Once I'm on stage, there's just no time for a sip of water - I've always got my hands in puppets! My voice is raw by the time I finish.

I could never be on stage on my own. But puppets can say things that humans can't say.

Usually by the time I finish a book tour I've just about had it with the book.

I think I've got it pretty easy compared with somebody who works at a desk nine to five. I'm just working for an hour in the evening. I get a bit breathless, as I have to talk non-stop because of the puppets.

The way I talk to the puppets is real, and it's in the moment, and it's seeing what will happen. It's not something that is scripted.

My puppets are far more liberated than I am. Ventriloquism is a useful way of expressing myself.