When news broke that Time was for sale on the Internet governments panicked, because this just wasn't any old time but Time with a capital T. Time past, present and future.

The Richard the Third Society considered rewriting the Battle of Bosworth Field. Maybe giving their hero a couple of armoured divisions. What was Bill the Quill going to say about that without the Tudors to protect him; and did Marlowe or even Bacon really write his plays anyway? That would be one in the eye for Stratford-upon-Avon. Of course, not everyone saw it as gloom and doom. The bookmakers were over the moon. Every bet ever taken or about to be taken could be changed to their advantage.

None of this worried Governments at all. Their concern was: whoever controlled Time controlled elections. Who would be in power? Probably not them. And if anyone was rich enough to buy the whole of Time they would rule the world for ever and beyond. That certainly wouldn't be them. No use calling on James Bond - the Time owners could rewrite him as Jemima Puddleduck.

I had my own agenda. I was going to marry Marilyn Monroe or maybe Pamela Anderson. If either of them got lucky. Stockport County would be the world's best football team and the Jeeves and Wooster stories would be, well, the Jeeves and Wooster stories.

None of the euphoria or despair lasted long of course. After all it was April the First.