MY TV LIFE

Steve, 64, is the lead singer with progressive rock band Marillion

What was your first TV memory?

Bill & Ben, The Flowerpot Men – I am that old! Slob-a-dob! It was in black and white and probably rubbish but it had charm. Also Spotty Dog, Andy Pandy and The Woodentops – I quite fancied Jenny, even though she was made of wood. I think it was the pigtails.

What was your first TV appearance?

On The Tube on Channel 4 with my first proper band, The Europeans, in about 1983. I was in the habit of spraying front rows with a fire extinguisher back then; I did it on the show too and then lobbed it behind me. It took a fuse box off the wall and started a small fire. Mercifully no one was hurt.

Who was your first TV crush?

Diana Rigg as Emma Peel on The Avengers in that leather catsuit… she was actually from Doncaster where I grew up, but she was from a posh part, I’m from the rough end of town, Intake.

What is your favourite current show?

Either Mock The Week with Dara O’briain or Have I Got News For You. I like political satire. You can laugh at politicians but it doesn’t make any difference. Trump short-circuited satire. I suspect the US generals gave him the wrong nuclear codes.

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

I would take Fawlty Towers except, with just 12 episodes, it wouldn’t last very long. I’d probably just watch Apocalypse Now on a loop to cheer myself up.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

Probably a cliché, but all the reality stuff. It’s not what it purports to be. It’s an illusion. Most viewers don’t realise the extent it’s been scripted, and the manipulation and the framework that are applied.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

Strictly! I used to poo-poo it. I really didn’t get the ballroom dancing thing and the hype. But I caught an episode of the latest series and got sucked in. Now I sit there weeping every week. Would I do it? Not at the point of an AK-47!

What are you up to at the moment?

I go into the studio every day, writing our new album. I do a Corona Diaries podcast, I’m on episode 38 of that, and just being a dad. Marillion have a tour booked for next autumn.

For Steve’s streaming show and Marillion tour dates see marillion.com and stevehogarth.com