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Summary Red Dwarf star Craig Charles admits to computer illiteracy and says his daughter helped him.
Whats your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life?Its got to be the satnav, and its improved my life because I dont get lost any more. I was always terrible at reading maps – I didnt even know if I was holding it the right way up or not.When was the last time you used it, and what for?To find my way to the Prince Charles Theatre in Leicester Square for the premiere of Red Dwarf X.What additional features would you add if you could?I would love Basil Fawlty to be the voice of my satnav. It would be great if you could get celebrity characters doing satnav voices. Imagine having Rimmer doing your satnav for you ...Do you think it will be obsolete in 10 years time?I dont think so, I think its here to stay. I think maps are dead, I think maps will be obsolete in 10 years. I do Google Earth and all that kind of stuff now. I actually went on a history tour of all the houses I used to live in growing up, and theres perfect pictures of them. Theres one where theres someone in a bedroom window upstairs. I think thats really kind of creepy, in a way. You can stalk people from the comfort of your own living room.What always frustrates you about technology in general?That I left school the year our school got its first computer, so Ive never been very computer literate at all. In fact, Im no good on them. If I have to do something, my 14-year-old daughter generally shows me what Ive got to do. And the fact that shes so computer-savvy, and she can type like 135 words a minute – I just get completely lost with it.Is there any particular piece of technology that you have owned and hated?I did have a ZX81 computer that we used for video games. It never worked – it never loaded, it never did anything, it was absolutely awful.If you had one tip about getting the best out of new technology, what would it be?Do you consider yourself to be a luddite or a nerd?Im a luddite, a definite luddite. I wish I wasnt, but I am. Although you do see pensioners and people like that now going on computer courses and learning how to do things. My wife often encourages me, saying: Why dont you go on a little course so that youre more comfortable around this technology? Why do that when youve got people wholl do it for you?
