Film

I’m a film buff and run a school club. The Last King of Scotland really left an impression on pupils, although we had to prepare them for the last 10 minutes - that’s real violence, not the cartoonish stuff. They introduced me to Zombieland (pictured), which I’d been dismissive about, but I enjoyed its tongue-in-cheek humour. They weren’t keen about the idea of Ring - not only subtitled but it wasn’t even French, it was Japanese - but they were mesmerised. And I’m glad to say they preferred the original Let the Right One In.

Books

Why Do I Need a Teacher When I’ve Got Google? showed that EQ (emotional intelligence) will be more important to the world than IQ. I love the way Bill Bryson takes ideas and humanises them in A Short History of Nearly Everything. My all-time favourite is Iain Banks’ Espedair Street. It connects up places I know - I’m from Glasgow originally - and it’s funny.

Music

I went to see Snow Patrol in Glasgow recently. I wasn’t particularly keen to go - it’s a long journey - but I really enjoyed it. It steered me back to early REM with those acoustic, jangly melodies. I discovered a couple of great tracks after setting up a Spotify list asking what I should be listening to: “My Backwards Walk” by Frightened Rabbit, and “Wash It All Away” by Jesu. I’m into angsty Scottish indie, too, like Belle and Sebastian’s The Boy with the Arab Strap.

TV

I don’t watch much TV. People ask how I find so much time for social media - I do it while my wife’s watching soaps. I’m an avid viewer of Horizon, as it tells you how science will impact our lives. The last drama that had me hooked was The West Wing, and Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe is funny.