Entertainment
Writer and podcaster Pandora Sykes nearly put herself off books by reading 14 hours a day-Rachel Corcoran-Entertainment – Metro
Even so, she admits she has many books on her shelves left unread.
Pandora Sykes almost always has her head in a book (Picture: Getty)
Journalist, author, and broadcaster Pandora Sykes, 35, reveals her foray into pop videos, having read 20 books a week, and why she can’t face any more reality TV.
How has your year started?
Good, thank you. I started a book podcast recently called Book Chat, which I do once a month with a novelist called Bobby Palmer. I’m launching a newsletter this week called Books + Bits, recommending podcasts, articles and documentaries and also doing a little shopping list on it every other month with second-hand stuff and independent brands – little life-enhancers.
Book Chat is about embracing what we already have, rather like avoiding fast fashion, isn’t it?
Exactly. We only choose books that are more than two years old. I have so many books on my shelf I’ve never read and have massive gaps in my literary education. Also new books are expensive. I’m always on second-hand websites. Plus, every other book show is about new books. Bobby made me re-read Wuthering Heights. I hated him for it because I read it at GCSE. But I actually really liked it.
Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in the 1939 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights (Picture: Getty)
Pandora prefers to buy books second-hand (Picture: Getty)
You’re also backing a Microsoft campaign…
Yes, I partnered with Microsoft Surface who did research into how we spend time, which I’m really fascinated by – what we think is time meaningfully spent and what’s wasted time. In all, 87 per cent of people said time best spent is with their friends and family, which is no surprise. But some of the things that people hated doing the most were ironing, queuing and waiting for someone who’s late, which made me laugh because I see it as a chance to do a bit of impromptu reading.
What do you consider a waste of your time?
I don’t like cooking, I wish I did. I’m bad about carving out time for exercise. I’m not great at queueing – I’m impatient but I’m trying to reframe that as time to muse about life. I’m also bad with unscheduled interruptions. I work from home, and if the doorbell goes and I’m in the middle of something I think it’s annoying. Or if I bump into someone on the way to the Tube I haven’t expected to, I think I haven’t got time to chat. It’s about reframing those things as rewarding.
How do you balance everything, being a working mum of two?
I’m constantly flirting with different work-life balances. I used to work long hours and say ‘no’ to nothing, which personally wasn’t compatible with young children. But now my daughter has started school, I’m enjoy meeting people at the school gates and going to the same coffee shop, pub and church – having connections that I didn’t have when I was doing 12-hour days and trying to not let motherhood get in the way of work.
How many books do you read in a week?
It totally depends. I was a judge on the Women’s Prize For Fiction and we had to read 20 books, so I read for 14 hours a day for seven days. I thought I’d put myself off books. I normally have to read for work so I will make it part of my working day.
If I’m reading for pleasure, it’ll be in the evenings for two to three hours once I’ve got the kids to bed while my husband watches TV. We’re not one of those romantic couples that spends every night together over a bottle of wine. That’s great once in a while but with young children you really need that downtime with no talking.
Pandora loves to read for pleasure for at least a few hours a day (Picture: Getty)
What did you learn from your documentary Unreal about reality shows?
So much. There was an unreconcilable debate about where responsibility lies. Does it lie with the telly commissioners, the producers on the ground or with the contestants who have willingly put themselves forward for it? We were so lucky with the access we got.
Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and their son Gunner (Picture: Getty Images)
I enjoyed talking to Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt – we were obsessed with The Hills growing up. They were entertaining and have all sorts of conspiracy theories about producer manipulation.
More: Sixty Seconds
Were you in a music video for Fame Academy’s Alistair Griffin?
I was so embarrassed by that. It’s funny rewatching it but also weird because I was 15. I was spotted on the Tube by the producer, who produced NSync videos. They said, ‘Have you ever been in a music video?’ I went to some audition and persuaded my mum it would be funny, but it was incredibly awkward.
Alistair Griffin was, like, 25. They didn’t realise I was 15 until they asked me if I could move the car. The poor man looked so uncomfortable. So we didn’t end up kissing, we just hugged.
Pandora was in a video with Alistair Griffin (Picture: Getty)
Which author have you been most starstruck by meeting?
Dolly [Alderton] and I loved meeting David Nicholls because One Day is such a seminal piece of fiction. Also ditto, Graham Norton. It was amazing interviewing him. He was confused he was on the penultimate episode of our podcast The High Low. He said, ‘I’ve been told this podcast is really popular but I’m on one of the last episodes – what’s going on with that?’
Visit Pandora’s article on Microsoft for tips on how to best spend your time.
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