He got me into it when I was six years old – we went to Stockton races

My mentor was my father. Apart from doing all the obvious things that dads did, he was the man who started commentaries in the point-to-point world in the north in the 1960s. He became a very successful businessman but he also used to be a very good athlete and his great passion was sport and racing. He actually wanted to become a sports commentator – he applied for a job at BBC Radio in Manchester and they interviewed two people, him and David Coleman, who got the job.

He got me into racing when I was six years old. He took me to Stockton races and the two of us had a bet in every race. It was two shillings a race – 20p on the Tote – and we went through the card, winning £9 15s 6d. I can remember to this day the smell of the racecourse; I said to myself that was what I wanted to do, and he guided me with the things I should or shouldn't be doing.

When I was a young lad I turned the sound down on the TV to do the commentary. He was secretary of Cleveland point-to-point and I was his helper there with the commentaries. One day when they were going down the far side halfway through the race, he said: "I can't see them anymore – there's the mic, take over!" and that was how it started.