NO! NOT THE BISCUIT TIN! (1995)


In the biscuit tin, there are 100 envelopes. Each contains a horribly difficult question. You must open 20 envelopes at random and answer the question inside. You can pass on only one. Good luck.

Who do you go on holiday with?
My family. For my next holiday I'd like to go somewhere warm and relax. Do some jet ski-ing... have some fun with frivolity. Come back with a nice suntan. You can do that even when you're a responsible father. I'm still a boy you know!

What's your favourite room in your house?
My bathroom, I just love it. It's all marble - the marble was shipped in from Portugal. The taps were made by Ferrari. I'm not making this up! They've got a little horse on the taps. There's a Jacuzzi in the bath as well. It's an excellent bath! The whole room's mirrored. We've got a 'his and hers' sink. (Very proudly). I spent all my savings on that room.

Have you ever cheated on a boy or girlfriend?
(Very long pause). Yes, and I'll leave it there and walk away. (But he doesn't, he keeps looking at the question and thinking about it). Let's just say it wasn't recently. No, it definately wasn't recently.

What's the most exotic thing you can cook?
If you put me in any kitchen - anywhere - I can make a meal. But I don't really do 'exotic'. The most impressive thing I cooked was a Victoria sponge cake for my mum. That was when I was doing catering at school. I'm now the midnight-feast man. I'll sort you out if you wake up hungry in the middle of the night!

Do you give money to charity?
Yes, I do. Most recently to the Born Free Foundation. I've got a heard of elephants that I've saved. I was sitting at home watching Blue Peter and they were trying to raise money for a truck to move a herd of elephants that were in danger, so I rung up and said, "I'll buy it for you." So there's a herd of elephants out there that I've saved.

Have you ever played spin-the-bottle?
No, but I've always wanted to. Has anyone got a bottle they want to spin? I just want to make up lots of naughty questions. What sort of questions? (A cheeky grin spreads across his face). Use your imagination. (He takes the next question and pretends to read). Have you ever had sex with a question? (What?! It does not say that). You're right. Have you ever had sex with a chicken or a goat? (This is most definately not a biscuit tin question). OK. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg - I believe in evolution and that's the way it works.

Do your quilt cover and curtains match?
It would have to be the curtains on my bed, 'cos I've got blinds on the windows. The curtains on the bed match, because I've got a designer bed, in' I? They're very nice. They're beige to go with the beige walls. And it's a wooden four-poster bed from Ikea.



When was the last time you were in a supermarket?
I was buying lager for a party, and up where we live now, they won't let you buy single cans of lager. You've got to buy them in four-packs. My mate wanted to buy six cans, but they wouldn't let him. We were astonished. We thought, what is the world coming to if you can't buy a can of lager?

What's your favourite sandwich filling?
Cheese of fried egg. Never both, but always with brown sauce. I put brown sauce on everything. Even my Weetabix.

When did you last kiss your mum?
Two days ago, when she came to see me at a gig. She was very proud of me. I think if your mum and dad are proud of you you're half-way there.

Who's got the best haircut in Take That?
I think only Gary has technically got a haircut. The rest sort-of just have hair. There's nothing like a bit of grooming. So I wouldn't say he's got the best haircut in Take That, I'd say he's got the only haircut in Take That.

Where do you buy your underwear?
(Lowers his trousers to reveal his pants, just so he can check what he's wearing). Hmm. Calvin Klein. These are my crappy ones, actually. I prefer Versace. I buy them in Italy. That sounds really sexy. Really cool. (He's dead chuffed with himself). I like that.

Have you ever skinny dipped?
Oh, yeah! But it was before East 17, in our old school. We used to "borrow" the pool at night - sometimes they'd leave the canoe hut open. So we'd go canoeing too. They've filled the pool in now. Probably because of us.

What's your favourite TV ad?
The Guinness one, where he's running around. I see a very close similarity between that man and me. (Gets excited). I could be that man! I could do that job! Oh, I'll tell you what else is my favourite advert. There's one for shower gel where there's a lady washing herself, and after 9 o'clock you see her nipple! That's great, that is!

Who is your worst enemy?
Myself. (He won't say anything else).

If you found Aladdin's lamp, what would you wish for?
Many more wishes. (So, what's the next thing you wish for?) Equality in everything. Balance. I'm being a typical Libran. I want balance in everyone and everything.

Why is your best friend your best friend?
Because they know more secrets about me than anyone else. I'm not naming names because it will probably piss people off, but my best friend is my best friend because we know each other so well we don't have to see each other. You know how some people ring up and go, "excuse me, is your 'phone not working?" But your best friend's always your friend.

How many pairs of pants do you own?
About a dozen, mostly black.

Do you snog fans?
No. I'm not a big snogger. (Wrinkles his nose). I've got far more exciting things to do with my tongue than stick it down someone's throat. I do hug my fans, and they seem to like that. The majority of fans are female and if they're female and they're breathing and they want a hug... that's not a problem for me.