[caffn8me]

I never got into a huge amount of trouble other than for failing to do homework. I used to find it boring so managed to get a couple of detentions for it. Ironically, one of the subjects I got detention for was French - the teacher had regarded me as a poor student because I never did any work but when the exams came round I got the top mark in the class My other detention was for chemistry and I went on to win a place to study biochemistry at Oxford. If the teachers had set interesting homework they'd have got my attention better

I thoroughly immersed myself in the school theatre during the last three years at school doing design (mostly lighting) rather than acting - I was always a bit shy. I even won a couple of school prizes because of it. I'm still in touch with some of the staff from my school (which I left in 1984) and see one quite regularly.

All in all I had a fairly easy ride. The school system in the UK is very different to the USA - there is no "graduation" and it's perfectly possible for school leavers to have no qualifications whatsoever.