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the likes of the great actresses of the world: Julie Christie, Joanna Lumley, Anne Bancroft, Beatrice Dalle. As my love of cars is down to Magnum, P.I. , The New Avengers (Ms Lumley again!), The Professionals , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and of course 007, James Bond. But it was only in writing this book that I realized my love of alcohol is also down to love of the silver screen, i.e. the first 18-rated movie I ever went to see: Arthur .
    We need to talk about Arthur.
    Until I ‘heard’ the answer one day, all I could recall when it came to analysing my history with booze was that for as long as I could remember I had wanted to ‘take the edge off’. At the end of the day, at the beginning of a night out, after a particularly good day at work. Whether it was a cold tinny of contentment from the fridgeafter a bathtime full of giggles with the kids, a glass of fine ruby-red wine to accompany a robust steak at a fancy restaurant, or a volley of shots to kickstart a bout of rebel rousing, having a drink was for years the home straight around which every twenty-four hours has revolved.
    And even though I have undoubtedly managed to rein in my alcohol intake considerably during the last few years, there have still been times when it has become more of a necessary crutch than an exercise of free will.
    Last year I lost my voice. No big deal usually, I know. Except for a couple of reasons where I’m concerned.
     
1
I make my living using my voice and if anything serious should ever happen to it I would have to completely reorganize my life.
2
This was not a couple of days we’re talking about. I actually lost my voice for four weeks and it didn’t come back properly for almost a year.
     
    So why the concern with what alcohol might have to do with any of this?
    Alcohol dries out your throat, especially at night. It causes snoring, which again is bad for the throat. As it’s a stimulant it interrupts sleep, leading to tiredness, one of the first symptoms of which is . . . ? Yup, you’ve guessed it – losing your voice. Alcohol affects energy levels, which means we are less likely to want to exercise, which in turn leads to tiredness and a weakened immune system. Which means we’ll be more vulnerable to infections and allergies. None of which is good news in life in general but especially if you have been gifted the responsibility of hosting the biggest radio show this side of the Atlantic.
    After being plunged into a well of melancholy, by what I would subsequently be informed was a super virus from which it could easily have taken me up to two years to fully recover, my subconscious question machine began to scream at me in a new language.The likes and volume of which I had never heard before:
    Why was I continuing, however tentatively, to risk sabotaging everything I cherished on a daily basis so I could have a drink? Why was I happy to repeatedly dim the chances of prolonging the various aspects of this wonderful life I had been blessed with? What was that about? Surely no one in their right mind would voluntarily indulge in such ill-advised, self-destructive behaviour?
    Back to the movies then.
    Trading Places enlightened me as to the existence of the stock market, as well as how grand houses can be and how cool it might be to have a big, fat, cheery chauffeur driving an even bigger and fatter car. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off gave me my first trouser movement with regards to the sublime Ferrari 250 Short Wheel Base California Spyder that then ended up in my garage (until I lost my mind one day and sold the bloody thing).
    Could it be that my lifelong fascination with alcohol began with watching Dudley Moore in Arthur when I was fourteen?
    Arthur is such an amazing film on so many levels. It’s so escapist, hedonistic, clever and packed full of pathos. Not that I fully appreciated the pathos of Steve Gordon’s brilliant script at the time perhaps as much as would have been good for me.
    ‘Not everyone who drinks is a