Branson ate his salad, and left the rest of his fish untouched, while Grace tucked into his steak and kidney pudding with relish.

'I read a while ago,' he told Branson, 'that the French drink more red wine than the English but live longer. The Japanese eat more fish than the English but drink less wine and live longer. The Germans eat more red meat than the English, and drink more beer and they live longer too. You know the moral of this story?'

'No'

'It's not what you eat or drink - it's speaking English that kills you.'