Yeah, started as a volunteer on a hospital radio and it went from there really. Mobile stuff in the main but got as far as a bit of freelance work for ILR stations. Incidentally, the hospital radio bit started my interest in healthcare which is why since selling up my business interests, I ended up chairing an NHS trust and interfering in regulation of healthcare now.

I too go up at the end of a sentence if I am posing a question. I don't use it however at the end of every ruddy sentence, as it signifies I don't think the other person understands what I am saying. Too many Aussie soap operas on the box, I reckon that's the problem there...

The DJ bit that M'Unlearned friend and I are rattling on about is perhaps relevant here. Thinking about what you are saying as a teenager on a voluntary radio station does help you in future life. As I was working down the pit at the time, my language might have been different to what it is now. I certainly wouldn't have the credibility down Whitehall that I need and at the risk of sounding elitist I am convinced that sloppy speech is a barrier to getting on in many areas of work.