Some people have told me I have the best job in the world - well, I don't know about that (the pay could be better!) but there are certainly worst jobs.

I really became a fan in 1976 when I was 13 years old. EMI re-released all the Beatles singles and they all reached the top 100 of the British charts at once. Of course, they were played on the radio a lot, and I thought they were great. My first Beatles record was The Red Album and I went on to buy all the singles and albums in 2 years - not bad when I just earned pocket money from my parents.

At first I was very isolated in my Beatle fandom. My interest coincided with the punk rock boom and all the other boys in school were in to the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Being a Beatles fan was not regarded as hip! Also I didn't really realise there were so many other fans around.

Haven't we met somewhere before? Richard with Paul outside Abbey Road Studios 1997

A few months later another penpal told me he'd met Paul McCartney regularly outside a recording studio in Oxford Street, London. Now Oxford Street is the busiest shopping street in London, and I didn't even know there was a studio there. Of course, I later found out it was AIR Studios, which was owned by George Martin.

One weekday evening I arranged to meet my friend and several others outside the studio. I'd only been there 10 minutes when the unmistakable figure of Paul McCartney emerged from the building. Paul chatted to us for several minutes and I got him to sign my Paul McCartney and Wings book. Paul was at AIR for many months during that period and I got to meet him several times.

As Editor of the magazine I got to meet and interview many Beatles-related people, such as Kenny Everett, Alan Parsons, Alistair Taylor, Alf Bicknell, etc.

I also started corresponding with Beatles fans around the world. One was Irina Dyomkina, who ran the Moscow Beatles Fanclub. Irina moved to London in the early 1990s and became the secretary of the London Beatles Fanclub. We married in June 2004. Irina is now a fully qualified London 'Blue Badge' guide.

After a while members of the club started asking me where various London Beatles landmarks were. Obviously, I knew the major ones, but started researching some more obscure sights. I discovered someone was actually guiding tour of London Beatles sights, so I went along on one. The guide seemed very impressed at my knowledge and asked me to guide the tours for him. Of course, I said yes. I just did Sunday tours to start with, but after leaving University decided to take up guiding full time. I've now been guiding tours for over 15 years.

Richard on the roof of 3 Savile Row -
where the Beatles played
their last ever concert.

I also got to go to some great places. One day a German TV Station rang me to ask me for my help. They were filming in Studio Two at Abbey Road and the roof of 3 Savile Row - and they wanted me to act as technical adviser - and pay me too! Of course I said yes. These places are normally out of bounds for fans and I felt really privileged just being there.

For a long time people kept on asking me when I was going to write a book on The Beatles, and I finally got around to doing it. I found I had so much material on The Beatles' London haunts, I was only using a fraction of it on the tours. Also I had lots of material from interviews I did for The London Beatles Fanclub, - the book virtually wrote itself. I was very glad when Jeff Jarratt of the Abbey Road Cafe decided to publish it. Jeff worked with The Beatles on the Abbey Road album, and is now a successful producer in his own right.