If you had to be stuck in a lift with someone, who would it be and why?

Professor Frank Close, particle physicist, to get a better grasp on how the universe came to be how it is.

What is your biggest fear?

Not keen on heights, or, more properly, not keen on gravity in action.

Do you have any superstitions?

No.

If you could have only one song on your iPod, what would it be and why?

Roger Waters’ The Tide is Turning. Great rock song with a message and fading out with a male voice choir.

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought, not including property?

Lots and lots of books!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

That caring about what you do is as important as doing it. And “Don’t Panic” – Douglas Adams, not Corporal Jones.

What’s your indulgence?

Reading, I spend a lot of time with my head in a book or looking at a screen.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?

My weight. Aiming to do so now as part of the sponsored slim for the mayor’s charities.

Where are you next going on holiday?

Not sure yet, West Wales or Belgium probably.