Snapshot: Lynda Bellingham, actress

ACTRESS Lynda Bellingham introduces her new series, Tasty Travels.

How would you describe My Tasty Travels With Lynda Bellingham?

I’m travelling the country in a camper van and in each episode, I get a culinary challenge. But in the rest of the show, I’m doing all the things that make up a British summer. I think a lot of people forget just how wonderful this country is.

As an actress, how did you make the move into presenting?

It’s just something that came up really. First and foremost, I’m an actress, but the way the business is now in television, you have to try your hand at everything, because there’s not that much work around. Loose Women is lovely because it keeps me in the loop and I know what’s going on, but I miss the theatre, so hence last year I went off to finish the tour of Calendar Girls. Then I got offered Tasty Travels and I just thought it would be a lovely opportunity to do something different and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

Were you pleased with the response to your autobiography?

Very much so. Off the back of my autobiography, I was commissioned to write two novels, and I’ve completed the first one, I’ve done the first draft and I’m working on the finer points. That’s been a fantastic challenge for me – I know I’ll never win the Booker Prize, but I really want to be able to say I’ve written a good book.

What’s coming up next for you?

I can’t really think about anything else until I’ve got the book finished, and I’ve got pantomime at Christmas – I’m doing Cinderella. So, at the moment I’m pretty much booked up until March, and then I’m going to see where I’ve got to in life.

• My Tasty Travels with Lynda Bellingham, STV, weekdays, 
4pm