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the shop to discuss her requirements. Jeremy was embarrassed for his client as she could hear the ranting and swearing. It was at this moment that he decided he did not want his business tarnished by Gerard any more.
    At the beginning of 2003, having tolerated Gerard’s increasingly unpredictable and aggressive behaviour for long enough, Jeremy decided that it was time for him and Gerard to go their separate ways. There had been a couple of times previously where both men had actually sat down for serious discussions about becoming business partners and just as this was about to get somewhere Gerard would come up with certain conditions which, on closer inspection, never actually gave Jeremy any advantages.
    As he had gained extensive knowledge about video equipment, how  to sell it and from which suppliers to buy, Jeremy asked me what I thought about us getting premises for this new venture and combining both businesses, as he had been wanting to explore this potential for some time now. I thought it was a great idea and as we had a holiday booked that January for a week in Tenerife, we could do most of our planning in a relaxed environment.
    Fuelled with excitement, on our return home Jeremy looked for premises and quickly found a suitable location in Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire which was perfectly located near Elstree Television Studiosas well as being in a prime position on a busy road. The shop was being offered with a long lease commencing in June 2003, car parking at the rear for customers, plus a two-bedroom flat above that we could sublet. We felt very confident that between the two businesses we could make a good go of it. In the following weeks we spent many hours preparing notes, plans and a programme of works, as the shop needed decorating and updating, having previously sold pine furniture and carpets.
    The terms of Jeremy’s agreement with Gerard were that he would give a month’s notice, and he decided that would be on 1 May. He would not be telling him the exact reasons why he was leaving, though, as he knew the news would be greeted with hostility. There was never going to be a good time to tell Gerard about our new venture, so we played it by ear. However, being with Gerard was becoming an increasingly deflating experience and he decided to hand in his notice earlier. Gerard was not happy and asked him to stay, offering incentives, wanting to discuss a way forward, but Jeremy said that his mind was made up. As expected, the reaction became a seismic event. Gerard’s eyes and temple veins bulged, his face flushed with rage, mouth spewing forth a full range of expletives mingled in with his thoughts on the matter, finally ending in him asking Jeremy to leave at the end of the week, which was the Easter bank holiday weekend. Jeremy had stood quietly watching and waiting for Gerard’s rant to finish, half expecting him to throw himself on the floor and start kicking his legs like a child who had not got his own way, all the time remaining guarded in case the situation turned physical. There was no interrupting Gerard in this drug-infused state. His reaction was like no other and reinforced in Jeremy’s mind that he had made the right decision to leave. If Gerard’s reaction to giving notice had been this bad, we thought, what would it be like when he found out about the new business?
    The Easter weekend was spent removing our editing equipment, signage and business stationery from the Video Action premises andsetting up at home temporarily before onward transmission to our new shop in Borehamwood. We did not take any customer contact details from Gerard as we knew that it would not take long to become well known in the industry and obtain our own customer database.
    We had named the new business ‘UK Professional Video’ and had already drafted the advertisements that would feature in the trade magazines to come out in August – and then it would be up to the public to decide where they