Just A Minute

 
<<<<   1914   >>>>

a couple of articles

Messages in this topic: 1
Dean BedfordFeb 17, 2008
 

 
Nicholas admits to being bad with money

from The Guardian

Nicholas Parsons had an eye for a bargain as host of the TV quiz
show Sale of the Century but, in real life, he claims not to be a shrewd
investor. The veteran presenter and actor claims bad timing is
responsible for a long list of stockmarket failures. Parsons, 84, says:
"I am a disastrous investor. I have picked some good stocks in my time,
but then the whole experience becomes too tedious to follow up.

"It means I always miss the right time to sell and end up losing
money."

He lists the now defunct Railtrack as his worst punt. "The share
price rose after floating on the market but I just let the stock drift
until it was too late and I lost the lot. If you are a money person,
your instinct should be to know when to sell and move on but, sadly,
this is not a talent I possess."

However, Parsons, who became a household name hosting Sale of the
Century ("And now, from Norwich...it's the quiz of the week!")
throughout the 70s and early 80s, is far more concerned about the damage
created by too much greed for wealth.

"Wanting more money is often a state of envy where you desire what
others have - this can be unhealthy. I have had a blessed career and put
job satisfaction as far more important than money. The most rewarding
work is often the worst paid. The secret is to enjoy living within your
means." He has chaired the BBC Radio 4 panel show Just a Minute for the
past 40 years and believes the pleasure and joy this has brought, with
its wealth of words, is priceless compared to cash.

His hobbies include collecting and repairing clocks - there are
quite an assortment cluttering up his house. Perhaps appropriately, he
says people are often preoccupied with wealth, but adds that time is the
most valuable commodity of all.

He rates playing a vicar, the Reverend Mr Wainwright, in Doctor Who
in 1989, as one of his most enjoyable acting roles and, more recently,
enjoyed touring in his One Man Comedy Show.

He reckons that the "obscene sums" earned by soccer players, company
bosses and City workers "show something is going wrong with society,"
adding: "To value yourself and others in terms of money is wrong and
sends a sad message out to youngsters."

The best investment he ever made was almost his worst. "I had an
apartment in London in the late 70s that I was trying to sell so the
family could buy a place in the country. We took out a bridging loan
when we found the house we wanted but couldn't find a buyer - interest
rates were crippling and we almost lost everything.

"In the end we managed to get through the crisis and kept the London
home, which subsequently benefited from soaring property prices."

\Sir Clement's Feud

from The Daily Mail

His reputation for being cantankerous is legendary. And at the age
of 83, Sir Clement Freud shows no sign of mellowing.

The former Liberal MP, who hasn't spoken to his painter brother
Lucian for more than half a century, has now managed to fall out with
one of the most popular and easygoing figures in National Hunt Racing.

Turf-loving Sir Clement - likened to the bloodhound he co-starred
with in his Sixties dog food commercials - has abruptly removed two of
his horses from the Lambourn stables of trainer Brendan Powell.

The former Grand National-winning jockey, who has more than 80
horses in training including numerous runners owned by billionaire Irish
gambler and businessman JP McManus, had been handling Freud's mounts Eau
Good and Santo Subito.

Both were showing promise. But Sir Clement, who famously severed his
links with the Royal Ascot Racing Club in 2006 after failing to get a
cash bonus from his share of Derby winner Motivator, has decided to take
his horses elsewhere.

He claims that when he went to collect his horses, one had suffered
a back injury, was short of a shoe and that his racing colours were torn.

In his newspaper racing column, he complained about a £1,000
operation needed by one of the animals, saying: "As I had paid a
training bill of £20,000 since June, I sent a note stating that I
thought his action was that of a smallminded shit."

Last night, Powell expressed the hope that he was still on speaking
terms with the irascible Sir Clement.

"All I can say is that jockey Sam Thomas told me after riding Eau
Good that he needed a wind operation," he tells me. "I told Sir Clement
and he said go ahead and have it done.

"As regards the torn racing colours, jockey Mick Fitzgerald is quite
big and had to make a hole in the arm to get Freud's colours to fit."

He adds: "Sir Clement is a very rude man. I have yet to receive the
note calling me small-minded."

When I called Freud, he replied that he had "absolutely not" fallen
out with his former trainer, but terminated the conversation when asked
about the note.

 
<<<<   1914   >>>>

Back to the Top