Deloitte’s mid-year results may have spared the Big Four firm a few blushes. It revealed a 15% growth in fees, vastly improving on the 8% it announced for its last full year in 2004/05.

Why embarrassing? Well, TS recently came across a rather interesting book of portraits of British businessman, complete with a note from one of TS’s favourite accounting characters, Deloitte chairman John Connolly.

‘As the fastest growing major business advisory firm in the UK,’ John begins in the blurb.

But looking at the figures this seemed somewhat innacurate, even to the warped mind of TS.

In 2004/05, Deloitte grew by 8%, PwC by 13%, E&Y by 15% and KPMG by 20%. ‘Slowest growing major business advisory firm’ just wouldn’t quite have had the same ring, we reckon.