An ode to the humble hedgehog from a lifelong obsessive. Exploring what hedgehogs actually do and what they tell us about our need for wildlife and the changes in the British countryside, The Hedgehog's Dilemma travels from the Outer Hebridees via the American Hedgehog Festival, Sonic the Hedgeghog and Mrs Tiggywinkle, to a field in Shropshire, where Hugh Warwick's love of hedgehogs began.

You have obviously been a big fan of hedgehogs for most of your life,but did anything in particular prompt you to write this book now?
I have been wanting to write this book for years - but never had the confidence that anyone would be interested - until I met my agent, who really gave me such a boost. And then I ended up with my editor at Penguin who also convinced me that I really should just do it. I suppose the fact that I had made up my mind to go and track down (or at least try to) a rare hedgehog by the name of Hugh somewhere in China also brought the idea of the book to the fore.

What sort of experience do you want your readers to have?
I am not a comedian - I am not setting out to get belly laughs - but I hope people will read A Prickly Affair and smile - and possibly chuckle.

The main aim is to lure people into this nocturnal world of snuffles and prickles - and while they are having fun reading about the antics of my hedgehogs and the people I meet, they are unconsciously absorbing loads of information about the animal, about ecology and about the need for us all to be a little more careful in the way we live. In fact I want readers to come away from the book believing that hedgehogs can truly save the planet. To steal a little from 'Heroes' - 'Save the hedgehog, save the world.'

A Prickly Affair is peopled by lots of interesting characters - both human and hedgeporcine. Were you particularly inspired by any of them?
Well, there those I admire, but have no desire to emulate - such as the hedgehog carers - they are so dedicated. The people who run the Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust, for example, have such a level headed approach to the endless task of patching up the damage that we humans cause to wildlife. In America, well, what a host of characters I met at the International Hedgehog Olympic Games! But it was my host who made the biggest impact there - Zug Standing Bear (and his amazing house that contains an even more amazing collection of very fine wine) - and not forgetting Buttercup - his Olympian hedgehog - holder of the gold medal from the 2007 Olympiad - battling against the odds (she has a severely curved spine - as in back, not prickle).

The book is very engaging and personal, but it is also a great work of natural history.  Are there works of either kind that have influenced you?
There are so many books I have read that I wished I could have written - pretty much anything Richard Mabey does fills me with envy. Robert MacFarlane wrote a wonderful book called 'The Wild Places' that I read sitting with my father as he faded away in hospital - that had a powerful impact, allowing me to escape to amazing places. Another writer who, as far as I know, only wrote one book called The Peregrine - J A Baker - gave me the permission I needed to focus on one species and to try and imagine more of what it is like to be that animal. As for style and touch - if I could possibly be gifted one percent of the wit of Douglas Adams, I would be well pleased. His book, written with Mark Carwardine, Last Chance to See is superb.

I must also mention Jane Goodall. I remember, very clearly, her becoming the second 'crush' of my life (after Kate Bush) when I read In the Shadow of Man at a pretty tender age.

You have obviously known a lot about hedgehogs for some years, but did you discover any surprises during the process of writing?
Singing hedgehogs - I was not expecting to meet a singing hedgehog. And I was not expecting anything like the American hedgehog pet keepers, there ceremonies and their fund-raising ...

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am not as alone as I thought I was. There are many, many people out there who have a deep-seated affection for hedgehogs.

But the ongoing discovery of the extend of the decline in hedgehog numbers continues to be a worry. This will be one of the key topics at a conference I am speaking at in late November in Holland ... the European Hedgehog Research Group.

Do you keep or rescue hedgehogs yourself?  Does your interest in hedgehogs influence the way you perceive other animals?
I have two small children - that is enough animal for most people! No - I am very interested in people who care for hedgehogs and admire their
dedication, but it is not for me. As for other animals, well, I have never felt the same about badgers since I found one eating my Little Willy in a Devon hedge.

From my earliest memories I have always loved animals - always had books about them and there was a large poster of a tiger above my bed. I remember stalking the foxes in a large, and sadly destroyed, hedge near home. But there was a moment when I got nose-to-nose with one particular hedgehog - called Nigel since you ask - that saw a shift. He allowed me into his world - allowed me to follow him as he went about his night's work. Something very special happened that night. Anyway - that contact really heightened my belief in the importance of the wildness in all wildlife - from beetle to blue whale, everything is connected.

Actually, I believe that getting interested in an animal like a hedgehog is vital - as it allows us all to begin on a journey of understanding that culminates, I hope, in a realisation that everything we do has an impact on the environment and, therefore, on the animals we have grown to love.