4 minute read
Janice Forsyth
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Who should play you in the movie about
your life? It has to be Karen Gillan. She’s Scottish, she’s my spitting image and the same age and height as me. It would be a fantasy film, obviously.
If you were to return in a future life as an
animal, what would it be? A spotted hyena. They live in matriarchal societies led by alpha females who do the majority of hunting, dictate social structure and raise cubs as single mothers. What’s not to love? And I’d always have the last laugh.
What’s the best cover version ever? So many contenders, but it has to be Joni Mitchell’s cover of Scottish singer Annie Ross’ ‘Twisted’. The lyrics are astounding sassy, funny, very difficult to sing) and Joni nails it.
When was the last time you were mistaken
for someone else? Years ago, twice in the same week, in very different circumstances, I was mistaken for broadcaster Muriel Gray. A guy shouted across to me in the street, ‘oi Muriel, how are you doing?’ We had a bit of banter and he was none the wiser. The second occasion was a tad more bizarre. I had an appointment with a doctor who excitedly asked me about my hillwalking adventures; he was so lovely and jolly that I couldn’t bear to tell him that I was not St Mu of the Munros.
What tune do you find it impossible not to get up and dance to, whether in public or in private? ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge. I adore that song and have birled around endless dancefloors to it, but the most memorable occasion was when I was working in Basel in Switzerland for the summer when I was 19. My gal pals and I hit the town one night only to find that everywhere was closed apart from a tumbleweed strip joint. We ended up dancing the night away with the strippers who had been really
THE Q&A
WITH JANICE FORSYTH
A respected commentator and presenter of arts broadcasting in Scotland across five decades now, Janice Forsyth hosts The Afternoon Show with authority and wit. In our Q&A she tells us whose voice soothes her and which tyrant she’d like to haunt
downbeat when we arrived but were transformed as we all joined hands and belted out ‘We Are Family’.
Whose speaking voice
soothes your ears? No competition: it has to be Liam Neeson, especially after his hilarious turn as a policeman in the final series of D erry G irls. Be still my beating heart.
If you were playing in an escape room, name two other people you’d recruit to help you
get out? I’d stick with family: my physicist son, Jamie, and his dad, The Blue Nile’s PJ Moore. Between them, they’d have a good combo of lateral thinking skills and gallusness combined with a bit of brute strength that would make up for the fact that I would be utterly bamboozled by the whole escape room malarkey.
Describe your perfect Saturday evening?
After a blissful summer day chilling out on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll and going on favourite walks, my companions and I would head to my favourite restaurant, the always fabulous Inver, in Cairndow, for a knockout dinner. Chef Pam Brunton never fails to surprise and delight with her celebration of local produce.
If you were a ghost, who would you haunt?
Vladimir Putin. I’d do a complete Jacob Marley number on him (minus me being cursed to wander the earth for all eternity). I’d force him to reassess his life and values, and then on a live TV broadcast, confess that beneath the macho image is a traumatised child who now wants to become a global Peace Ambassador and end the invasion of Ukraine with immediate effect.
What’s your earliest recollection of winning something? You’ve made me remember winning a Sunday M ail crossword when I was 12. Oh, the double joy of seeing my name in the paper and then receiving a 50p postal order prize.
Which famous person would be your ideal
holiday companion? The actor Willem Dafoe. As a lifelong fan of New York theatre company The Wooster Group, I’ve seen him onstage in Glasgow and New York in numerous productions and had a long conversation with him in a Glasgow bar back in 1990. He’s a fascinating guy and I’d like to pick up the chat about theatre, film and politics where we left off.
What’s the most hi-tech item in your home?
My phone. I’m not a gadget person, and I’m in awe of the tech in our mobile phones. I never take it for granted because I remember the old days of standing in a phone box full of shattered glass and urine.
If you were selected as the next 007, where would you pick as your first luxury
destination for espionage? Warsaw. I was there years ago with a theatre show which was staged in the Palace Of Culture. I’d love to return to see the huge changes in the city since then. And the city’s combo of old and new architecture, winding alleyways and staircases would make for spectacular car chases with me behind the wheel of my Aston Martin DB5.
Janice Forsyth presents The Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland and is co-founder of The Big Light: Scotland’s Podcast Network, thebiglight.com
NEXT TIME
The summer festival season gets properly up and running in June, so we’ll be peeking behind multi-arts extravaganza Hidden Door as well as speaking to Riverside headliner Roísín Murphy. Iconic women are in abundance next issue as we also feature Elizabeth Fraser, Joan As Police Woman, Bikini Kill, Phoebe Bridgers and Kate Bush (kind of . . . ). You can also read about Laurel & Hardy, Max Richter, Elvis, Scottish Opera’s 60th birthday, speciality coffee, and quad skating.
Next copy of The List will be out
