COMPOSER and songwriter Mike Batt is the man behind The Wombles. He has also written some of the country’s most memorable pop singles, notably Art Garfunkel’s international number one single ‘Bright Eyes’, ‘Caravan Song’ performed by Barbara Dickson, as well as hits for Cliff Richard, David Essex and Alvin Stardust. Mike has returned this summer with ‘A Classical Tale’, a compilation of some of his finest work as a classical composer. The CD is out now through Dramatico Entertainment. For more on Mike visit www.mikebatt.com or follow him on Twitter @Mike_Batt

What was your first car?

My first car was a white beach buggy converted from a Volkswagen chassis and engine. I remember it had twin Stromberg carburettors which was apparently good but didn’t mean much to me. It was about £700 and I remember my bank manager at Midland would not lend me the £700 as it was not for business purposes. He said if it was a van it would have been different. I said I was a pop star and needed to look cool but it didn’t change his mind.

How many times did it take to pass your test?

I passed my test the first time. I learned from a combination of my Dad, my Mum and the odd local driving lesson in Winchester. I drove my Mother’s old MG Magnette which I wrote off 12 months later, in that dangerous period after passing the test when you feel over-confident.

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

Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse – I would drive them back in time to one of their Hollywood sets to watch them working together.

What is your dream car?

I don’t have a dream car. I like cars but they don’t cause me to dream!

How would you describe your driving style?

Confident and careful. My wife would probably say “over-confident”. I think a lot of drivers invite problems by not making their intentions clear to other drivers.

Tell me one driving anecdote from your past?

I trusted my sat nav lady to lead me and my brand new Bentley into some woods where the road became a track, the track became a gully, and the gully became a ditch. It was late at night and I ended up stuck deep in the woods with one wheel in the ditch and the sat nav lady urging me forwards. To add to the horror story, I locked myself out of the car and had to go back the next morning to retrieve it. The full story, which is rather funny, can be read at http://madhouserag.com/postmanbatt/dont-trust-your-satnav-lady-or-anyone-else/

What are you listening to?

Currently my default radio setting in the car is Classic FM. I like to try and guess the origin/composer of pieces that I might not know, using clues given in the sound and orchestration of their pieces. I also listen to a lot of Radio 2 , 6 Music and Radio 1. Why? Because I have very wide tastes in music and I like to flick around. Certain presenters can turn me off a particular station or attract me back, depending on the time of day.

The Northern Echo:

 

What do you drive now?

I drive a black Bentley Arnage T. It’s a great family car with plenty of leg room for the passengers and a pleasure to drive.