Hobbies of the rich and famous

"Cheese!" says Alex James out of 1990s popular beat combo Blur in his new book 'I really fucking like cheese'.

From Primula and Dairlylea to the frightening Japanese Green Vein Godzilla (via a cautionary chapter on the napalm-like qualities of Cathedral City on toast), James really opens up on his favourite subject, first addressed in the Blur song "There's no other Whey"

"Cheese!" he says like a demented Wallace and Grommit, "Cheese cheese cheese cheese! I've got a cheese farm, which makes cheese! Cheese cheese cheese cheese!"

Until you tell him to shut about about bloody cheese, which he does. Eventually.

But bass-slapper James isn't the only celebrity to have an unusual hobby that keeps them from going off the rails.

TV's James Corden - North-West counties Swingball champion

Punk's Johnny Rotten - Quilting

Being weird's David Bowie - Telling people it's prounounced "Boe-ee", until they get used to it, then telling them it's "BOW-ee"

Geezerhood's Vinny Jones - Finalist in the Belgian national pinball tournament, where he lost to a deaf, dumb and blind kid

Serial granny killing's Harold Shipman - Granny killing

New Romantics' Steve Strange - The "Deltic" locomotives of the English East Coast Main Line 1961-1978. This was also his Mastermind specialist subject, in which he won his heat (but subsequently clammed up in the semi-finals on Class 47 Brush locos on the Great Western Railway)

Tennis's Andrew Murray - Mushroom growing and learning the words "Game, set and match to Federer" in as many modern languages as possible

Politics's Nick Clegg - Whatever David tells him to do for a hobby

No celebrity - as yet - has owned up to collecting Rupert the Bear annuals, widely regarded as a gateway drug to "the hard stuff". We all know what happened to Barry from EastEnders.