Er, Mike, the flu jab in no way can protect you against colds. As we get older, we catch colds less often because we've already had most of the strains of the virus. Once you've had a strain, you can't get that one ever again.

The flu jab hasn't been particularly effective in recent times. It shouldn't do you any harm, though anecdotal evidence suggests that it makes some people poorly for a while. I've had real flu three times in my life. As I'm in quite good nick generally, I'm predicting that a dose of flu won't see me off. I might change my mind as I get older and more feeble.