Autobiography

I know many people from the past who were in
erotica and are now, metaphorically, digging
trenches because they failed.
The perception that you just print the
magazines, sell them and become a millionaire
is arrant nonsense. What I do know is that
many would not go into this business for
reasons of morality. But if the same people
were offered shares and were told they would
double their money within a year, they would
buy them – this is the hypocrisy. It is a bit like
an anti-smoker buying shares in a cigarette
company hoping to make a profit.
David came up with the idea of launching the
Sunday Sport. He brought the project to Ralph
and me and felt our readers would be young
football followers. He was convinced that there
was a huge market for a Sunday newspaper
that combination sport and page three girls,
despite the fact that there being a number who
had tried and failed before, David was
determined to pursue his idea. He wanted to
bring out the newspaper and if we wanted a
fifty percent stake in the company we would
have to commit to a million pounds each – a
lot of money then and now. Having come
together after years of conflict, and because
we were now making money from our top-shelf
magazines, I felt a commitment to support him
and back his idea. We were already aware of
David’s editorial skills, his determination and
his work ethic and we agreed to put our money
in, and Sunday Sport was born.
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