Most of us have been embarrassed by our parents. TV journalist Jonathan Maitland's threshold for embarrassment was perhaps higher than some - he became used to entertaining friends with stories of his outrageous, larger-than-life mother - the tempestuous relationships, her penchant for avoiding traffic jams by driving on the pavement, and the outrageous money-making schemes including running a hotel for gay men in Surrey - in the 70s.
But when a fellow journalist hinted that his mother might have been a little more than eccentric, he began to look into the more disturbing rumours about her. Now when people ask him about his mother, he changes the subject.
Jonathan talks to Ritula Shah about when he first realised that his mother was 'different'. |
