20 questions with banker, explorer and author Colonel Paul Bayly
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Life’s too short to miss a good adventure.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Carpe diem and also “the guy with the biggest battle tank always wins”.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2014?
Vladimir Putin.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I don’t miss Tony Blair.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A trip to the moon: The ultimate expedition.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Follow Donald Trump’s advice.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“It doesn’t matter”.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I agree that it does. I often give money to people on the streets but I always wonder how much it really does help.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
Everything has its uses.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Alexander the Great: I think we could more than fill up the time discussing history and forming an invasion plan for the Crimea.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Crayfish mornay, Bluff oysters washed down with Veuve Clicquot while listening to Stairway to Heaven. I am certain that would take my mind off what was coming next. A swift heart failure and expressway to heaven?
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
When you need to. I have never had a problem with this question.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A laxative.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
With best friends.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My father.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Adding cream on vanilla ice cream.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
I really dislike all tattoos.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Jaguar E-Type V12.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
My girlfriend thinks I am a rock star.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Lego, incense and files.
Colonel Paul D. Bayly is the managing director of Cranleigh. He has variously been a banker, soldier, sailor and author and most most recently wrote a book about the life and legacy of Dr David Livingstone. He has served with the New Zealand Army in East Timor, Lebanon and Syria and with the Australian Special Forces.
To purchase David Livingstone, Africa’s Greatest Explorer: The Man, the Missionary and the Myth by Paul Bayly click here.
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