I was in a swanky London bar last night for a friend’s birthday. As we weren’t staying long, the order was simple…. two diet Cokes. Yet when the bill came it was for £5.63, now let’s ignore the extortionate cost for a second (difficult as that is!) but how can a bill for two drinks come to...

Ian Barber, the Head of Communications for Barclaycard came to MoneySaving towers the other day, to have lunch. This is one of the ways as a journalist you get to keep in touch and discuss whether anything of interest is likely to come out. However at such an irresistible occasion, the moment he walked through the door,...

I get fed up with small companies desperate to try and flog their wares on the site. The latest was sent through to my agent, which is the wrong place to start with. Here’s a rough, cut down version: “Please find attached a partnership pack, detailing what a partnership would entail and an example of the variations...

I had my haircut today, at one of the Mr. Toppers in Central London on my way to a meeting. It cost £6. After it’d finished a man who recognised me said “Why do you get your haircut here… you’re on the telly?” It made me realise my job may seem an interesting contradiction. On the one...

I’ve been conspicuously avoiding tube travel at the moment as my publisher has put cross- platform ads for the book at about 80 stations! (More Details). Yet of course I couldn’t resist going for a peek at it. So on Sunday night (the quiet time), just after 9pm we went. I’d wrapped a scarf around my chin...

I’m knackered. It’s nearly 5 o’clock and I’m sitting in the green room at the Richard Hammond show waiting to go on. It’s been a tiring day. I was picked up at 7 to do the Wright Stuff on Five. Great fun to do. The panel was Anne Diamond, Dr. Mark and I was the guest panellist....

When you have my job PR people constantly badger you to cover a story which plugs their company. Often I give them very short shrift as there’s only ever one best product in each category and if it ain’t best it’s pants in my view. However the other day I got my best pitch ever, from Jo...

Just finished filming a series of five packages for the ITV lunchtime news. Now the most important thing to start with is that while they will look like five days’ worth, actually all were filmed in one day. So no comments (again) in the chat forum about “Martin’s only got one shirt” please! It was a fun...

I’m sitting here in the BBC’s Broadcasting House. As is the rigmarole for anyone with a mainstream book, you spend a day in what’s called GNS being plugged through to scores of different local/regional radio stations doing interviews about the book, from one to the next. Having done this a couple of times before I always know...

You’ll read this week that rather shortsighted commentators are giving plaudits to the Government and regulators for allowing data sharing amongst the big lenders. The laudable aim behind this is that if the lenders can truly see the extent of their customers’ lending they won’t lend to the over-indebted. Sounds good? What a ridiculous farce! Only in...