The Malta Independent 4 July 2025, Friday
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Getting to know Josef Bonello

Stephen Calleja Sunday, 7 August 2022, 11:30 Last update: about 4 years ago

Wine expert and TV presenter Josef Bonello, as many know, supports Manchester United. But what is his favourite ice-cream topping? And favourite colour?

And with whom would he like to have dinner?

 

 

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What was the last book you read?

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Who is your favourite author?

Jancis Robinson MW

What was the last film you watched?

Joker

Which film have you seen multiple times and enjoyed every time you saw it?

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Who is your favourite actor/actress?

Robert Deniro

What is your favourite TV series?

Frasier

What is your favourite game or sport to watch and play?

Football

Which team do you support?

Manchester United

Which song would you sing at a karaoke night?

Englishman in New York

Who is your favourite singer/band?

Sting – Genesis

 

Which show/event would you like to attend/have attended?

Uefa Champions’ League Semi-Final 1999 Juventus v Manchester United 2-3

What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?

Man Utd scarf; bottle of wine; corkscrew

Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest?

Sense of smell

What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

Lettuce Ughh!!

What is that one thing you could not go a day without?

Oxygen

Which fictional character do you relate to most?

Edmund Blackadder (in my dreams)

Do you check your horoscope?

My what sorry??!!

What age would you choose if you could be one age forever?

1

What invention would you erase from history?

Can’t think of anything

Would you like to know the day when you will die?

Wouldn’t mind actually

 

What's your favourite animal?

Meerkat

What's your favourite type of foreign food? 

Pasta

What is your favourite hobby?

Collecting wine-related bits and bobs

What's your favourite season?

Winter

What's your favourite ice cream topping?

No topping needed

What's your favourite board game?

Risk – does Subbuteo count?

What is your favourite pizza?

Da dio - Mozzarella, Tomato, anchovy

What is your favourite colour?

Blue

What is your favourite pasta dish?

Da dio – Tomato sauce, parmesan

What is your favourite cartoon show?

Tom and Jerry

 

What did you like to do most during the summer holidays?

I loved fishing, or rather, fish-feeding. Never caught much

What career did you see yourself in when you were young?

Never gave that much thought in my childhood.

What is your best childhood memory?

The exhilaration on every last day of school before summer recess

Did you learn how to ride a bike?

Nope

Who was your super hero?

None (I was and still am…BORING)

Which toy do you wish to have kept?

Subbuteo set

What subject did you excel in at school?

Languages (well, not quite excel, but do well)

What subject did you dislike the most in school?

History (teacher sucked, sorry but he did)

Was there some family tradition that was never missed?

Nahh not really (told you, boring)

What are the best values you owe to your parents?

Integrity

 

What would you change about yourself if you could?

Many things. But self-belief would be on top of the list.

What really makes you angry?

That would be one of the most disgusting of human traits: arrogance

Is your glass half full or half empty?

Half-empty

Are you a sore loser?

Not at all, and over the last few years, being a Manchester United fan has provided adequate training

What is your biggest regret?

Having allowed myself to be indoctrinated in my youth. Thankful however that I eventually did open my eyes, albeit a touch late in the day. Still.

What’s the first thing you look for in a partner and/or friend?

Companionship.

What is your greatest fear?

The usual I suppose; anything negative happening to loved ones

What is your life motto?

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way”

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

I’m not an idiot, and see a lot more than you think

What's one thing that can instantly make your day better?

Manchester United win

 

If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you do or buy?

Settle debts

If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?

Sir Alex Ferguson, Robin Williams, Jennifer Lawrence and of course Ira Losco

If you could bring one person back from the dead who’d it be?

For me personally, it would be my nephew Wayne. For the world, it would be Robin Williams

If you could time travel, when and where would you go?

Dunno…maybe Sixties London?

If you could relive one moment in your life, which would it be?

Uefa Champions’ League Semi-Final 1999 Juventus v Manchester United 2-3

If you could live anywhere outside Malta, where would it be?

Iceland

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Mashed potato

If you could know the truth behind a secret or mystery, which would it be?

How to make money

If you could eliminate one of the seven deadly sins, which one would it be (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath or sloth)?

I don’t really concur with the list at all, but from these 7 I would chose ‘greed’

If you had to be given a superpower, what would you choose?

To bend it like Beckham

 

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

Walk or swim?

Walk

Summer or winter?

Winter

Italy or England?

Italy

Restaurant or delivery?

Delivery

Early bird or night owl?

Early bird

Fish or meat?

Meat

Mobile phone or TV?

Mobile phone

Black or white?

Grey

Film or TV series?

Series

 

 

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