What are you driving?
I have three vehicles. Two are BBC ones, which I need for the travelling we do on Countryfile: a Peugot 406 and a Discovery. We've been through a few Discoverys. I have an old style Ford Scorpio as a family car. It's a rather posh van. We do a lot of ferrying stuff around. My wife is keen on antiques.
A bit of a car boot car then?
It's more antique fairs. I went to a car boot sale once. Seemed great fun, a good way of getting rid of stuff.
What does your car say about you?
I've never had a flash motor. I suppose that's very Yorkshire of me - careful with the money. I'd love an S-type Jaguar; they're beautiful. But, as somebody who's quite keen on the environment, I shouldn't be thinking of such a fuel-guzzler.
Sounds like you're wrestling with a bit of a dichotomy.
Yeah, maybe I'll get it converted to gas, like John Prescott has.
What do people say about your driving?
I think they consider me a pretty staid driver.
What about your young, reckless Newsround days? You must have thrown caution to the wind then.
Probably. I don't know. I've always been careful. I shouldn't say that sort of thing. I might tempt fate. I do about 700 miles a week for Countryfile.
So what do you think about when you're driving?
I have an automatic, so very little actually. It just cruises along. I enjoy driving. As you get on a bit, and the left arm stiffens, it makes more sense to let the oil pressure do the job.
Can country lanes be dangerous?
Ooh, yeah. There are plenty of accidents. With most cars today, you're doing 70mph before you realise.
No jams caused by 4x4s?
No. That happens more round Chelsea, doesn't it?
Tell us about your early driving days.
First of all, I had a bubble car that I drove on my motorbike licence. It didn't have reverse, so that was legal. It had a front opening door, so I parked it up against a wall, and couldn't get out. Luckily, I had a sunroof. The only car I've cried over was a Citroen. I love the way Citroens weren't conventional.
Ever had sex in a car?
Not full. In those days, I never had a big enough car. I prefer more comfortable places these days.
John Craven presents Countryfile on BBC1.
