Karen Swan
Former fashion journalist Karen is a best-selling novelist based in Sussex.
What was your first TV memory?
I spent a lot of time looking at the testcard girl – I found her quite mesmerising.
I also remember Play School with the different-shaped windows and the toys.
Who was your first TV crush?
Bo Duke, the blond chap in The Dukes Of Hazzard, played by John Schneider, although I don’t think I’d want to see him now. And Michael Brandon as Dempsey in Dempsey & Makepeace.
What was your first TV appearance?
Ten years ago on the breakfast show in Toronto, Canada. It was slightly terrifying. I remember trying hard not to look at the cameras, but it was great fun. There was an Arctic blast outside so I had lots of layers on.
What is your favourite current show?
I binge-watch obsessively. The latest has been Drops Of God on Apple TV, about the battle between two heirs in Tokyo for the world’s greatest wine collection. The plotting is masterful.
What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?
Married At First Sight. It’s just awful. It doesn’t play to anyone’s best self and sets people up to fail. It appeals to our basest qualities.
Which TV show would you take to a desert island?
Every series of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. They’re brilliantly written and acted and funny as hell. I can’t not laugh.
Guiltiest TV pleasure?
Love Island. I recently watched the All-stars series. It’s funny and dramatic, it knows how to get a conversation going and it’s great TV.
What are you up to at the moment?
The abridged version of The Last Summer is out now, and my new historical novel The Lost Lover is due to be published in
July. It’s the third in a four-book series.