KIRSTY Wark is perhaps best known for her role presenting the BBC’s current affairs programme, Newsnight. She has been with the programme since 1993. She also fronted The Review Show for more than a decade and is a familiar face at on television at election time. She is also an accomplished author and has even featured in an episode of Dr Who. For more on Kirsty visit www.blackpeppermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @KirstyWark The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle by Kirsty Wark is published in Two Roads paperback, priced £7.99 and is also available as an ebook.

What was your first car?

My first car was an ancient Morris 1100 which I bought for £30 from a neighbour when I was 21. I drove it from Glasgow to Inverness and I realised it was a bit blowy beneath my feet - I could see the road through the rusted floor.

How many times did it take to pass your test?

I passed on my second attempt. I had the usual driving lessons but my father took me to a disused airfield near Turnberry in Ayrshire to practice in his Humber Sceptre. After I passed mum allowed me to drive her Fiat 500 from home in Kilmarnock to school in Ayr, which was pretty good of her considering I was just 17.

Who would be your ideal fantasy passenger and where would you go?

The Northern Echo:

Thelma and Louise style, I'd take Natalie Merchant in a VW convertible with a portable cooker and a wine fridge. She could sing and I would cook fresh from the land and sea all the way up the West Coast of Scotland and over to the islands. On Islay I would gun the car along the straight road between Port Eellen to Bowmore.

What is your dream car?

I have a ridiculous desire to own a LandRover Defender, but I'd have to jack up the music system so that I could play driving music very, very loud. The children remember their summer holidays from the music we played in the car.

How would you describe your driving style?

I probably drive on the fast side but I hope I am always courteous. I loathe discourtesy.

Tell me one driving anecdote from your past?

When my mum phoned to say that dad had had a heart attack I'd had a glass of wine, so I called the police to come and breathalyse me. They were wonderful. I passed and flew down the road.

What are you listening to?

 

I listen to everything from Buffalo Springfield to T Rex to Ten Thousand Maniacs to Amy Winston to Rhiannon Giddens, below left. I have Catholic tastes!

The Northern Echo: Rhiannon Giddens and Leyla McCalla

What do you drive now?

I drive a seven-year-old Mercedes C-Class Estate but I want to change it. I'm thinking of a Discovery Sport, but I'm not sure?