He joined the Royal Navy as a stoker but was Court Marshalled after
four years for attempting to throw his commanding officer off the side
of an aircraft carrier for a £10 bet and he subsequently spent nine
months in a navy jail.
Of his six children, five are girls and one is a boy.
Founder of the "Bannatyne's" Health Club chain. He has recently turned to acting as an additional "hobby".
He and Peter Jones are the only two 'Dragons' to appear in
all six series of 'Dragon's Den' (2004).
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Business and Charity in the North East of England.