MY FAVOURITE THINGS: Michael Wood

AUTHOR, historian and broadcaster, Michael, 59, is married to Rebecca and lives with their two teenage daughters Jyoti, 18, and Mina, 15, in north London...

Michael Wood loves a spot of gardening Michael Wood loves a spot of gardening

BOOK

I am reading quite a lot of poetry at the moment, Shakespeare Sonnets and poems by great modern Greek poets like Constantine Cavafy and George Seferis. We go on holiday each year to the Greek Islands. One of my favourite poems, Amorgos by Nikos Gatsos, is about the little island we go to.

SONG

Our 15-year-old is just discovering all the music I loved when I was young. She’s really got into Bob Dylan whom I absolutely loved at her age. Some of his early songs like My Back Pages are fantastic. But my ultimate favourite song would have to be I’m Just A Lucky So And So by Duke Ellington. I feel I really am lucky with what I do in life.

FILM

Jungle Book is the one film that makes me nostalgic. We didn’t let our kids watch TV when they were young but they could choose a video and we all loved the Disney ones.

HOBBY

It’s difficult to find spare time when you’re making films, writing books and have a family but I do love going to the theatre. I’m a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company and still remember the sheer thrill of when I first went to Stratford with the school to see Shakespeare performed.

SPIRITUAL HOME

I love England more than anywhere but my work has taken me across the world. There are lots of places you leave a little bit of your heart when you make films in them. I love South India very much. I adore the people, the culture and the landscape. Being born in a cold, northern industrial city, the first time you feel the real tropical heat you just go wow!

SIMPLE PLEASURES

It doesn’t get much better than gardening. A cup of tea in the garden after a heavy few hours digging is a fantastic pleasure.

* The paperback edition of The Story Of India by Michael Wood is on sale now (BBC Books, £8.99).

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