Career
Watts, born in Nottinghamshire and educated at Nottingham High School, began in journalism at age 16 as a reporter on the Nottingham Evening News. After four years there, he became London editor of The Viewer television magazine for a year, before joining the Sunday Express in 1960. There, he was variously gossip column editor, deputy news editor, and deputy editor in Manchester, and started the paper"s Town Talk diary.
In 1969 he began The World of Michael Watts, a consumer column laced with social comment and humour.
In the 1980s, as the pound coin was replacing the pound note, Watts bought several hundreds of the latter from a bank so that the Crisp Oncer prize could continue. In carrying out investigations and taking up readers" battles with companies and bureaucracy, Michael Watts became known as "Inspector Watts" - and the column continued for 22 years, until he left the Sunday Express.
However, he started the column again in the relaunched London Evening News and, the following year, in Saga magazine. Then in 1989 the Sunday Express asked Watts to bring it back to them, which until 1991 he did.
His column and broadcasts were often commented upon by other publications, and in addition to continuing in Saga, the column also ran for five years in the Westminster Review, and from 2002 to 2005 in Active Life magazine (still handing out Crisp Oncers).
Watts now freelances. Watts"s radio work for British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 has included twice-weekly consumer spots on Up To The Hour, and presenting The Weekly World and News Stand. Plus much for LBC.