EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Alexander Armstrong has become a dab hand at lighting up our screens on TV quiz show Pointless and bringing music to people’s ears on Classic FM. But when it came to charting new territory by writing his first novel, the presenter and comedian turned to his four sons for help.
“I’ve been reading my book aloud to them and they’ve been amazing,” he tells HELLO!. “I can spot instantly when they’re gripped or when I’ve got too carried away. It’s lovely having them as a sounding board.
“Having four boys, I wanted to write a real page-turner for children their age.”
Alexander’s debut thriller The Golden Linnet comes out in September and, not one to rest on his laurels, he has already started writing his second work of fiction.
He credits his former Pointless co-host Richard Osman – himself a seasoned thriller writer – with being another great support.
“I can check in and say: ‘How do you get around this?’ and he’ll say: ‘Change this.’ It’s a useful thing to bounce ideas off someone and get inspiration.”
Oddly enough, the fuller his schedule – he presents a show on Classic FM every weekday morning and spends a quarter of the year filming Pointless, as well as regularly helming Have I Got News for You – the easier he finds it to write.
“I’m lucky that I’m busy because I have specific times where I have to fit writing in.”
He also makes sure to dedicate time for charity work and is delighted to be involved in Arts for Impact, an arts-focused fundraising drive being run by UK matching fund Big Give and its chair of trustees James Reed.
OPENING UP OPPORTUNITIES
The initiative aims to rai
