Starting Your Own Business: The Dragons' Den And The Apprentice Boost Britain's Entrepreneurial Spirit

Reality business TV shows such as Dragon's Den and The Apprentice have helped give rise to a further surge in Britain's entrepreneurial spirit, so says new research from small business insurer, MORE TH>N BUSINESS.

Almost a fifth (17 percent) of 18-44 year old1 Brits questioned claimed that watching such shows has led to an increased interest in starting their own businesses, or working towards developing an existing business idea. One in ten 18-24 year olds said that though they had always wanted be their own boss, reality TV shows had inspired them to do so.

Almost half a million people across Britain2 have been so impressed by the successes of contestants on the shows that they had actually taken positive steps towards setting up a business, such as writing a business plan, applying for a bank loan or registering at Companies House. A further small, but significant, four per cent of Brits said that while they didn't want to start their own business, a friend or family member harboured new business ambitions thanks to the Dragons.

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Sean Connery Gives Cabbie A Tip On How To be Rich

After our advice to keep James Bond merchandise for auctions, we learn via the Sun of Sean Connery’s big giveaway.

The paper sees Connery hail a taxi at London’s City Airport. He asks to be taken to The Scotch House, the shop that sells all manner of tartan.

The Cab is invited to wait.

Connery then heads to his tailor on Savile row.

Again the cabbie waits.

Connery then heads to his home in Chelsea.

The bill is £49.60. Connery hands the Cabbie £50. “Are you sure, mate,” asks the driver.
Indeed.

Having paid for the trip, why tip at all?

Our driver may care to get the note autographed and sell it on eBay…

Buy Bond: 007 Has A Licence To Print Money At Auction

Big Brother's Brian Belo's Shakespeare Podcasts

Big Brother winner Brian Belo is said to be in line to augment the £100,000 he secured for winning the show with a payday from Borders, the booksellers.

According to the authoritarian Daily Star, Brian is set to record video podcasts about William Shakespeare, the bloke wot directed Romeo and Juliet. He is to be paid well...

Buy Bond: 007 Has A Licence To Print Money At Auction

Christie’s, the once venerable auction house, sold the bikini Ursula Andress wore in the movie Dr No for £41,000. That sale might never have gone ahead had the actress not found the item lurking in her loft.

The message is clear: where there is Bond, there is brass.

First editions of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond story, Casino Royale, are now worth about £12,000. That’s a healthy sum, and represents a nice profit for those who paid around £400 for the same edition in the mid-1980s.

You might not have the books collecting dust in the attic, but you could well have one of the Corgi model cars based on the film Her Majesty’s Secret Service. A complete set of 21 cars will earn you big bucks, but even one could fetch a couple of hundred pounds at auction.

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KT Tunstall Admits Theft From Boots

Is shoplifting ever justified?

KT Tunstall, singer, tells Q magazine that there are justification for petty theft.

“It’s just disgustingly overpriced,” says she. Ms Tunstall has been to Boots.

“It’s £7 for a f***ing eye pencil. I wanted to do gigs and I wanted to look nice, but I couldn’t afford it. And the end of the day, Boots can claim some credit for my success. Let’s just say they sponsored me in the early days.”

Rock ‘n’ roll, people. (Do Boots sell TVs?)

Haggle Over The Price Like Victoria & David Beckham

Even the richest haggle. Indeed, you don’t get rich without looking after your money. Take care of the millions and the tens of millions look after themselves. Take Victoria and David Beckham who paid £9.1million for their six-bedroom Beverly Hills home. The market price was £11million - leaving lots of money left over for breast-augmentation tape and fake bake...

Customs Are After The Cheeky Girls for VAT

As you fans know, recently the Cheeky Girls set off to their native Romania to have their breasts recalibrated.

And now the Sun brings news that Monica and Gabriela Irimia are being chased by HM customs for unpaid VAT.

The twins will be taken to court unless they pay the undisclosed amount by October 17.

They have time to pay - should they return…

I Should Coco: Big Brother's Chanelle Earns A Fortune

As the NOTW reports: "Since leaving the house Chanelle has banked an incredible £500,000 and has been 'snowed under' with offers, according to her agent."

Chanelle now earns more than her heroine Victoria Beckham and husband David combined. Great stuff. Who knew SANUK nightclub in Blackpool paid as much as the LA Galaxy to secure a star turn?

Read about Chanelle's trip to LA here and how she used her fortune to stand behind the goal and FAIL to get into the VIP area...

And tell us what you'd do to get your hands on £500,000 in a fortnight...

Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne's Compact & Bijou Mansion

Vibrating musician Ozzy Osbourne has spent £5milion on a new home in Beverly Hills.

Ozzy’s old home is now owned by singer Christina Aguilera.

The new Chez Osbourne is a ranch-style property, with enough land to graze a few hundred head of cattle and a generous-sized pool for them to drink from. It’s very cosy.

It’s all a far cry from Ozzy’s family home at 14 Lodge Road, Aston. It has a white front door, a yellow stone-clad finish and two supermarket own brand steaks in the freezer…

US housing crisis... What housing crisis?

US mortgage troubles [via BBC]

Crime On The Web: Only Idiots Get Caught Out By Criminals

IN Legislation cannot stop people being born idiots, Dizzy looks at shopping on the web and online crime:

I was rather disappointed to see a bit of opportunism this morning in the Times. The article is about a report by the House of Lords about how tremndously dangerous the Internet is for fraud etc and how "something must be done!" by the Government. James Brokenshire, a Conservative home affairs spokesman, is quoted as saying

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Halting Ricky Gervais's Charge

The backlash against tubby comic Ricky Gervais started the minute people realised that he actually was David Brent.

From sickeningly false modesty over his success to his penchant for kissing the backsides of the rich and famous, Gervais is struggling to win back the public’s sympathy, particularly after his cringe-making Princess Di concert on-stage death.

Now, the millionaire star has been accused of latent greed, after tickets for his Edinburgh Fringe Festival show were priced at £37.50 a pop.

It doesn’t sound very ‘fringe’ to me.

Matt Damon Is Bourne To Be Rich

He may lack the looks of George Clooney or the charisma of Johnny Depp, but when it comes to value for money, dumpy everyman Matt Damon is Hollywood’s hottest product.

The star of the Bourne Identity and that thing about the guy who was really good at maths with Robin Williams in it, brought in £14.50 of gross income for every pound he was paid for his last three roles, putting him at the top of a Forbes list of the 22 biggest movie stars.

Brad Pitt was ranked second, with chubby camp star Vince Vaughn and Johnny Depp tying for third place.

Pitt’s ex-wife and Vaughn’s ex-girlfriend Jennifer Aniston is the most profitable actress with a gross income of £8.50.