My Greatest Mistake: 'What advantages can you see to having Hitler as your father?'

Simon Tiffin, editor of 'Esquire'

On leaving university, I was floundering around watching too many episodes of Take the High Road. My flatmate was working in the City and kept telling me he was making more and more money. I was still living like a student and wanted a slice of this easy money.

So I went along to a City firm and was interviewed in a group with seven others by some power bitch in American-football-style shoulder pads. She asked us lateral-thinking questions: what advantages can you see to having Adolf Hitler as your father? A Sloaney type answered: powerful man, had direction, took a risk. It came to my turn. I stood up. "I'm sorry, but I find this ridiculous and abhorrent," I said, and walked out.

I rang a friend who was working on the London Evening Standard. He said: "Look – it's really funny. I could run it as a story. At least you get £75 and you haven't wasted your day." I wrote it up. I had obviously blown the interview.

A few hours later, I got a call. "Congratulations! You have got the job. Come in tomorrow to sign the contract." It was too late to stop the news story, but the next day they hadn't used it anyway. Relieved, I turned up and signed the contract. But on my way back, I picked up the newspaper, and there it was – "Nazis in the City". The following morning, a courier arrived with a letter from the City firm saying: "Because of unforeseen circumstances, we have had to terminate your contract, but please find enclosed a month's salary." Soon after that, I went into the media.

Another big mistake I made was to take up smoking. I have been trying to give up for 10 years. I went to see Uri Geller, but even he could not help me to quit.