My London: Salman Rushdie

The only London shops I’ve been to in the past several years are a) Harrods because I needed shoes and b) Selfridges because I managed to arrive in London without any pocket handkerchiefs — which I still old-fashionedly use and which aren’t easy to find.

Earliest London memory?

I arrived in January 1961. It was sunny and cold, and my father and I checked in at the Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch. The nearby Odeon was showing The Pure Hell of St Trinian’s, and we went to see that and had chocolate milkshakes (below) at a Lyons Corner House. I was 13 years old and on my way to boarding school.

Ever had a run-in with a policeman?

I have spent more of my life in the company of policemen than I ever expected. Many of them became my friends. So, no run-ins, no. I have however been on a number of occasions to the ‘Secret Policemen’s Ball’, actually an annual Special Branch party at Scotland Yard to which they invited all the people they protect or have protected. At these parties, I met, among others, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Enoch Powell.

Favourite place for a nightcap?

The drink would either be vodka and tonic or bourbon on the rocks, depending on my mood. Maybe in the bar at the Savoy.

Biggest extravagance?

Never flying coach.

What are you up to at the moment?

Answering questions about my new novel and wondering what on earth to write next.

Last play you saw?

I went to see Dreamgirls (above) at the Savoy Theatre at the end of July with June Sarpong, Kathy Lette and her son. I liked the first act much more than the second.

Where is the best place to let your hair down?

It would be nice to have hair to let down.

Who do you call when you want to have fun?

Lady Antonia Fraser, the most enjoyable lunch companion I know.

Best thing a cabbie has said to you?

‘Get out of the cab. Now!’ This was back in the early 1970s in Soho. When I got out, he zoomed off down the street and screeched to a halt beside an elegant lady and a man in a wheelchair. It was Charlie Chaplin and his wife Oona. I understood the cabbie’s point of view completely.

Who’s your hero?

I love James Joyce (right) for doing everything better than everyone else. From Joyce you learn humility. He’s always going to be better than you.

‘The Golden House’ by Salman Rushdie (Jonathan Cape, £18.99) is out now