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 | |
|---|---|
 Martin during a recording of Flog It! at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 2014 | |
| Born | 5 January 1959 Teddington, Middlesex, U.K. |
| Education | Falmouth Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Falmouth College of Arts |
| Occupation(s) | 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 | Charlotte Godfrey (m. 2007) |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
editMartin 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]
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] Paul now runs an antique shop in Corsham, Wiltshire
Television presenting
editMartin was discovered by a team from BBC Bristol when he was interviewed about his passion for oak furniture. He was then signed up in 2002 to present Flog It!, which has led to a series of television shows and spin-off books.[2]
In 2011 he presented To the Manor Reborn alongside Penelope Keith, covering the refurbishment of Avebury Manor in Wiltshire for the National Trust.[4] In 2014, he began hosting I Never Knew That About Britain for the ITV network. He presented the BBC Countryfile spin-offs Summer Diaries, Spring Diaries, Autumn Diaries and Winter Diaries in 2016 and 2017.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
Books
editPaul Martin has written a popular book on antiques, Paul Martin: My World of Antiques, subtitled ‘Collect, buy and sell everyday antiques like an expert’.[8][9] The book draws on his experiences on ‘Flog It!’ and includes chapters on various types of antiques and interviews with a number of other experts.
Personal life
editMartin married BBC production co-ordinator Charlotte Godfrey in 2007.[10][1] They live in Seend, Wiltshire, on a smallholding with an arboretum.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Ajesh Patalay (21 August 2009). "Paul Martin Interview". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "Paul Martin". Capel & Land. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Paul Martin". UKTV. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Penelope Keith hosts To The Manor Reborn at Avebury". BBC News. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Countryfile Summer Diaries". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "Flog It! axed as part of BBC One daytime shake-up". BBC. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Chesters, Laura (5 November 2018). "Can wheeler dealers become antique dealers? Former Flog It! presenter Paul Martin launches new BBC show". Antiques Trade Gazette. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Martin, Paul (2018). Paul Martin: My World of Antiques, 'Collect, buy and sell everyday antiques like an expert'. London: John Blake. ISBN 978-1-78606-475-2.
- ^ Antiques Trade Gazette (2018). "Paul Martin: My World of Antiques, book launch". Antiques Trade Gazette.
- ^ "BBC's Curiosity: Who is antiques expert Paul Martin's wife?". 28 September 2021.
- ^ "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". The Scotsman. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2020.