Adrian Edmondson - My London

The actor treats Kensington like a holiday home, shops for guitars on Denmark Street and enjoys buses.

Where do you live and why?
Just off Kensington High Street. I like the fact that I can get a cab easily in Kensington.

How long have you lived there?
Two years. I used to live in Richmond and have a holiday home in Devon, but now I live in Devon and use Kensington as my holiday home.

What advice would you give to a tourist?
It's hard being a tourist. You end up doing the things that tourists do, not what locals do.  All the tourists who come to London go to the Tower, but I've never been there. I would probably say, 'Try and work in London for a few months - see how it really works.'

Who's in your secret address book?
I often go to Andy's Guitars on Denmark Street.  I play the guitar and they've got some wonderful classic guitars there. I'm also fond of Luigi's Delicatessen on Fulham Road.  I used to live above it and share the same front door.

What is your earliest London memory?
Sleeping on the floors of ex-students. I'd just come down from Manchester and I couldn't see that there was that much difference to London - except that it was expensive, London's not good if you're student-poor.

Harvey Nicks or Selfridges?
Selfridges.  Harvey Nicks is so small. At the moment Selfridges has this great North African souk where you can eat wonderful Moroccan food.

What do you miss when you're out of London?
Public transport.  Everyone complains about it, but I think it's brilliant.  You can drink as much as you like, then jump on a bus for a quid!

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
Stick an enormous tax on chewing gum.  It's so unnecessary the way people discard it on the streets. I'd probably hire gum wardens to pick it up and throw it back into the cars of the offenders.

What is your life philosophy?
Smile at your enemies. The more you smile, the angrier they get.  And also, the more you've won.

How do you get around town?
If not by public transport, then on my Vespa.  I'm not ashamed to look like a wanker.  Parking is free and it's so fast for getting around town. At least it is if I'm driving it.

Do you have a favourite pub? And what makes it special?
Generally I don't like London pubs, but I like The White Swan in Twickenham. But it won some award a while back and thta seeemed to ruin it a bit.  Now everyone knows about it.

What was the last book you bought?
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Apparently he's turned into such a cult figure that he's left Japan to prevent being mobbed.

What items are in your spring wardrobe? Where did you get them?
A new suit from Gieves & Hawkes. I thought that, as I'm nearly 50, it was time to get some respectable clothes. I'm working my way down Savile Row, but I've only made it as far as Gieves & Hawkes.

ALISTAIR DUNCAN

Adrian Edmondson is currently in Doctors and Nurses on BBC1 on Tuesdays at 10.35pm.

Top Tracks: What was the last CD you bought?
Johnny Cash's American Recordings.

It's one of the last albums he did before he died and it's very spare just him and his guitar. But it's wonderful.

Play time: What was the last play you saw in London and did you enjoy it?
I don't go to the theatre that often. If it's a good play, then I usually get jealous and think, 'Why wasn't I offered that?' But if it's crap, I tend to think, 'Theatre is always like this.' The last thing I saw was A Streetcar Named Desire with Glenn Close at the National.

Good scents: What aftershave do you wear?
My wife buys me aftershave from Santa Maria Novella on Walton Street. It smells nice but tends to burn my skin.

Life's luxuries: What are your extravagances?
It's my wife, Jennifer Saunders, who's the extravagant one.

She's got 300 pairs of identical black shoes.

My one indulgence is wine which I buy from Handford Wines in Holland Park.

Dining out: What have been your most memorable London meals?
For my 40th birthday we went to the Cafe Royal and Anthony Newley was performing. It was a great night. I'm also a member of the Twickenham Writers And Thesps Society (TWATS) and we often eat at The Glasshouse in Kew (right).

Globetrotting: Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
Most recently, skiing in Colorado.

The security to get into America is crazy at the moment. One guy puts a bomb in his shoes that doesn't go off and all the rest of us suffer.

Before that, it was Positano in Italy and before that, Rome.

Bookworm: What was the last book you bought?
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.

Apparently he's turned into such a cult figure that he's left Japan to prevent being mobbed.

Fashion favourites: What items are in your spring wardrobe? Where did you get them?
A new suit from Gieves Hawkes.

I thought that, as I'm nearly 50, it was time to get some respectable clothes. I'm working my way down Savile Row, but I've only made it as far as Gieves Hawkes.