You come from a very humble family-background. Does your obsession with the upper class come from trying to leave the working class behind and live the life you dreamed of?
It’s not an obsession at all. The older you become, the more different kinds of people you meet. And if you become a sort of celebrity of sorts or famous, then you become more socially mobile.
My parents had a very tough, physically hard upbringing. It was extraordinary hardship. But they were great people. They gave me a very good start. And I’ve tried to give a reasonable start in life to my children, but it certainly placed them in a different social setting from the beginning. However, I have made sure that they have a sense of my past, you know. So I think they, for instance, support my local football team, Newcastle. They’re quite passionate about it, which is rather touching.
_Because it’s typically working class? _
Yeah, exactly. And when they’ve been to Newcastle they love it. It obviously touches a chord in them. And it’s quite interesting.
My son Otis, the famous one, works with country people all the time. His great talent is that he gets on with the Lord of the Manor as well with somebody who’s working for him with the horses or something. He is incredibly good. Which is what anyone should be, you should be able to work with and speak to anyone.
