While the frontman was always the more subdued of his bandmates, especially compared to his riotous younger brother, he has his share of Swinging Sixties stories to tell. As The Kinks celebrate their 60th anniversary, Chris Harvey finds the musician, now 79, on reflective form post-tooth extraction

The National Theatre’s sparkling adaptation of Dahl’s story about a group of child-hating witches has the sardonic humour of ‘Matilda’ and ‘Paddington 2’ and is as electrifying as a failed bid to untangle your broken fairy lights