During the programme, Sir Clive was asked a potentially awkward question concerning his C5 tricycle. When the lone inventor climbs on to his ski slope, he sometimes crashes-down to earth in such a mess, causing us all to fall about with laughter, and the press have a profitable field day by selling the articles which accompany such failures. The inventor has no ambulance man. Alas, the poor inventor not only has to endure the laughter and humiliation, but often as a consequence of his unfortunate judgement, loses his house, his home, his money and his friends with no chance whatsoever, now or ever, of being able to climb back up on to his slope. The only way we are going to change society is in the old fashioned way of showing people the balance sheet.
People only understand money.
I was turned down by every British manufacturer I approached. Even the Design Council refused to put me on their Innovation Notice Board. If it had not been for a very risky appearance on BBC1's 'Tomorrow's World', because of my connection with the BBC World Service, I wouldn't have found my product champion. My champion's first piece of advice to me when we had signed our agreement was to form my company off-shore, because of the tax situation. This has to be done immediately a company is formed, otherwise the tax benefits are lost.