After finishing two years in the sixth form and, failing to obtain the grades for a university place, Mike Winser joined the BBC at the age of eighteen, which was the only job offer he'd received.
Following three months of training to be a television engineer, he failed the exam and, was due to be dismissed but was given a second chance to train as a cameraman.
Twenty years later, he was nominated for a television craft award three years in a row.
He now describes camerawork as something he did in the last century and, in Spring 2011, he became the full-time carer for his wife following her disabling stroke.
He now lives on his own among newfound friends in a retirement village, enjoys listening to music, loves cooking and the red wines of Tuscany.
