Peter had on formal training in electronics. Born and brought up in Nottingham where his father worked as a bus driver, he left school at 16 and had a variety of jobs. He worked first in shops and then catering, eventually becoming the catering manager of a motorway service area. In time he decided to move back to Nottingham where he got a job as an administrator, which he himself admits he ‘found immensely boring’. As a result he soon switched to working as a coach driver for a couple of years. Peter then went into sales. To begin with he sold advertising space, then office equipment, and then hi-fi equipment. The last of these jobs was in retailing, where Peter worked as an area manager for hi-fi manufacturer, Yamaha.