WHAT BOOK would author, comedian and actor Ben Miller take to a desert island?

. . . are you reading now?

The Inheritors by William Golding. It’s a brilliant story about a group of Neanderthals. You see them communicating, living day-to-day and encountering a group of anatomically modern humans.

It’s so interesting. Golding really gets into their heads and challenges our idea of Neanderthals as a primitive species.

I’m writing about giants at the moment, and I think these human-like characters have a very mythical quality to them. There’s an undercurrent of folklore — they are like us but also not like us.

Golding’s book really makes you empathise with his unusual characters in a way which makes you reflect on yourself, too.

Ben Miller says that he’d take In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust with him to a desert island

. . . would you take to a desert island?

Something hefty, perhaps In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, all seven volumes. It’s about time I read it!

A desert island would be the perfect background to read a book about memory and trying to find meaning in a cruel world. I can picture myself having many philosophical chats with the seagulls. And if I don’t like it, I can use it for firewood or a paper hat!

. . . first gave you the reading bug?

I remember reading Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. It’s a first-reader chapter book. I remember feeling ownership over the book because I could read it myself.

It’s a bonkers story and I loved reading it. I just loved the absurdity, and it was the first time that I realised books can be silly.

He also said that he distinctly remembers reading Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

In a way, I think Flat Stanley planted the seeds for a lot of my own comedy. It’s an exciting time finding the book which you love, that you have chosen, and it consumes your imagination.

As parents, we can sometimes feel the need to push books on our children, but it’s important to let them find the right book for them. You may not like all books, and it’s an incredible feeling when you finally click with one.

If we give children the freedom to find their own books, like I found Flat Stanley, they will be readers for life.

. . . left you cold?

I never think you’ll waste time reading, just because you don’t finish the book. Even those books which make your eyes go crossed as they’re so confusing!

The process of reading is always good for you. It’s not always about the ending. We all have busy lives and I finish fewer books than I start.

I think this is a good message for children — if you’re struggling you can put it down and find something new. There will always be a book for you.

The Night We Got Stuck in a Story by Ben Miller is out now in paperback (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)