Every small boy wanted to be a steam engine driver when they grew up in the old days, including me. There's something very special about them - the noise, the smell, the steam coming out everywhere.

My daughter Karen was born in 1958, the year my first Paddington book came out, so she grew up with him.

Paddington Bear was a refugee with a label - 'Please look after this bear. Thank you', and he had a little suitcase.

I worked on 'Blue Peter' and 'Tonight' and lots of TV plays, filmed people like Rudolf Nureyev and Ted Heath, and ended up a senior cameraman with my own crew. I'd had my first short story published in 1947, and when my writing really started to take off I decided to go freelance, and eventually left the BBC in 1965.

I have a flat in Paris and go there a lot, but the Eurostar's much more civilised than flying.