C L Taylor

Worcester born Cally, 49, is a best-selling author renowned for curtain-twitching psychological thrillers such as The Lie and The Missing.

What was your first TV memory?

Hiding behind the sofa at the Doctor Who theme tune. I loved watching the show but the music terrified me. Then it was Crackerjack and seeing the children play a game where they either won prizes or cabbages. It seemed to be the most fun game ever.

Who was your first TV crush?

Buck Rogers. I’m not really sure what I thought. I probably liked him because he was really smiley – he had a twinkle in his eye and was really nice to the robot.

What was your first TV appearance?

On a local programme called Made In Bristol. I was terrified because it was live and to make things worse my segment kept getting interrupted by news updates. I was promoting my 2017 book The Escape.

What is your favourite current show?

Happy Valley. I couldn’t believe it was over so I’m rewatching all three series from scratch. It’s brilliant and we’d never seen a character like Catherine Cawood

on TV before.

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

The Bridge, the original series. All of the best TV shows come down to having a fascinating character and, like Happy Valley, The Bridge had one in Saga Norén who is logical and focused but there’s humour in watching her cope with social interactions as well as complex mysteries.

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

Reality shows that have been on so long the contestants know how to play them to get Instagram likes. On the latest Love Island, they were so self-aware… With all of them, the first series is the best.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

I love any survival show, but especially Survivor and how they interact with each other. They’re very Machiavellian in the way they try to vote people off.

What are you up to at the moment?

I’m promoting the paperback edition of my book The Guilty Couple, and doing lots of events from Lyme Regis to Harrogate. Festivals, book signings, you name it!

●The Guilty Couple by Sunday Times best-selling author C L Taylor, is available now in paperback (£8.99, Avon, Harper Collins)