How often have we heard him say it? “Why should I risk £xxx,xxx of my children’s inheritance on . . .?” Of course, those entrepreneurs making the pitch for his investment money are too terrified to say anything back to him, so they just hem and haw, while being interrupted by an investor who is really asking what to him is a rhetorical question.

Well, Theo. I have a question for you. At the moment, it appears that you’re worth about £135 million ($223m). With five children, I make that roughly £27m each. Investing in small businesses is risky, don’t you know. So, however much fun it is to be a dragon, you probably ought to look for something to do that’s less risky.

Banking is out, of course. It was they who started the mess we’re in. Maybe, you should just put a big safe in the floor of the house you own, with its full gym and swimming pool, so there’s a place to store it. Oh, and stop acquiring all that “rubbish” that you’ve confessed to buying in your new book. Then, just maybe, your children will be able to start their lives somewhere above the poverty line.