Alfie Best was born on the side of a road in Leicester to a poor Romany gypsy family but made his millions, 350 to be precise, from the mobile home industry – he now owns the largest residential site in Europe.
His story is a real life rags to riches but his 21-year-old son, also called Alfie, is now destined for a dramatic storyline of his own – on reality TV.
Alfie Junior, 21, will be a main character of “the new Towie”, Absolutely Ascot and in it, will shows off all his large array of flashy “toys”.
One of his favourites is his turbocharged buggy, worth about £28,000, which he likes to race around the small and well-to-do town of Ascot.
“People might look at my dad and assume I’m spoilt,” said Alfie. “But that’s judging a book by its cover as they say.
“I live a beautiful life and that’s what I enjoy more than anything.
“But I believe that I am so level headed and so down to earth. They say self praise is no praise but I have heard it from other people too.
“So the public can see me however they want. It doesn’t bother me.
“If you dislike me I can’t change that. If you want to look at me and dislike me straight away then whatever.”
It won’t be Alfie’s first time on TV. He’s also appeared in documentaries Rich Kids Go Shopping and My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune.
“I was a lot younger when I did those other programmes,” he said. “I regard myself as a man now.
“I watched those shows and I felt very cringy. I couldn’t wait for myself to get off the telly and watch someone else.”
So Alfie had to think long and hard when he was asked to star in the new constructed reality show.
“I wasn’t keen straight away.
“A lot changes when you’re in the public eye.
“You’ll be judged for everything. Even how much milk you have in your coffee.
“Someone will criticise you over that. So I did have to stop and think about it.
“I’ll be honest, I had my doubts all the way through filming it. Even now I’m thinking whether it was the right thing to do but hopefully I’ve made the right decision and I’m going to stick by it. I mean there’s not a lot I can do now.”
Absolutely Ascot follows 12 young, rich and glamorous socialites as they flaunt their cash and navigate their tumultuous love lives – viewers will see Alfie’s relationship with his make-up artist girlfriend, Mia Sully, deteriorate.
While TV lovers may be excited for the drama, the well-heeled residents of the horse-racing town are less so.
From accusations of the fake-tanned troop being ‘parachuted in’ to concerns that it’ll cause a drop in house prices, locals have taken to Facebook groups to voice their concerns.
Alfie, who grew up in Redbridge, East London, said: “We’re all getting criticised in the papers for not living in Ascot.
“I moved here in 2010. Have you got to be born and bred there to go on a programme?
“And as for people in Ascot who say they don’t know me, they haven’t been about very much. I know virtually everybody who’s worth knowing in Ascot.
“I’m not a big name as such, I’m just quite a pleasant fellow. I like to get on with everybody.”
If anything Alfie thinks the drama-packed show will do wonders for the sleepy town.
“People in Ascot live off the glory of the races. The races are unbelievable and it’s one of the best days but it’s just once a year.
“If you take away the racecourse it would just be a normal, quiet little village.
“I think the show will do for Ascot what Towie did for Essex.
“Tourists from up and down the country go to Essex. People want to go and live and work there because of the publicity it generated.
“I think people show wait for the show to air before passing judgement. After they’ve seen it everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.
“It just shows how small-minded people are.
“Some people have got nothing better to do.”
Alfie, and his dad, have another reason to be wary. They say as part of the travelling community they’ve always faced stigma.
“I was born on the side of the road and I am a Romany gypsy,” said Alfie senior, 48.
“I get asked a lot, am I proud of that fact? No. It’s not a question of being proud it’s a question of accepting who you are. You have to be comfortable with who you are.
“Up until a point in my life I always used to hide it. I’d never tell anybody I was a gypsy. Liars, cheats and thieves – that’s the stereotype.
“I’m now privileged enough that I don’t have to deny who I am.”
Alfie Senior made his first real money renting mobile phones in the eighties when he was 18.
“Did I ever think that I was going to be wealthy? Without sounding condescending, I’d have made sure I was,” he said.
He ran other successful business but it was when he was 30 that he really hit the big time when he opened his mobile home site.
“I am extremely driven and I love what I do,” he said.
“We now have Europe’s largest residential park operation. We have 13,000 residents. 72 parks across the country.
“Within the next 18 months we’re gearing up to float on the stock exchange.”
Alfie says the secret to success if simple.
“Good habits. That’s it. If you don’t brush your teeth they’ll become rotten. It’s about good habits every day.”
Alfie Senior says he was rich when his son was born, but not mega rich.
“When Alfie was born we were wealthy. I had about £5 million. Today our wealth is circa £350 million.
“But we’re very humble people. We’re very blessed. Do I feel that I’ve made a fortune? Absolutely not. I live in fear every day – that I’m going to lose it all. That I’m going to go skint.
“The hardest thing to do is to climb a ladder – the easiest thing is to fall of it.
“I think of money like a beautiful woman. If you abuse it it’ll leave, if you cherish it it’ll look after you, it’ll nurture you.”
So he’s tried hard to instil a good work ethic in his kids, Alfie, 21 and Elizabeth, 23.
“Alfie owns two mobile park homes himself. He’s earned them. He works just as hard as me.
“Did he have any help from me? No. He bought the park himself. Does he make mistakes with the park? Yes, every day. As long as he learns from them he’s only going to get better.
“Because life isn’t given. It’s a constant education and constant learning.”
Strong-willed Alfie Junior never had time for conventional education however.
“My attention span in school wasn’t good,” he said.
“I was interested in what I was interested in. The same as I am now. At the time I was only really interested in history. The rest I wasn’t really bothered with.
“So I used to sell sweets instead. I was only about 10 or 11. I started off buying them out the sweet shop but then I found out where a cash and carry was. It was like a proper business. I thought there’s got to be a way I can earn more money.”
He quit school aged 12, got himself a van and a driver and went round industrial estates flogging gloves, high vis jackets and other bits of equipment.
His next business was running travellers’ parties and aged 17 he became the youngest owner of a mobile home park.
Now Alfie Junior readily admits that unlike his dad he’s drawn to the trappings of wealth.
“I don’t like spending money at all,” he said. “That’s probably the worst thing about buying something. But receiving what you get on the other end is more of a buzz. That’s what I enjoy.
“I’m into all things motor-related. Anything with an engine is fun. You see quite a few of my toys on the show.”
He’s got a buggy, a jet-ski, a G-Wagen, a Mercedes and a off-road motorbike.
“I work because I want to live a lavish lifestyle,” he said.
“In 20 years time I like to see myself being very rich with all the good things in life.
“I’d like to see myself very rich with all the good things in life. My dad has worked and worked and worked but you’d just think he was an average middle aged man. You’d never believe he’s got what he’s got.
“I don’t want to be like that. I do want to live the good life. It’s like he’s afraid to spend money.”
If they travel together Alfie Senior will still book economy class flights but Alfie Junior will be sure to go and upgrade before they board.
“I think if we’re not grounded we become something all of us hate,” said Alfie Senior.
“Do I think he’s going to be a star? I hope not. I hope it’s going to be a massive learning curve. I hope that he can take the good out of it rather than it going to his head like I see with some of these other reality stars. I genuinely don’t think that will be the case.”
Alfie Junior added: “If it’s going to go good it’ll go good and if it’s going to go bad it’ll go bad.
“But I want to make the best out of it.
“My main ambition is to to overtake my dad when you type in Alfie Best on the internet. He comes up before me. But it’s going to be hard shadow to get out of.”
Got a story? email [email protected] or call us direct on 02077824220.
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Source: Read Full Article