Family finances tax TV expert

Financial journalist Adrian Chiles, who presents BBC2's Working Lunch programme, claims he would gladly pay more tax if it
meant he no longer had to battle with his tax returns.

'My accounts are in good order, but it takes an inordinate amount of time. I probably spend as much time trying to work out my
receipts as I do working. Being freelance I have no idea how much money I have or what my next tax bill will be.

'Every day I get another letter from my accountant that I don't understand. When I went freelance I thought "Oh good", but now I'd
gladly pay 40 per cent rather than fiddle around with all this.'

Anyone who has seen Chiles in action is likely to think he has escaped from the trading floor of a City bank. But while his barrow
boy looks and strong Midlands accent now add authority to his pronunciations on the daily business and personal finance show,
they initially threatened to keep him off the screen.

'I started in 1992 on work experience, and ended up as a researcher on Business Breakfast ,' he says. 'But I couldn't get on air
because of my appearance and accent.'

Since then, however, he has worked as a reporter on Radio 4's Financial World Tonight , joined Working Lunch in 1994,
presented Radio 5 Live's early-morning business news, and now has his own sports show, Chiles on Saturday . He was the third
person to be heard on Radio 5 Live at its launch; his wife, presenter Jane Garvey, was the first.

Chiles says the couple feel lucky to be well paid for doing jobs they enjoy.

Asked how much he earns, he replies: 'Too much. But they could just sack me the day after tomorrow, so it compensates me for
the insecurity.'

Although Chiles spends all week discussing money, he neglected his own finances until the arrival of his daughter Evelyn, nearly
a year ago, spurred him into starting a pension and saving in a unit trust.

'Life insurance is the next thing,' he says.

The family nearly came a cropper when moving house recently. The owners of the place they wanted wished to sell before the
Chiles had a buyer for their old home. 'For six weeks we owned two houses and we were bleeding hundreds of quid a week. It
was just by the skin of our teeth that we managed it.'

Chiles now has a big house in Hammersmith, near his work, and a correspondingly big mortgage. This has changed his attitude to
work and money: 'Before, I was quite happy not to work all the time. But now if someone offered me a paper round I'd do it. We
have to get the loan down.'

Otherwise, he is not a big spender. He drives a Ford Focus, and spends free time at his parents' Welsh holiday home. He's a
season ticket holder at West Bromwich Albion, and likes food: 'Since the baby we can't just go out to a restaurant, but I'm a
fanatical cook.'

He has cash stashed in Isas, and a with-profits policy. He owns a few shares, but is not impressed with his choice.

'They are all shite - Leeds Sporting [the parent company of Leeds United], BT and M&S. Everybody at the BBC bought M&S thinking they couldn't go any lower, but they did.'

• 'Working Lunch' is on BBC2 from noon every day this week, and from 12.30pm thereafter.