Sunday with John Cooper Clarke: ‘My wife does a chicken with 60 cloves of garlic’

Rich Pelley
·2-min read
<span>‘There’s never been a better time to own a televison set’: John Cooper Clarke.</span><span>Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian</span>
‘There’s never been a better time to own a televison set’: John Cooper Clarke.Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Sunday habits? A favourite is Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. Or I’ll watch a re-run of Match of The Day on BBC One at 7.30am since I missed it working Saturday.

Then what? My local newsagents only order about three copies of each newspaper, so I have to get on the bike to snatch them. Then I read them. That’s my Sunday pursuit.

Sunday brekkie? I’m a creature of habit. My breakfast is always the same. A quarter pint of espresso. A couple of baked goods – a danish here, a croissant there – and an entire punnet of strawberries.

Sunday lunch? I’m not a lunch guy, but I do have a huge… we call it tea. My wife’s French, a terrific cook. The pleasures of the table are close to my heart.

What’s on the menu? She does a great chicken with ratatouille, and a chicken featuring 60 unpeeled cloves of garlic. Sixty! Count them. I like Mediterranean grub. I like a nice ragu, but the sauce must be rich and the base baked on Italian stone.

Sunday evening? There’s never been a better time to own a television set. It’s one irresistible programme after the other, starting with Antiques Road Show. My favourite is The Footage Detectives on Freeview, where people send in Super 8 footage of their lives. You can guess what year it is by the cars and clothes. It’s all people on holiday at British seaside resorts in 1958. It’s a terrific show.

Sundays growing up? Everything was closed, but Higher Broughton in Greater Manchester was a Jewish area, so you could buy fresh baked goods because they weren’t open on the Saturday. The only other places open were movie theatres, and we had eight within walking distance.

Dread Mondays? Monday’s gloomy presence hangs over every Sunday. It is the ruination of Sunday.

  • John Cooper Clarke’s In Celebration of World Poetry Day tours London, Nottingham and Manchester in March 2025. See livenation.co.uk

  • John Cooper Clarke’s latest book is WHAT (Pan Macmillan, £16.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply