Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Sorry I've been silent for the past few days, but I would like to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas. Like all of you, the week before Christmas is hectic with parties, shopping, wrapping and preparing - in my case for going abroad.

I won't be bothering you for the next six weeks, unless something important comes up, as this is the period of the year when I go abroad to write my next book (A Prisoner of Birth). I hope to have finished the first draft by mid-February. This time it will be a saga, in the vein of Kane and Abel, so will not reach the bookshelves for at least another 18 months.

Do let me know if you enjoy Fortune:Million Pound Giveaway - which starts on ITV on Tuesday 2nd January at 8.00pm, and continues for the next 6 weeks.

May I close by wishing you all a very happy and successful New Year.

Parties and Shepherds Pie

Last week was a tough week. A car picked me up each morning at 8.30am and I was taken off to a studio in East London for the filming of Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway, which goes on till 10pm. At the end of each day, I was exhausted, partly because I don't know how to pace myself, and partly because while you're actually on set and in front of a studio audience, you have to concentrate for hour upon hour.

For many years I've had to decide whether to give someone money, often based simply on a letter; in this show, you get to see, face to face, people who want to travel abroad, clear their debts, have an operation, go on journey in a rocket, or build a church hall. My criteria for giving away the money is to see how much they've raised themselves, and how willing they are to continue funding the enterprise afterwards. Not many fell into this category, but the ones that did, certainly had my sympathy.

Monday and Tuesday nights were our champagne and shepherd's pie parties, which were greatly enhanced by the magnificent singing of the Tenebrae choir.

Ended the week at the Pascoe's Christmas party - Della, Alan and I first met when I was at the end of an undistinguished athletics career, and they were just starting out as two of the most exciting athletes of their generation - they sure throw a good party.

On Sunday, Mary and I travelled back to Cambridge for the Grantchester carol service - seven carols and seven lessons, and Mary sings in the choir. For me, that marks the genuine start of the festive season.

The Missing Week

A week of Christmas parties and carol services - not to mention attempting to buy presents for the family, and making sure I don't give them the same as last year. Fortunately my PA left on my desk a list of all the presents I'd given my family, in alphabetical order, for the past four years. I can't for the life of me think why they need anything else.

The only piece of bad news this week was that the bathroom flooded and we're going to need new carpets in the bedroom. Oh, and The Guardian attacked me for daring to get up in the morning and do a day's work. It is fascinating how The Guardian, who would pose as the one newspaper who would give someone who left prison the chance to rebuild their career, is the one paper who attacks me without ever getting in touch. I do hope they have a very happy Christmas. But if I'm over-reacting and you're a Guardian reader, you'll be able to judge for yourself during the coming year.

Fortune

Saturday 2 December. A photo shoot in the morning for the new TV show I'm doing (still called Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway), then on to lunch with my son and daughter in law at Lucio's, and back to the flat to enjoy England's excellent start in the second Test Match in Adelaide.

This evening Elliott Bernerd (my daughter-in-law's father) threw a wonderful Italian dinner party, having flown in a chef from Rome. Sixteen of us had the most amazing meal, and the guests were really entertaining. It was the first time I'd met the great architect Lord Foster, and was fascinated as he took us on a journey around the world talking about his latest projects. His amusing wife had only one interest - seeing if I could get her tickets for The Sound of Music.

Last week's update

I spent Monday through to Thursday last week filming a secret project for BBC2, details of which will be announced on December 13th.

On Friday, after an hour in the gym, I had a fitting for an earpiece, in preparation for the ITV series, Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway. They've changed the title three times, so don't be surprised if it's not the one you see on your screen. I went on to the Reader's Digest Christmas literary celebration - they've been publishing me in their abridged edition for the past 20 years.

I also dropped in to the opening of Scott's restaurant on Mount Street - it's the latest offspring of the Caprice, Ivy and J Sheeky. The dining room is quite beautiful and I was not surprised to discover they'd spent some £4m revamping it from the old Scott's, because there was nothing I could see that remained from those days. The food was excellent, and I shall certainly be returning.

I ended the day at the Dorchester, conducting the auction at the Mistletoe Ball for Cancer Research UK. All the volunteers worked their hearts out, and everyone had a wonderful evening. The auction raised £61,500, and frankly the audience were very generous, because one or two of the items would have been hard to sell at a car boot sale.