Question from William Sharp: Do you enjoy carol singing? Have you ever wondered why people started that habit?
Roger Highfield: I'm not a very good singer, but I certainly enjoy a good carol service, as long as my efforts are masked by the singing of other people.
Question from Raz Mataz: You have achieved a lot in life. Do you still have some unfulfilled ambitions?
Roger Highfield: Ooooh ..... it'd be nice to be able to relax! I think it'd be fun to work on a book of fiction. That's the kind of dream that 99 out of 100 people have, so I should probably stick to what I'm good at.
Question from Stella: How high up does Father Christmas fly?
Roger Highfield: He can reach endless altitudes in his warp-drive sleigh. But there is another school of thought that says Santa uses quantum teleportation so he doesn't have to reach any high altitude at all! Quantum teleportation is the real-world version of the transporter used by Captain Kirk in Star Trek.
Question from William sharp: My favourite part of Christmas is trying to see my little brother chipping his tooth on the sixpence in the Christmas pud! But seriously, was it purely accidental or a deliberate April Fool addition - do you know?
Roger Highfield: In pagan festivals, tradition has it that chance takes over from natural order. This evolved into the custom of choosing a leader by hiding a small object in a cake and even today, the practice of hiding a coin in the Christmas pudding continues. However, I point out in the book how it's now possible to find the coin using magnetic resonance imaging without digging into the pudding.
Question from Peter Pan: I am interested in a career in journalism when I get older. What’s it like working for a national newspaper?
Roger Highfield: I feel like a hamster on a wheel or a battery chicken. I have to lay about three stories a day and a feature or two every month. So it's relentless and unglamorous work. Please tell my boss this so he'll give me a pay rise!
Question from Ricky: What are you doing for Christmas?
Roger Highfield: I'm just having a quiet Christmas with my family and I'm looking to the reaction of my two-year-old daughter, who is just about old enough to realise what it's all about.
Question from Space: Can science and religion ever see eye to eye?
Roger Highfield: I'm not sure that they're really talking about the same thing. I think that science is focused on the objective and material world while religion is focused on spiritual matters. I'm sure that they influence each other, but in reality they're orthogonal to each other.
Question from Stella: What will you tell your daughter about Father Christmas?
Roger Highfield: (laughs). I'll do more than tell her about Father Christmas! Read the book!
Question from Helen John: Are you the kind of person that reads the scientific pull-outs that come with Sunday newspapers and orders gadgets?
Roger Highfield: I'm not a great gadget fanatic. In fact, I have a terrible confession - I don't even own a car! I tend to only get gadgets when I really think they'll be useful. Apart from a corkscrew and a PC, there aren't any other gadgets I rely on.
Question from Rudolf: How come Santa's clothes are different colours in other parts of the world?
Roger Highfield: What we understand of Santa has evolved from a wide range of folk figures from across Europe. In some he could be seen dressed in a fur coat, for example, so I think you're referring to a old-fashioned Santa like Pelznickel - which translated is 'Nicholas In Furs'.
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