12 Feb 2025
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: Father Richard Watson, Vicar of St Saviour’s Church and Rural Dean of St Albans.
What TV did you watch as a child?
I think the main TV show that had me hooked and influenced me in many ways was Doctor Who (this will not be a surprise to some!). Moving to uni in 1984 coincided with the Colin Baker era which saw the show’s popularity slump significantly and my fervour waned until the Russell T Davies reboot. But it was being introduced to a friend of a friend in a small railway-arch theatre in Southwark that got me back properly. “This is my friend Richard, he’s a priest in north London. This is David, he going to be the tenth Doctor….”
Were you well behaved at school?
Yes, of course! Except when I wasn’t. Probably more cheeky than actually naughty…
Have you ever had a nickname?
I’m pretty sure I’ve been called lots of things in my time, but the only real nickname I’ve had was among a group of friends during my sixth form years when I was known as ‘Jester’. I was the class fool much of the time, but it originated from our shared taste in music, and Marillion’s first album Script for a Jester’s Tear. And yes, as I’m writing this I’m now listening to it online after many years!
What was your first job?
There was some temp agency work after finishing my O Level exams as a porter in Barking Hospital, and then as a theatre usher at weekends. But my first full time post was in the Publicity & Marketing Department of a regional rep theatre working with what now seem very old fashioned ways of creating press and print!
Do you play any musical instruments?
I learned to play clarinet at school but had a lazy attitude to practice (scales in particular) and much preferred singing – so dropped it.
What is your most-missed St Albans shop, pub, café or restaurant?
Before moving to St Albans the real focus for pilgrimage to the city was undoubtedly the much missed Paton Books on Holywell Hill. So good to see that the spirit of bookselling thrives over the road these days!
What is your favourite single item of clothing?
When I turned 40 I decided my chosen eccentricity of middle age would be the self-tie bow tie. Well, bow ties are cool…
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Well at the risk of sounding like Keir Starmer, my dad was a toolmaker so I grew up with the expectation of following in his footsteps. Then at the age of about 13 I decided I wanted to be an actor but felt I’d end up as a vicar.
If you could have a conversation with someone who had died who would it be?
Either of my grandfathers. They’d both died a long time before I was born so I grew up aware of gaps in my understanding of our family life. They were never really spoken of.
What’s your favourite St Albans pub?
That’s a completely impossible question to answer as there are four or five that I really wouldn’t want to be without! But when I was working at the Cathedral The Boot was widely known as ‘the Sub Dean’s Office’ and is still referred to as such in some circles!
