California, Patrick Rocca

There was a moment of terrifying deja vu as I stood helpless and watched a contestant drowning in a glass tank of water on my show. Her name was Amila, she was 26 years old and she was trying — and failing — to escape from the tank by cracking the code to the combination lock with the power of her mind.

And if you can’t make up your mind, try this puzzle: when sampling a glass of the local speciality, do you opt for tap water with a hint of rust, or a Cabernet Sauvignon?

My daughter Natalie decided a couple of years ago that working in the Californian movie industry was a better all-round bet than struggling to break into the British theatre. Now her big brother Daniel, a fully qualified barrister in London’s Inns of Court, has arrived at a similar conclusion: LA Law beats Rumpole of the Bailey.

As Nat flew back to the West Coast last month, Dan was close behind her with his suitcase and his sunglasses. Both of them were born in the States, so there are no hassles with work permits and green cards — they’re free to pursue the American Dream, and get great tans while they’re at it.

Daniel plans to study US law and, to the amazement of my many friends in the US legal fields of copyright, defamation and property, it’s criminal legislation which is currently fascinating him. He wants to take cases that fire his passions — I can imagine him fighting to free prisoners from Death Row or tackling organised crime. He’s an idealist.

For Hanna, Shipi and me, it’s come as much less of a shock to see Dan and Nat emigrate than it did when they left school. Even when they were living in London, just 40 minutes from our Thamesside home, we knew they were living such busy lives that they might as well have been on the other side of the planet.

Now that they really are 8,000 miles away, we’ve got a great excuse to visit for a few months of the year… add the hours up and we’ll probably see more of them now they’re in America!

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We had a nasty surprise when we saw our phone bill — a colossal charge for web-surfing while we were in Russia. I was baffled: many readers will know how addicted I am to getting email on my BlackBerry phone, but I almost never read websites… the tiny phone screen puts too much of a strain on my eyes.

Then I realised the bill was charged to our new toy, an Apple iPhone. I love gadgets, and this phone has a touch-sensitive screen that is great for playing games and viewing family photos.

Out of sheer boredom, I used the iPhone to try Googling for the news headlines, while we were stuck in a three-hour traffic jam leaving Moscow airport just before Christmas. After a couple of minutes, I gave up trying to see the tiny print, and went back to playing playing space invaders. That journey set new world records for boredom.

There was nothing boring about my conversation with the phone company when I saw they were demanding £500 for my three minutes online. And they won’t back down, so I have no choice but to pay. Now I know why you don’t hear too much about how the credit crunch is hurting the mobile market.

The death of the Dublin tycoon Patrick Rocca saddened me — we met three years ago, when he gave me a bird’s eye view of an Ireland football match from his helicopter over the Lansdowne Road stadium, and I was impressed by his energy and bonhomie.

His wife Annette was charming, and it was clear that Patrick adored their three children. Whatever the reasons behind his death, I wish he could have called me to talk through his troubles.

Sometimes problems can seem overwhelming — until a few urgent words from a friend restore a sense of perspective. For anyone with a young family, only one truth matters: your children, and their future, is more important than anything. Whatever it costs you, stay and help them.

I wish I could have reminded Patrick of that simple fact. I know that he already understood it, in his heart. My heartfelt sympathies go out to his family.

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Amila, the courageous performer who almost drowned during her act on my German show, returned this week to make another attempt… and to face her fear. My own heart was in my mouth as she lowered herself into the glass tank and was gradually submerged.

This time, she was able to unlock the hatch and escape without the need for crowbars and sledgehammers. But viewers were on the edge of their seats again when another performer, Jan, revealed the Bed of Death — a massive contraption of flashing swords, plunging blades and hairsbreadth escapes.

I was concerned that the vibrations from a distant train or juggernaut would be enough to dislodge a swond and send it spearing through Jan’s body. My contestants seem determined to gamble with their lives, however.

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My guests this week included the singer Giovanni Zarella and his wife, Jana Ina, a Brazilian model, as well as the racing driver Christina Surer.

Christina was in tears during an experiment to contact the spirits of loved ones. A glass, moving under the lightest pressure of our fingertips, seemed to signal an unmistakeable message from someone she had lost. And our viewers had dramatic results too: one sent in film of a glass moving on its own, untouched by anything except spirit energy and the power of the human mind.

Giovanni Zarella – Singer and his wife Jana Ina Zarella – Model