Popular entertainer Mike Doyle has me laughing out loud within the first few minutes of our conversation. “I hate spiders and anything creepy crawly” he starts, “and as for those leather jacket bug things, ugh, I really hate them. And I hate their family and all their friends. They are so pointless –they just exist to ruin lawns.” He shudders again, “I hate moths as well; I love butterflies but hate moths.”
‘Aren’t moths just butterflies in work clothes?’ I ask. “No - they’ve got a real bad attitude. Same as wasps; wasps are the skinheads of the Insect World. They just want to cause trouble.”
Despite his insect prejudices, Mike does enjoy gardening. “My father used to grow marrows and when I was a kid I remember looking out into the back yard and being in awe of these huge leaves and stalks, then, hiding under the leaves were the massive marrows. He had a ‘prize one’ once – it was gigantic. I was brought up on marrows and courgettes and still love them today. Dad (Tom Doyle) always grew something - and still does. I’m 47 now but when I pop in he still says ‘c’mon lets go and see how such and such is doing’, and we’ll wander up to the greenhouse to check on the latest vegetable! He always says, “We’ll have a nice feed from that.”
