John Nicol Q&A: “I’ve been bloody lucky in my life”

The former RAF pilot on his favourite Queen song and selling farm machinery.

John Nichol was born in North Shields in 1963. He was a Royal Air Force navigator and a prisoner of war during the first Gulf War in Iraq. He is the bestselling author of Spitfire.

What’s your earliest memory?

Summers spent on the beach in Tynemouth close to my family home in North Shields. We never went on foreign holidays when I was a child, but endless days on the beach on the north-east coast can’t be beaten.

Who are your heroes?

I don’t have an adult “hero”. I know lots of real heroes from my military service. As a child, it was Biggles, certainly – I read all of the books from a very young age and loved the sense of adventure.

What book last changed your thinking?

Tim Peake’s Space: The Human Story. It’s staggering to think that only 644 people have reached the altitude of space. And the thought of mounting a mission to Mars is simply incredible.

What would be your Mastermind specialist subject?

The music of Queen – I have been a huge fan since the mid 1970s.

In which time and place, other than your own, would you like to live?

December 1903, on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. I would have loved to see Wilbur and Orville Wright get airborne in their string-and-wooden aircraft for 12 seconds, heralding an astonishing age of aviation.

What TV show could you not live without?

Oh, I watch anything. But I have just rewatched all seven seasons of The West Wing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a politician like Josiah Bartlet leading the world’s greatest democracy?

What’s your theme tune?

“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. Because I really am having a good time.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“Keep your mouth shut and your head down,” by one of my first sergeants in the RAF. I suspect most former colleagues would say I didn’t always take that advice…

What’s currently bugging you?

People who think there is something called a “fast lane” on a motorway. There isn’t! There is an inside lane and then overtaking lanes. If you are not overtaking, move the flip back over!

What single thing would make your life better?

Not having dodgy old discs on my back. I haven’t sat on a sofa in over a year…

When were you happiest?

I am pretty damn happy now. I’ve been bloody lucky in my life – I joined the RAF at 16 and never had a proper job since. I’ve got a wonderful wife, fabulous daughter, a lovely home and I’m comfortable (apart from the darn back). And my golden retriever, Ralph, is simply a brilliant dog.

In another life, what job might you have chosen?

Probably a combine harvester salesman. When I left the RAF in 1996 I didn’t know what I was going to do – a local farmer said he’d give me a job selling farm machinery and I very nearly took the offer up. But then my writing and occasional speaking gigs took off and I’ve never looked back.

Are we all doomed?

As long as we don’t discover aliens on Mars I think we’ll be OK. If you look at all the huge upheavals we have gone through as a nation, a society and as a world over the last few centuries, I think we are probably OK. Though I do think we could all try to be a bit nicer to each other and not hate people for their political or social beliefs.

“The Unknown Warrior” by John Nichol is published by Simon & Schuster. His book tour runs until 7 November 2024; johnnichollive.com