I’ve never understood the fear that grasps hold of some people when it comes to trying something new or taking a risk. My granddad, bless his Daily Mail -reading soul, refuses to drink anything other than his regular decaf.

This is because he read somewhere that others are carcinogenic so he does not want it.

Despite the fact I swapped his Kenco for Arabica without telling him, he’s adamant that he won’t try any other coffee.

Me? I live for the thrill.

I’ll gamble my last quid for the chance to win £50, or quit my job to see if I really do have what it takes to become the undisputed queen of easy listening radio.

To recreate the excitement caused by driving to a petrol station 20 miles away while on red, I thought I’d play a game of Russian roulette with my tastebuds.

I went and got myself a bag of Revels.

They were a lot less full than I remember them being.

They appear to have followed in the footsteps of crisp bags and started to charge for fresh air.

Before you all chirp up, it isn’t the orange Revels I fear and although I’m not a fan of the coffee ones, I can live with them – it’s the chocolate-coated raisins.

Whoever created Revels clearly shares my passion for inciting fear.

Usually I can tell if it’s a raisin because you can squeeze them, whereas the toffee stays rigid.

To prevent cheating, I popped the chocolates in the fridge for an hour.

By the time they were all hard enough to break a tooth on, my mates had shown up, eager to take part in what was intended to be a solitary activity.

I was a little miffed, but soon became euphoric when it was suggested we each stick a fiver in a pot.

We decided the last one to get an orange would win.

“If I get an orange I’m gonna gag!” one piped up.

Anyway, we started and as anticipated it wasn’t long until someone had dislodged a filling and was on the phone to NHS Direct.

This was enough to cause another person to quit mid-game.

“But it’s part of the excitement!” I encouraged. “Will you go home with your teeth intact or won’t you?”

“It’s not fun, it’s weird,” they replied.

I tried to encourage them further by reassuring them that there was a 13 per cent chance of getting a Malteaser, but the fear was too much.

So I told them a little story…

Once upon a time there was a criminal.

He was brought before the king and asked to choose his punishment.

He could either be hanged or take whatever lay behind the huge, heavily bolted and chained door.

Choosing to be hanged, the criminal asked the king what was behind the door as the noose was placed around his neck.

“Freedom,” the king replied. “But no one ever chooses the unknown.”

“Wow,” the person a little too attached to their molars whispered. “That’s so profound. Does it mean that fear holds us back in life?”

“You could say that, ” I mused as I threw a deep, philosophical gaze at my friend, reaching for the bag of Revels.

“Minstrel! Have that!

What it means is I’m 20 squid better off!”

Don’t let fear hold you back guys, there’s cash riding on it. Oh, and the potential for a great life and all that trash.