‘Zeros are in very short supply,’ explains Bob Smithy as he led us around his factory in Kent where the majority of the country’s zeros are still made by hand. ‘The rising price of the London Olympics means that everybody needs more zeros but there soon won’t be enough to go around. We’re working 24/7 just to keep up with demand.’

Smithy’s business has been around for over a century, yet people laughed when his grandfather when he established the business to help the country count Queen Victoria’s children and grand children. It had its first real success as newspapers started to report the body count during the First World War and was firmly established as the nation’s primary source of zeros during the Great Depression.
Today, the zero-making business has reached new levels with the Iraq War and global warming to blame for the need to express very large numbers. ‘We’ve just finished a special run to make all the zeros ready for Paul McCartney’s divorce settlement,’ Smithy added as he showed us a room full of noughts. ‘But you should come and see the warehouse of zeros he have waiting for when the government announce the real cost of the London Olympics.’

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