Paul Martin (TV presenter)
Paul Martin (born 5 January 1959) is a British antiques dealer and professional drummer best known for being the presenter of various BBC television antiques programmes including Flog It!, Trust Me, I'm a Dealer[1] and Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution.
Paul Martin | |
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 Paul Martin photographed during a recording of Flog It! at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, January 16, 2014 | |
| Born | 5 January 1959 Teddington, Middlesex, U.K. |
| Education | Falmouth Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Falmouth College of Arts |
| Occupation | Antiques dealer, session musician and television presenter |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | BBC antiques presenter |
| Television | Flog It! Trust Me, I'm a Dealer Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution Street Auction Make Me a Dealer Curiosity |
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Godfrey (m. 2007) |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
Martin was born in Teddington, Middlesex. His family subsequently moved to Cornwall, where he was educated at Falmouth Grammar School[2] and then studied art and woodworking at Falmouth College of Arts[3] (now Falmouth University).
He then developed parallel careers, as an antiques trader and dealer and as a session musician drummer. Martin worked with Average White Band, The Quireboys and The Dogs D'Amour in the 1990s.[3] Towards the end of the decade, along with his session and live work, Martin taught drums and percussion in a tuition centre within a local instrument shop. He still plays with local jazz and blues bands around Wiltshire.
From the age of 25, he owned a pitch on London's Portobello Road.[3] He also worked as an antiques props stylist for magazines including Marie Claire and New Woman, whilst undertaking larger projects designing antique sets for television shoots for BBC One's The Clothes Show and Granada TV.[3] More recently he ran the shop The Table Gallery in Marlborough, Wiltshire, specialising in 17th- and 18th-century Welsh and English oak furniture and Victorian lavatories.[2]
Martin was discovered by a team from BBC Bristol when he was interviewed about his passion for oak furniture. He was then signed up to present Flog It!, which has led to a series of television shows and spin-off books.[2]
In 2014, he began hosting I Never Knew That About Britain for the ITV network.
He has presented the BBC Countryfile spin-offs Summer Diaries, Spring Diaries, Autumn Diaries and Winter Diaries since 2016.[4]
On 2 October 2018, the BBC announced it would cancel Flog It!, but that Martin would return to host two new similar shows as part of its "modernised" new daytime schedule—one of which would use Martin's skills as a dealer to train members of the public, the second being an antiques-based game show.[5]
The first of these programmes, Make Me a Dealer, began its inaugural series on 5 November 2018, followed by the antiques game show Curiosity in spring 2019.[6]
Personal life
Martin is married to BBC production co-ordinator Charlotte Godfrey.[1] In 2007 the couple moved to Seend in Wiltshire, to a property built in the 1830s, with a smallholding of 30 acres (12 ha) of land, surrounded by its own arboretum.[7]
References
- Ajesh Patalay (21 August 2009). "Paul Martin Interview". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- "Paul Martin". Capel & Land. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- "Paul Martin". UKTV. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- "Countryfile Summer Diaries". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- Flog It! axed as part of BBC One daytime shake-up, 2 October 2018. Accessed on 3 December 2019.
- Can wheeler dealers become antique dealers? Former Flog It! presenter Paul Martin launches new BBC show, Laura Chesters, 5 November 2018. Accessed on 3 December 2019.
- "TRADING PLACES: TV presenter Paul Martin and his family exchanged a high street home for a country smallholding and the lifestyle that went with it". www.scotsman.com. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
External links
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