The 5-minute Interview: Roger Lloyd Pack, actor and poet

'People think I am actually Trigger'

(GETTY)

Roger Lloyd Pack, 64, is perhaps best known for his roles as Colin 'Trigger' Ball in 'Only Fools and Horses' and Owen Newitt in 'The Vicar of Dibley'. He will be participating in this year's Ledbury Poetry Festival, which takes place from 4-13 July.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be ...

Working on the poems I'm reading soon at the festival. I'm reading a selection that has been chosen by the public.

A phrase I use far too often is ...

"I should have ... I could have ... I would have ..."

I wish people would take more notice of ...

Each other. People in the street generally show a complete lack of awareness of what's going on around them, and a real fear of contact. I've noticed in other countries, particularly Africa and in the East, how very present people are in the streets and how they're looking out for you – particularly if you have children.

The most surprising thing that happened to me ...

Was finding myself in a sitcom called Only Fools and Horses that has somehow become a part of the nation's cultural psyche. It appears to go on for ever, even though we haven't made one for years.

A common misconception of me is ...

That I am actually Trigger.

I am not a politician but ...

If I were, I'd start off by sorting out the public transport system, particularly the railways. No one in government has grasped the fact that public transport is a service, not a luxury. It should be cheap, integrated, and efficient.

I'm good at ...

Dodging.

I'm very bad at ...

Asking people to buy raffle tickets for charity.

In moments of weakness I ...

Eat dark chocolate. Quite a lot of it.

You know me as an actor but in another life I'd have been ...

A piano player.

The best age to be is...

35 looks pretty good. I honour the age I am but there are some hard things about getting older.

Jonny Payne