I grew up in Hong Kong. My parents took my sister and me to all sorts of places on holiday, which I think is what started my interest in history. We used to moan about having to see another temple, crumbling ruin or fantastic view. My history interests are pretty eclectic, although the British Empire is probably the one area that continues to fascinate me. I think this is because of my time in one of the last remaining British colonies. In the late ‘70s I remember one of my teachers saying that China would never take Hong Kong back, but by the time I left in 1989, the new “Basic Law” was written and the countdown to 1997 had begun. It felt a pretty momentous time, particularly as we watched the student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.
 
I live in Portsmouth with my wife Tara, and our 6 children. It’s easy to take where one lives for granted, but here in Portsmouth we are surrounded by a rich vein of historic maritime and military sites. I always take visitors to see the Victory, Mary Rose and Warrior (I have even made Pete Jessup go round the historic dockyard). The D-Day tapestry is in Portsmouth too, and the hill above my house is dominated by Palmerston’s forts or follies – built in the late nineteenth century, for a French threat that never materialised.

Ultimately, I love a good story and history is full of them: not just of leaders and great men, but how ordinary people lived. More often than not I think there are so many aspects of life in the past that we still can relate to today.