I ALWAYS imagined most people’s fantasies would revolve around sex.

Being swept off your feet in a scene straight from the pages of Mills & Boon, or dominated in a 50 Shades set-up.

So it came as a surprise to learn that one of the most common fantasies - typical of more than half of people in the UK - is murder.

Fantasising about killing someone is a ‘common phenomenon’ and it’s perfectly normal to want to slay your boss, says criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw, of University College London.

Following research, she concluded that thoughts about killing others - likes bosses or ex-partners - are a ‘common phenomenon’ and an entirely human reaction.

I confess to having had a murder fantasy about a former boss.

She was always on my back, nit-picking about this and that. I remember one day, when she sent me a stern memo about not having stapled some papers together properly, or some such trivia, and I honestly did want to throttle her.

I’d lie in the bath on a night thinking about hit men and wondering where I could find one.

At one point I worried for my sanity and am glad to learn such longings are perfectly normal.

But while many of us daydream about murder, only about one per cent of the population are believed to be psychopaths - and only a tiny minority of psychopaths will actually go on to be violent or kill someone.

That’s a relief, although I actually think I really would be able to hunt down and kill people who pay to shoot big game in Africa. It makes my blood boil.

If we are not having murder fantasies we are having money fantasies. Apparently more people daydream about money than sex.

That’s certainly the case with me. When I am not thinking about murder, I am thinking about money.

I’m not a greedy person, I’m not materialistic, and I live a simple life. But I must think about winning the lottery at least three times a day.

I daydream about going to collect the cheque, even imagining what the room would look like. I think about how I would divide up the money, even getting slightly stressed about how much I should give to different people.

I’d know if I did win I’d buy my daughter a home in London, and have even gone so far as to check out possible properties online.

Is that normal? Yes. One of the most common daydreams which many people have is that of winning a big lottery jackpot, claims (perhaps predictably) an online betting company.

But what about my third most regular daydream, what I call my ‘kitchen fantasy’, in which I picture myself I my dream kitchen – farmhouse-style, brick floors, a chunky table, and a squashy sofa at one end?

Is that common, or an I just weird in daydreaming about Welsh dressers, Belfast sinks and patio doors that open onto a gorgeous garden?

Psycologists say that fantasising about specific goals can foster creativity, help someone better understand their wants and needs, and even enable them to plan for the future. Some say that even a killing fantasy helps us to function better.

So what about the biggie - sex? We may well daydream about killing our bosses, but almost half of office workers fantasise about having sex with a colleague, a poll by an office supply firm claimed.

Were this true of my daytime imaginings, would I confess to it? Probably not.

No offence to any of my very handsome colleagues, but I can honestly say, at the age of 58, I find the image of a country kitchen more appealing.