What kind of a schoolboy were you?

I was outrageously busy. I would take a cricket ball to maths lessons. Whatever I could do, I would try to do it. Sometimes it was a complete disaster, but it was almost always fantastic fun.

What was your favourite subject?

I loved English. We could talk around things. I just enjoyed the creative aspect, and I had a very fertile imagination. I loved the ways people could transport you to an entirely different world when you were sitting at a wooden desk.

What was your most embarrassing moment at school?

We had a cricket class and we were practicing our fielding, and I put some sun cream on my nose. We were doing a fielding drill and I absolutely let rip, but unfortunately the sun cream was more successful than my grip. The ball flew out of my hand and hit the teacher in the head. I did not get into the team, but I was a hero for a couple of days.

What was the most important advice you received at school?

The most important thing is to enjoy school. The best teachers were the ones who genuinely enjoyed what they were doing.

You are a kid for such a fraction of your life, it’s a time to get things wrong and simply to be happy. It’s critical.