I had to go to an audition for a rather large West End musical set on a Greek island. I didn't realise that you had to go with sheet music to give to the pianist. I took a Mark Bolan CD, a small ghetto blaster and then sang along. It was absolutely appalling.

Mel Giedroyc

Categorized in : You Small End Music

Any donation does make a difference. Getting involved is what makes BBC Children in Need so moving.

Mel Giedroyc

need donation children moving

At school in the 1970s, no one cared about bullying. I spent the first four years being the apple of the teachers' eye and being bullied for it.

Mel Giedroyc

teachers bullying eye school

There are different types of double act: the classic dumb-and-dumber, like Morecambe and Wise; the good cop/bad cop, where one's a bit spiky and the other's daft. Sue Perkins and I take what we might call the Ant and Dec approach: the double act came out of our friendship.

Mel Giedroyc

good classic wise friendship

People are used to seeing me with Sue but for Sue and me, the most important thing is always going to be our friendship. We were mates at university - very close mates - long before we did any telly. The work is like a nice little cherry on the cake.

Mel Giedroyc

me work friendship people

My kids both had Catholic junior school education, which I'm really glad for - it taught them how to be compassionate, how to be kind.

Mel Giedroyc

how be-kind education school

I love them all, there is not one member of Take That that I do not love.

Mel Giedroyc

them i-love take love

I like Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' because it's got a nice low singing voice.

Mel Giedroyc

singing voice nice love

It's a blessing to be able to do different things really, I feel so lucky.

Mel Giedroyc

feel things lucky blessing

I love acting, I really do, I've always loved doing it, and it's a joy to be asked to do this. I mean, to do Beatrice, for God's sake, it is the best comedy Shakespeare role for a woman, and to be asked to do it.

Mel Giedroyc

woman best god love

I'm not a trained actor, so there was always going to be a certain amount of bringing my own... I was going to say skills but they're not really skills, it's just stuff that I know how to do I suppose.

Mel Giedroyc

say own know my-own

I talked to friends who are actors and who do Shakespeare loads, and they all said 'learn it so that your family wants to clobber you, they're so bored.' You can never relax, that's the problem, because when you do, a bit of Shakespeare comes up to bite your cheeky behind. It just does, if you're not really focused on it.

Mel Giedroyc

you friends relax family

I can't speak for every mum but once you have children, I find that I don't really get through the day without grinning about five times!

Mel Giedroyc

day you speak children

Every year the British public are so generous. It is really moving living in Britain. Fundraising is something we do tremendously well.

Mel Giedroyc

something year living moving

I feel very warmly and joyfully towards BBC Children in Need.

Mel Giedroyc

need i-feel feel children

My daughters have become little judges. If I do produce a baked item, they tut at the soggy bottom and advise me to try harder next time.

Mel Giedroyc

judges try me time

Friends before work.

Mel Giedroyc

before friends work

Give more acting roles to 48-year-old half-Lithuanians who just don't want to be pigeon-holed as bakery presenters.

Mel Giedroyc

more just acting want

Funders, financiers why don't you support childcare? Make it a budget line in your productions and please please let's not be ageist.

Mel Giedroyc

budget your you support

Christmas traditions are important in my family. Being half English and half Polish-Lithuanian, we have two separate celebrations.

Mel Giedroyc

being family christmas important

We're so used to seeing Agatha Christie's work on screen that going back to the original is a real joy.

Mel Giedroyc

back real work joy