Being terminally ill gives you a sense of scale. It’s hard to explain exactly what I mean but I’ll try. It’s as if everything’s not quite so black and white anymore. You feel warm towards your fellow man, even the plonkers – even if it’s only a little. Most importantly, you realise something you’ve always known but it’s never been quite so vital: how precious life is, and what a bunch of idiots we are for wasting it, and fighting over it, and generally not appreciating how lucky we are.

Now don’t worry, I’m not going soft! I’m still motormouth James Whale after all and I always will be. And knowing my journey’s nearing its end makes me all the sadder at how much we’ve surrendered to the idiots – whether that’s soft policing and allowing anti-social behaviour to run riot, or allowing our borders to become porous while handing bucketloads of cash to the useless French.

And don’t get me started on Russia – the list goes on and on…

I’ve spent much of my professional life winding people up about their stupidity, taking the wind out of their sails, and I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss that.

It wasn’t always presidents and prime ministers and celebrities and leaders of industry – though they often got their comeuppances – sometimes, it was just normal folk who needed taking down a peg or two.

But boy have I had some fun, and hopefully created some entertaining, engaging radio that has made people think a bit harder.

I write all this because dear, loyal readers, it’s important to tell you that my treatment for cancer has come to an end. There is nothing more I can have done. In terms of how much time that means I have left, I can’t say because I’m not really sure myself.

But even though my body’s no longer strong enough to get into the studio to do my weekly Talk Radio show, I hope I’ll be able to contribute from home for a while longer yet. And I’ll continue to write for as long as I am able.

I’m already starting to think of the many loved ones and friends I’ll miss – Lady W I’m looking at you – but as a broadcaster for more than half a century, I know I’ll miss my listeners. And, it goes without saying, my readers too.

At least I’m going to get the last word though!