1980 – my mum
well, goes without saying really – she just kept hanging around when I was 0. this is equally the best and least embarrassing picture I could find of her. Sorry mum.
1981 – rusks
I’ll be honest, I’m guessing. I don’t really remember much, but I did like rusks.
1982 – derek griffiths
There are so many childrens tv presenters that didn’t make the list, Johnny Ball, Tony Hart, to name but two. But I used to love love love Derek Griffiths. Especially that program where he sang songs over animal film.
1983 – diana dors
Odd one this as I’m not entirely sure who she is. But apparently, when I was a kid I’d go crazy whenever she came on the telly.
1984 – noddy
The first books I read where exclusively Enid Blyton. Noddy just ain’t the same since they made him CGI.
1985 – david bowie
The second film I ever saw in the cinema was Labyrinth. Every five year old should see it.
1986 – bingo “bet it all” beaver
I used to love the now forgotten cartoon “The Get Along Gang” and bingo “bet it all” beaver (was he really a gambling beaver?) was my favourite and I had two (yes two) bingo toys.
1987 – lion-o
Thundercats was acer than Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I had a toy lion-o and his eyes lit up and every episode would end with some health and safety advice.
1988 – michael knight
Note: Not David Hasslehoff, nor K.I.T.T. (though he came close), but the character of Michael Knight. I so wanted to be him.
1989 – nigel mansell
This was the year my still nutso relationship with Formula One began. But apologies all. I know that this is clearly a pic from his 1992 championship winning season – it was all I could find, I hope it doesn’t ruin the film too much.
1990 – freddie mercury
I was such a Queen fan as a kid. I used to listen to Greatest Hits over and over again. Brian May, if you are reading this – stop it now. Please.
1991 – monty python
Can’t remember when I first got into Python, may have been as young as seven. But i distinctly remember buying a copy of The Holy Grail on VHS (remember that!) in Boots when I was 11 and being all chuffed cos it’s a 15 cert and nobody questioned me. At the time I took it as my adult looking face working for me, but I think it was just a bored saturday girl who didn’t care.
1992 – douglas badar
I got quite obsessed with the second World War when I was 12. Douglas Badar had no legs and he still flew planes. I am 29, I have both legs and I can’t even ride a bike.
1993 – sean hughes
Sean’s Show was and is the best thing ever on telly. Fact.
1994 – stephen king
Although painfully embarrassing to admit now but I used to fucking love Stephen King novels. Though it’s a sad indictment for him that a 14 year likes them and then hated them once puberty finished.
1995 – anyone who had kissed a girl
Not a good year for me.
1996 – jarvis cocker
Made 1995 seem better after (along with everyone else) discovering Pulp and going to see them live two days after the Jacko thing at the Brits.
1997 – nick hornby
Read Fever Pitch, it made me want to write stuff. although admittedly my original idea was to write the same book, but about formula one.
1998 – michael palin
I got to meet him a couple of times when I worked in a bookshop, he’s lovely.
1999 – simon pegg & jessica stevenson
Hmm, I’ve already said Sean’s Show was the best thing ever on telly, Spaced was too. Certainly spoke to me when I was 19.
2000 – woody allen
Had always hated woody allen because my mum didn’t like the look of him. but thankfully my friend Linda didn’t let that stand and made me watch Play It Again, Sam and Annie Hall.
2001 – spike milligan
hugely influential, should be on the national curriculum
2002 – milan kundera
He writes novels that are great and makes me think that if I ver wrote a novel it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good.
2003 – daniel kitson
Well, he had to be in the list, seeing as everyone who hates me says I’m trying to be him and every good review I have says I’m like him. Obviously influential. I first saw A Made Up Story in Edinburgh in 2003 and it’s quite far to say it blew my mind (like many others, I’m sure). but does he like F1? No. And i’m definitely taller than him.
2004 – richard pryor
Was always a huge fan of him from when I was a kid and used to love the him and Gene Wilder films. Only really discovered his standup years after I’d begun trying standup.
2005 – jeffrey lewis
The East River by Jeffrey Lewis mysteriously appeared on my ipod. I was hooked, I looked him up and saw he was playing a gig near me. Became huge-o fan.
2006 – i met my wife
Certainly influential, stopped being so miserable, allowed beard to grow.
2007 – edvard munch
always liked The Scream in that teenage poster way. But when to a huge exhibiton of all of his work, ordered chronologically in 2007. And it fucking blew my tiny little mind.
2008 – lewis hamilton
I heard of him before all of you.
2009 – wes anderson
his films are really quite great.