We'll definitely bear it in mind. Do you mind if we backtrack a bit? We read somewhere that you were one of the small number of young conscripts who were taken out of the army during World War Two to work down the coal mines. That sounds like hard graft.
I absolutely loved it, but all the other men thought I was odd. And I always was a bit odd I suppose. Let's face it, anybody in their right mind wouldn't like being down a coal mine, but I loved it. When I got to work on the coal face, I'd go up and put my hand up against the blackness and think: "That's been there 17 million years. Wow." But it never really had that effect on the other miners, who just wanted to get out of there. With good reason.

Thanks to mining, and other career opportunities, you now own quite a few properties around the UK. But is it true you don't actually own a cooker?
No I don't. I have five separate homes and none of them has a cooker. And there's a very simple reason for this. Cooking means ladies. I do get married regularly, but they don't tend to last longer than two hours. It's the best way really.

But you have been closer to one particular woman for longer than a few hours. Margaret Thatcher no less.
I've been on good relations with the last six Prime Ministers actually. You see, the official country residence of the PM, also known as Chequers, is just a few miles away from Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, where I've been involved for decades in fundraising and volunteer work. In a way, I own the spinal injuries unit because of all the money I've ploughed in. Anyway, we've had PMs, celebs, all kinds of VIPs come in for medical treatments, and that's how I got to know all the PMs. I've always thought of Margaret as a very special person and we get on very well together.

Sir Jimmy, you're often quoted as claiming that you were the world's first DJ.
Yes.

But were you really the world's first DJ?
Yes, it was in Leeds in the early 1940s, right in the middle of something called the war. I'd always thought that dancing to records was a very good idea, so I basically borrowed a record player - a wind-up one - and got eight records and hired out a room that doubled as an office. Then I wrote out tickets and sold them to a bunch of people, and we all had a marvellous time.

What's your favourite band at the moment, then?
I don't have a favourite band because I'm not a band type. When you're a disc jockey, like I am, you go in for sounds rather than bands. I'm a sound person.

So what's your favourite sound?
I'm a person who likes melodic things.

Ok - but is there a particular era of music you like best?
No.

Fair enough. You were featured not once but twice on This Is Your Life. That's quite an honour.
Yes, they featured me in 1970 and 1990, because they forgot about the first time. It didn't occur to me to say anything while they were filming the second one, but at the end I mentioned the 1970 edition and they were all very confused and mortified. They asked me not to mention the first one again.

Ah- you just did. Are you really a Green Beret?
I am the only civilian with a Green Beret with the Royal Marines. It's because they once asked me if I fancied taking part in their 30 mile trek across Dartmoor, which is part of their training. They never dreamed I could do it, but I did, and that was a bit of a problem for them. People would say, "If it's so tough how come a disc jockey can do it?" The answer was to make me a Green Beret, so I'd be Jimmy Savile the Green Beret rather than Jimmy Savile the disc jockey.

That's amazing. When was this?
Oh about 1742.

What's your favourite brand of cigar?
Free ones.

What about tracksuits. Why all the tracksuits?
The tracksuit is a garment that a single man is very happy with. It is, in some ways, the perfect item of clothing. He can wear it all day and then, when it's bedtime, he can simply take off his shoes and the tracksuit immediately turns into excellent pyjamas.

Do you watch much TV? Before you go to bed in your tracksuit we mean.
Yes, I do enjoy a wide variety of TV programmes. One of my favourites is something called Globe Trekker on one of the digital channels, which takes you all around the world. I also very much enjoy films like The Godfather and Goodfellas.

Speaking of telly, what was your own favourite Fix It?
Oh there wasn't any one favourite. This is because I only looked at the Fix Its from the point of view of the people I was fixing them for. It meant the world to a lot of them, so every single one was as special to me.

That's nice. The show was originally intended for all ages, but kids sort of hijacked it didn't they?
Yes they did, although we did also feature quite a few older folks. And there's a simple reason for this. Up until the age of 12, you've got dreams. Then the hormones kick in, and real life kicks in, and you haven't got too much time for dreams. But then, after you're about 65, you've got some time on your hands and the dreams come back. That's why we had older folks writing in.

Who was the oldest person you fixed it for?
A retired vicar who was 103. He had flown an aeroplane in World War One - not World War Two, but World War One - and he wanted to loop the loop in a glider. Afterwards I asked him what it was like being 103, and he said he'd had more fun in the previous three years than he'd had in the first 100.

Have you ever been in a fight?
I was a professional wrestler for 107 fights.

Was this before you were a DJ?
No no, it was right through it all. I was wrestling when I was on Top of the Pops.

Remarkable - we never even noticed.
Yes. I've also run 217 marathons.

Wow.
I don't really want to run the next one though, so I hope nobody rings me about that.

We'll spread the word. Finally, are you a tea man or a coffee man?
Mainly tea.

We'll pop the kettle on. What's your ideal biscuit with that?
Anything will do. I'm a dustbin - I'll eat anything. Food is just fuel anyway.

Excellent. Well Sir Jimmy, it was a pleasure talking to you. Thanks.
Bye now!