Question Time: Vanessa Feltz, presenter

Work: Presenter with BBC London 94.9, for which she won the Gold prize for Speech Radio Personality at this month’s Sony Radio Academy awards.

Life: 47, with two daughters. She lives in north London.

Balance: Gardening, Shakespeare and competing in spelling competitions

How important to you was this Sony Gold Award?

I’ve not been short of detractors over the last 20 years so it’s wonderful when people who are in a position to know say they like what I do.

What is the style of your show?

I hope it’s inquiring and probing and engages people at a fairly profound level. I don’t want ranters and extremists yelling because that would be terribly dull.

What was your stickiest radio moment?

The primary subjects for one of my shows were the dumbing down of children’s television and the dangers of bird flu. We had a professor on as an expert guest and I asked him for his opinions on children’s television. He started to give his views and I said “For goodness’ sake, rev it up a bit, millions of people are listening…” and he said “Well actually, I’m the bird flu expert”. I admired him for having a go at answering the other question.

Is it really true that your first kiss was with Pete Tong?

Yes, it’s true, I was 10 and on holiday in Majorca – my parents had been on a tour of the artificial pearl factory or something and my mother was livid when she found out.

Radio or television?

I prefer radio because you can be immediate and subtle and go with the wind, but I like the money and the profile on the telly.

What is your desert island media?

The TV show Brothers & Sisters with Calista Flockhart, Robert Elms’s radio show on BBC London, The Daily Express – I’ve written a column for them for 10 years – and Reveal magazine, because I’m its agony aunt. I don’t know how to work a website, I’ve never logged on in my life.