One minute with: Mackenzie Crook, actor & children's author

Crook says: 'People are always gleefully telling me how I should play Uriah Heep. Hopefully I don't resemble him in character' (Frantzesco Kangaris)

Where are you now and what can you see?

I'm in my 19th floor apartment in downtown Vancouver. I can see the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and a glass forest of skyscrapers.

What are you currently reading?

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell. I have to admit this is my third attempt. It is beautiful and haunting but not a light read.

Choose a favourite author, and say why you admire her/him

I keep returning to the novels of Thomas Hardy. Especially Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Why? I think I'm just a sucker for a bit of tragedy.

Describe the room where you usually write

My office is a kind of faux Victorian study with shelves of old books, framed botanical prints and an antique butterfly collection. Through the window is a view of the oldest tree in London, a three hundred and fifty year old horse chestnut.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Let's be honest. Uriah Heep. People are always gleefully telling me how I should play that villain. Hopefully I don't resemble him in character.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Sir David Attenborough for reasons I hardly need explain.

Mackenzie Crook's children's book, 'The Lost Journals of Benjamin Tooth', is published by Faber & Faber (www.benjamintooth.co.uk)