[3] In 2007, he was made patron of Thomas's Fund,[4] a Northampton-based music therapy charity for children with life-limiting illnesses.

[10] He has written three volumes of autobiography,[11] humorous accounts of "growing up normal" in 1970s Northampton, struggling with art school in London in the 1980s, and forging a media career in the 1980s and 1990s: Where Did It All Go Right?

[16] In 2010 Collins made a brief foray into standup comedy, performing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe called Secret Dancing... and other urban survival techniques.

[22] He wrote and filmed a weekly TV review column, Telly Addict, for The Guardian website, from May 2011 to April 2016.

[25][26] Collins' first solo-written comedy, Mr Blue Sky for BBC Radio 4, starred Mark Benton and Rebecca Front and aired in May and June 2011.

[27] It focused on Harvey Easter (Benton), an eternally optimistic man in his 40s and his more realistic wife Jax (played in series two by Claire Skinner), and the rest of the family including son Robbie, daughter Charlie and grandmother Lou.

[28] Jim Bob of indie duo Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine recorded a cover of "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra for the theme tune.

[29] In the Observer, radio critic Miranda Sawyer said "this series charms" and praised Benton's "lovely" performance.