellingandwritingarebothmywork

andmyhobbies,andI’msoluckythat

I gettocombinethetwo.I enjoywalking

too.There’ssomethingsocalming

andrelaxingaboutsquelchingthrough

mudwithsomepantingdogs. It feels

organic and wholesome.

Mychildrenaremyfirstreaders.I had

wanted to write a children’s book for >>

andI supposethatwaswheremy

adventurousstreakwasborn.My

grandfatherlivedin a hand-builthouse

ontheshoresofa lakeandI had

somuchfunonthose

eight-week holidays.

Manyofmymost

embarrassingmoments

todatehaveinvolved

a dog.WhenI took

Storm,ourthree-year-oldblackLabrador,

ontoITV’sLorraineshow,sheswiped

anentireplateofdigestivebiscuits

whenLorraine’sbackwasturned,and

my late dog Inca once drank a pint

✢ Bonnie And Stan by Anna Stuart (Trapeze)✢ The Gift Of Friends by Emma Hannigan (Headline Review)

“Mychildren

aremyfirst

readers”

The^