When Jack Tame was the US correspondent for TVNZ travelling in Des Moines for the US election, all he could think of was one of Bill Bryson’s most famous lines: “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.”

It’s exactly the kind of acerbic first lines of a book you’d expect from the writer, whose best-sellers have covered everything from travel to the English language, as well as foray into “a short history of nearly everything."

Bill Bryson is in New Zealand later this year for a show that sits alongside his upcoming book, The Body: A Guide for Occupants.

Listen to the interview above as Bill Bryson speaks to Jack Tame.