SELF-MADE millionaire Duncan Bannatyne says he's "at a bit of a loose end". He can afford to be. The Darlington-based entrepreneur, worth an estimated £115m, admits that he need never work again.

"I can live comfortably for the rest of my life because I've put my eggs in different baskets," he says. "You still take risks, but it's difficult finding something new. I'm getting a bit bored with business."

He's chairman of Darlington-based Bannatyne Fitness, the UK's leading independent health club operator, but says the company is more or less being run by the directors.

He's free to do other things, notably pursuing his desire to become an actor. His latest appearance, however, is playing himself in a BBC2 documentary series, Mind Of A Millionaire. He's one of four millionaires featured in the fourth part, Living It, which looks at how they spend their time and money.

Bannatyne had no qualms subjecting himself to the gaze of the TV cameras. He's even sanguine about the title change since he agreed to appear - Mind Of An Entrepreneur has become Mind Of A Millionaire "because it would sell more air space".

He was filmed over a three or four-day period for what adds up to about 20 minutes screen time. "I know a little bit about filming and how long it takes, so it didn't really surprise me. It's a long business. One day only gives you about six minutes of film," he says.

He's serious about his acting ambitions. Paying £7,000 at a charity auction for a walk-on part in the new film from Lock, Stock director Guy Richie isn't an indication that he intends to buy himself a career as an actor.

He's attended summer school at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, acquired an acting agent, and is willing to audition for roles like any other performer.

Already, he has two appearances on his showreel. He played a nightclub owner in the half-hour film Girls' Club, shown on Tyne Tees Television earlier this year. He has also filmed a role in a new Newcastle-set comedy feature film, School For Seduction, in which he plays Tim Healy's golfing partner.

"Getting distribution for movies is hard," he says. That's one reason he won't be putting his money where his mouth is, acting wise. "Most people lose money on movies. Even if you make a good movie, there's no guarantee you will make any money. I can't see any way you should get involved financially," he says.

Bannatyne is interested in going into TV production, through winning commissions for projects from companies. He's starting to look at scripts and talk to TV people about that course of action.

Most of the ideas under discussion are fiction, although he's looking at a couple of documentary ideas. If they get the go-ahead, he hopes the productions will be made in the North-East.

The BBC2 programme concludes that entrepreneurs are "very driven and very dedicated to what they do," Bannatyne says. "They are not necessarily very clever and don't necessarily have fantastic ideas. The programme says what I have always felt - that anyone can do it."

He left school at 15 and joined the Navy, before starting his first business as an ice cream man. Then he established a string of successful care homes, which he sold to a US company, and now Bannatyne Fitness, which aims to have 40 clubs by the end of 2004.

He realised he was first worth a million around 1985 when he opened his first nursing home and had it valued. He sold the homes for £42m in 1997.

The fact that he's rich isn't something that occupies his mind that much. "It occurs to me occasionally. It's not something you spend your life worrying about," he says.

"I do think it's nice to jump on a plane and go to my house in Cannes, which is in the programme. I get pleasure from enjoying my villa and five-star hotels on holiday."

Bannatyne has a £1.3m house in Darlington, as well as the French residence. He has six children, aged between two and 19. The two oldest are shown discussing their trust funds in the BBC2 documentary.

"They are doing their own thing. I have left it up to them. They are not interested in going into the business, but deciding how to spend the money from their trust fund," he says.

Born in Glasgow in 1949, the foundry worker's son came from a poor family. "My feeling as I grew up was I didn't want to be poor," he says.

Despite his wealth, it's nice to hear that Bannatyne doesn't spent money recklessly. He could hire a private jet to take him to his Cannes home, he says, but points out that the easiest way is to go to Liverpool and catch an Easyjet flight.

l Mind Of A Millionaire is on BBC2, tonight at 9pm.