Dennis “The Menace” Priestley

Full name: Dennis “The Menace” Priestley

What’s the best thing about your job/career?

Work when you want, doing something that I love and getting paid for it. It has also enabled me to take my wife and family to places around the world that we would not have visited.

What’s your favourite book?

Lester, The autobiography of Lester Piggott.

Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

To experience the culture and wildlife of Africa.

Choose five words to describe yourself.

Easy going, honest, open, relaxed and loyal.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

To be honest I’ve done nearly everything I want to do, but I suppose I would help out the family and charities.  

When you were a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A professional footballer.

Who was you childhood hero?

I had two, Bobby Charlton and Lester Piggott.

What is your most treasured possession, excluding your family?

My late dad’s 18 carat gold ring.

What’s your greatest extravagance?

New cars.

If you were invisible where would you go first and why?

Places that will able me to get inside information to stop violence in the world.

Choose five ideal dinner guests, dead or alive?

Bobby Charlton, Lester Piggott, George Best, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali.

If you could be a famous person for a day, who would it be and why?

Somebody with the utmost power to influence the world so that it can all be good.

Thinking about it, it would have to be Barack Obama.

What’s your favourite food?

I love a good Sunday dinner.

Favourite drink?

Cold fresh fruit juices.

What’s your favourite TV character?

George Cole in Minder.

Favourite film?

Paint Your Wagon starring Clint Eastwood.

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

Now that would be telling. Anybody with bad hygiene and I think that’s self explanatory.

What’s the first record you ever bought?

Tell Him by Billie Davis.

What are your pet hates?

Rude people and those toilet seats that you have to hold up while you’re using them.

If you could change something about yourself what would it be?

I would like to have the perfect specimen of a body.

What do you hate spending money on?

New cars because no matter what you buy you always lose money.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

Believe me I’ve had a few, but the one that takes the biscuit was when I was defending World Champion in 1995.

I was in the group stage and came up against none other than John Lowe. He beat me 3-0 in sets but that doesn’t tell the full story because I didn’t even win a leg — nine legs to nil he beat me.

I couldn’t hit a double to save my life.

Happiness is..?

As well as seeing other people happy you are probably aware that on Friday, April 26, there was a tragic accident in a minibus on the M62 involving 21 ladies from the South Elmsall and Upton area.

They were all injured, 11 seriously and one tragically lost her life. Six Air Ambulances attended the scene from around the country.

I’ve been asked to help, so with thanks to MW Entertainments and my good friend Trevor Jones, a fundraiser for the girls and Air Ambulance has been organised on Friday, July 19 at Moorthorpe Recreation Club, South Elmsall, where a darts exhibition featuring myself and top Sky Sports referee Paul Hinks will take place.

The girls will be in attendance. It’s only £3.

Please come and show your support.

For tickets call Sean Wallage on 07773 551667 or Mick Mangham on 07841 358467.