I was not particularly bright I wasn't very athletic I was a little too tall odd funny looking I was just really weird as a kid.

I think I have an inner confidence that my tastes are pretty simple that what I find funny finds a wide audience. I'm not particularly intellectual or clever or minority-focused in my creative instincts. And I'm certainly not aware of suppressing more sophisticated ambitions.

Who do I like? I am a big fan of French and Saunders - not that that they are particularly stand-up I have to say but I think they have been great for women and they are of themselves just incredibly funny whether they are male or female.

But in the first Gulf war the United Kingdom was not under any threat from Iraq and is still less so in the second one. Then there is no justification for obstructing freedom of information particularly as nations have a right to know what their soldiers are being used for.

Japanese food makes me feel particularly good.

Absolutely there is a connection between food and love. I always say when there's love in my heart or I'm feeling particularly good the food comes out that much better. And so I think Valentine's Day is a special day.

It does kids no favors and sets them up for a potential lifetime of poor health and social embarrassment to excuse them from family meals of real food. Everyone benefits from healthy eating but it is particularly crucial at the beginning of life.

I think what I do differently from a lot of TV chefs is that I break down barriers and make fine food more accessible to the regular person who might be intimidated. I try hard particularly with wine to make it not intimidating. It's sort of a teaching job.

I have been particularly struck with the overwhelming evidence which is given as to the fitness of the natives of India for high offices and employments.

My expertise was in public finance particularly corporate taxation since I had worked at the US Treasury.

If the markets had behaved badly that would obviously add to people's sense of alarm... but there has been a lot of reassurance coming particularly in the way the Brits handled all this. There seems to be no great fear that something like that is going to happen here.

I've always been part of comedy. One of the things about our family was that if we were reasonably funny with each other particularly my two brothers and myself when my father was upset with something you'd want to make sure in some way you made him laugh. Because when he didn't laugh you were in trouble!

I am a big fan of smelly cheeses but the rest of the family don't seem to be particularly keen on them.

A lot of what I'm obsessed with is the relationship and the dynamics between people and the family particularly brothers and their father.

It's true Christmas can feel like a lot of work particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories good and bad are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.

At the time I perceived most religious men particularly the pastors with all their talk about love faith and relationship as effeminate.

Over the years my mother's steadfast faith in God has inspired me particularly when I had to perform extremely difficult surgical procedures or when I found myself faced with my own medical scare.