One minute with: Roger McGough, poet

McGough says: 'The room I usually write in is shabby chic (without the chic). Over-cluttered but always welcoming' (Rex Features)

Where are you now and what can you see?

I am up here in Grasmere working in Dove Cottage (I am actually typing this on Wordsworth's typewriter).

What are you currently reading?

'Village Killage' by Michael Forte, having just finished 'No Regrets' by Bernard O'Keefe.

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

I would rather not say in case the others get jealous. This is a quote from Adrian Mitchell in reply to the question most commonly asked by children, 'What is your favourite poem?' Come to think of it, Mitchell remains a great favourite of mine, for his honesty, passion and jazzy surrealism.

Describe the room where you usually write

Shabby chic (without the chic). Over-cluttered but always welcoming.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Possibly Harry Flashman? Dean Moriarty? Mr D'Arcy? Probably, Willy Wonka.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Joan of Arc.

'Poetry Please: The Nation's Best Loved Poems', with a foreword by Roger McGough, is published by Faber & Faber