Gareth Malone
Presenter and actress Liza Tarbuck talks distraction, her laughter-filled childhood and why she shies away from social media
Being distracted is a great thing
I’ve just written a book full of distractions – it’s a kind of updated annual for grown-ups full of my thoughts and doodles and the ephemera that interests me and makes me laugh. I didn’t want to write a novel or a memoir because what makes a day interesting to me is somebody saying something you don’t know. Or you’ve got You Tube open and you think, ‘What’s it going to give me today?’ and click on a video link and suddenly I’m metal-detecting in a river in Arkansas with a guy who’s slightly obsessed with Jesus. It’s fantastic.
My parents made me who I am
My dad and mum, Jimmy and Pauline, really are fabulous. It’s a terrible cliché, but I was reared on laughter. My parents were married at 17 and 18 and through thick and thin they’re still together. I’ve had the luxury of having my whole life with those people and now they’re like my mates. I’m close to my siblings Cheryl and James and to their kids, my five nieces and nephews. I feel really fortunate.
Choose your environment
I am very careful about what is pumped into my house. For example, I’m not on Facebook or Twitter or any social media, I don’t watch the news or read a newspaper – that can put me at a serious disadvantage, but I can’t help thinking that there’s an agenda with the news, that you’re being told a story that’s not necessarily true. I’m not knocking the speed and the need and the moreishness of life today, but one can be overwhelmed and I choose not to overwhelm myself.
What’s truly priceless
The most important things are not things you pay for. We’re surrounded by external sources saying we’ll be happier if we own this or that, but it’s not true. What is important is our friends, good interactions with people, nurturing each other, slowing down long enough to contemplate things and not racing onto the next thing.
Adapt to the situation
My big break was doing a sitcom for seven years called Watching (1987-93). But when you’ve done a sitcom, it can be quite hard to get drama work because you’re associated with comedy. So I branched out – I went to Anglia Television and learned to be a TV presenter on regional telly, doing DIY TV shows and loving it. Now my rule is to take jobs because I think I can bring something to the party and if I don’t think I can sustain enthusiasm, I say no. Currently I’m playing Mrs Shakespeare in Upstart Crow on BBC2. How fabulous to put that frock on and act with a gang of actors who are only feeding and nourishing you. I Am Distracted by Everything by Liza Tarbuck is out now, published by Michael Joseph, £16.99. Lisa was talking to Vicki Power