I have always been quite careful when I have been approached to do a television project to have the option of writing the accompanying book.

My father was a self-employed, commission-only salesman. He sold double-glazing and fitted kitchens, amongst other things. As he never declared himself unemployed, there was never recourse to benefits, so if money was tight, money was tight. It taught me that we were a closed unit, and that we had to be resourceful.

It is security that I crave and money provides security. What is that old line about money? "Some is good, more is better and too much is just right."

I worked on local papers, before taking a job as a webmaster with a very well known telecommunications company in London, as I thought the internet was the future.

I'm wary of the new contactless ways of paying. The idea of paying with your phone is a little worrying: I have lost more than one over the years.

I have always been quite careful when I have been approached to do a television project to have the option of writing the accompanying book.

My father's example taught me self-reliance, to make my own luck, and to work to make things happen.