Michael Aspel, 92, the broadcaster whose career with the BBC and ITV spanned more than five decades, has recalled a costly misstep on land and water: a cabin cruiser purchased for £25,000 that proved nothing like the tranquil Italian lakes he had known on holidays.
Aspel joined the BBC in 1957 and became a fixture on British television, presenting Aspel & Company, This Is Your Life and the Antiques Roadshow, before retiring from the Roadshow in 2008. In 2025 he appeared in an introductory feature for a BBC4 screening of The War Game. He lives in Weybridge, Surrey, with his partner Irene, and is a father of seven.
Asked about money growing up, Aspel gave a candid view of his parents’ approach: what you learn from your father is often about practicality. “The only lesson I learned from my father was to leave school as soon as possible and earn money. My parents, Vi and Ted, never had a car, and they only ever rented accommodation. That was their philosophy.” He recalled doing a paper round during the war and, on returning to London from evacuation, opening a Post Office account with “£12 6s 4d” at age 11. When shops stopped delivering papers, he charged customers tuppence a week to deliver, a small early foray into business that foreshadowed a career built on negotiation and timing.
His first paid roles came after World War II, when he took an office job with William Collins, publishers, earning £7 a week in 1949 at age 16. National Service followed, and he remained in the army until 18. He then pivoted toward acting or writing, but with few opportunities available, he joined Myers, a bed-maker in London, and later moved to Cardiff to sell beds. There he joined an amateur theatre company, which led to a BBC audition and, by 1954, a switch away from the Welsh Repertory Drama Company to a London-based television announcing role that would launch his television career.
By 1960, with Richard Baker ill, Aspel stepped in to read the news, a role that lasted eight years and helped him build a steady income as his profile rose. He would later diversify, reading news across radio and television, and taking on side work such as film commentaries, medical training videos, and awards ceremonies.
Money moments and milestones punctuated Aspel’s long career. He remembers the early years fondly for the financial upside of being in-demand: “The best paid, though, was a lunchtime gig that was not for telly. It was 40 or 50 years ago, and I can’t recollect who or what the ceremony was for. What I do recall is the £11,000 fee, just for introducing the winners.” He also recalls high-profile moments in interviews, including one with American actor Tony Curtis on Aspel & Company. When Aspel teased about what had made Curtis happy, Curtis retorted, “Who told you I was happy?” Aspel later reflected on the humor of the moment and the line that followed.
Among the most vivid memories of Aspel’s career was a period in the early 2000s when he juggled radio work, the Antiques Roadshow and This Is Your Life. He described that trio of commitments as the busiest—and for him, the most financially rewarding—phase of his time on screen.
The most expensive purchase Aspel made for fun was a River Wey riverboat. He bought a cabin cruiser for £25,000, a sum that, in his telling, looked vastly different against the backdrop of his holiday readings of Italian lakes. The Graziella, as he called the boat, did not deliver the serenity he expected on the busy river, and he ultimately sold it, choosing to use the proceeds to support his son’s university education.
That decision was accompanied by a broader reckoning about investing. Aspel admitted a money misstep: lending capital to back a mathematics teaching aid venture that failed to attract schools. The resulting debt, coupled with renovating a holiday cottage in Herefordshire, forced him to sell the property to cover losses.
Yet he credits a financial adviser’s discipline with helping him avoid worse outcomes. In the 1990s, the adviser suggested that Aspel examine his income over the prior two years and use that data to estimate retirement needs—an approach Aspel says has served him well, especially given his admitted weakness with money and a tendency to overspend.
Property remains a feature of Aspel’s financial picture. He and Irene own a flat in Weybridge with views of the water, plus another flat in Brighton, and additional property interests for family members. His financial priorities now center on securing the future for his children, in particular his disabled son, Patrick, who lives in a hospice. Aspel supports local care charities, including the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and the Sam Beare Hospice in Woking, urging readers to learn more about and donate to pah.org.uk and wsbh.org.uk.
This interview with Michael Aspel is drawn from an appearance on This Is Money’s podcast, which explores the financial lessons and life stories of prominent figures in culture and entertainment.