Anthony Horowitz says he regrets making fun of vegetarians: ‘I barely eat meat myself now’

Anthony Horowitz has said that he regrets mocking vegetarians.

The 67-year-old author behind James Bond said he previously made fun of vegetarians in the Nineties.

In a new interview with The Independent, Horowitz said: “There are very few things I regret – maybe odd things like making fun of vegetarians, which I did 30-something years ago.”

“Now I barely eat meat myself,” he added. “Your attitudes do change, but because I’ve always focused on entertaining people rather than trying to upset them, there’s nothing in my books I regret.”

Horowitz is the author of 56 books, including the Alex Rider teen spy series, three James Bond novels, and several reimaginings of Sherlock Holmes.

Speaking of his novels, the screenwriter revealed that his children’s books are re-edited with some caution.

“My publishers have been more nervous in the editing of my books,” he said. “Issues of levels of violence, language, and attitudes do get more closely examined.

“I’ve had some of my books read for sensitivity. But that’s the 21st century. People’s attitudes have changed and what didn’t offend people 40 years ago does now.”

The novelist also said that his wife, the producer Jill Green, “reads everything” he writes.

“Jill reads everything I do first and is my best and wisest critic and is completely honest,” he said. “It matters a great deal to me what she thinks. We’ve always had a marriage and a relationship partly based on work because we are both very driven.”

Horowitz’s TV hits include Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, and Poirot.

He has had three books published this year and is due to make a six-part TV series with Green.

Read the full interview with Horowitz here.