Nick Knowles

Nicholas Simon Augustine Knowles (born 21 September 1962) is an English television presenter, writer and musical artist. He is best known for his presenting roles on the BBC, including game shows Who Dares Wins (2007–present), Break the Safe (2013–2014) and 5-Star Family Reunion (2015–2016). Knowles presents the DIY series DIY SOS (1999–present) for BBC One and co-presented the daytime series Real Rescues (2007–2013).[3]

Nick Knowles
Knowles in 2007
Born
Nicholas Simon Augustine Knowles

(1962-09-21) 21 September 1962
Southall, Middlesex, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationTelevision presenter
Years active1987–present
Known for
Spouse(s)Jessica Rose Moor (m. 2012; separated)[1]
Partner(s)Suzi Perry (2000–2003)[2]
Children4
Websitewww.nickknowles.com

Early life

Knowles was born in Southall, Middlesex. At the age of 11, Knowles moved to Mildenhall in Suffolk, attending St Louis Middle School and moved again, attended Gunnersbury Catholic School for Boys. After another family move, he attended the Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.[3] Leaving school at 16, he had a variety of dead-end jobs, labouring on building sites, working in a petrol station and selling shoes and carpets. He played in bands from the age of 14 and was constantly writing music, poetry and comedy, until he submitted a script to a BBC2 programme that invited children to make a video.[4][5]

Television

Knowles began as a runner in television production, before moving into presenting.[2] Knowles was a reporter for TVS in the South East, reporting on the nightly news programme Coast To Coast, mostly covering upbeat reports, until TVS lost its contract in 1992. In the early 1990s, he presented a show called Ridge Riders for ITV. This featured a celebrity and another one or two guests riding classic motorcycles along off-road tracks around the UK. The viewer was treated to historic and local information about the locality as well as informal chats with the celebrity. Knowles appeared as a member of Channel 5's chat show 5's Company between 1997 and 1999.

He is principally known as the main host of DIY SOS, a home renovation series broadcast on BBC One since 1999, and has presented the BBC factual show Real Rescues since 2007. Knowles has also hosted several entertainment programmes for the BBC since signing an exclusive contract with them,[2] including Who Dares Wins, Last Choir Standing, Guesstimation, Secret Fortune and Perfection.

Knowles has also presented programmes with a wildlife theme. In 2007, he fronted Mission Africa, in which a team of volunteers constructed a game reserve in Kenya. During this project, Knowles fell from a Land Rover, dislocating his shoulder. He flew back to the UK to receive emergency treatment. In the same year, he reported on the plight of orphaned orangutans for an edition of Saving Planet Earth. In 2009, Knowles co-presented the BBC reality TV series Wildest Dreams with James Honeyborne, in which novice candidates had to complete a set of challenging tasks filming wild animals in Africa. The winner joined the BBC Natural History Unit on a one-year placement.[6]

From 2011 to 2015, Knowles was the presenter of the BBC game show Perfection, in which the candidates must achieve absolute perfection to win the jackpot, aired weekdays on BBC One.

From 2013 to 2014, he presented the BBC National Lottery game show Break the Safe. In 2015, Knowles began presenting a new BBC One National Lottery game show 5-Star Family Reunion, which returned for a second series in 2016.[7]

In May 2016, Knowles presented Invictus: The Road to the Games, a one-off programme for the BBC.

Knowles earned between £300,000 and £349,999 as a BBC presenter for the financial year 2016–2017.[8]

In 2018 he participated in the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, finishing in sixth place, after being voted out on 6 December.[9]

Film

Knowles was a co-writer on the film Golden Years, which stars Simon Callow, Virginia McKenna and Una Stubbs.[10] The film was released in the UK on 28 April 2016.

Music

He released his first and last music album, Every Kind Of People, on 3 November 2017.[11][12] The album entered UK Albums Chart at No. 92.[13]

Personal life

Knowles married his first wife in the 1990s.[2] After separating from her, he lived with presenter Suzi Perry until September 2003, after meeting on set whilst shooting City Hospital for the BBC in 2000. He dated his second wife Jessica Rose Moor from 2009 and they married in September 2012.[14] The couple have a son, Edwin, born August 2014, but announced they were separating in January 2016. He tweeted support for Jessica in July when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

In November 2013, Knowles and his wife Jessica opened an antiques shop and home design consultancy in Eton, Berkshire.[15]

Knowles plays rugby. He has been a vegan for a number of years, and, in 2016, became involved with a Shrewsbury-based vegan restaurant called O'Joy.[16] The restaurant closed in November 2017.[17]

Knowles has four children.[18] His brother has a record company and his three sisters all became dancers.[4]

In June 2019, Knowles was issued with a six-month driving ban and fined £1,480 for speeding and using a mobile phone whilst driving. Speaking outside the court in Cheltenham, he said: "For me, this was a wake-up call, and putting my phone in the boot of my car now stops the temptation."[19]

Charity

Knowles has been a regular supporter of the children's anti-bullying charity Act Against Bullying. He sang "Addicted to Love" for Children in Need 2008.[5]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1994–2002 Ridge Riders Presenter
1997–1999 5's Company Co-presenter Daytime series
1999–2010 DIY SOS Presenter Primetime series
2005 Hollyoaks Fraud Patroller
2007–2011, 2013 Real Rescues Co-presenter Daytime series
2007—present Who Dares Wins Presenter Game show
2008 Last Choir Standing Co-presenter
2009 Guesstimation Presenter National Lottery game show
Wildest Dreams
2010—present DIY SOS: The Big Build Primetime BBC series
2011–2012 Secret Fortune National Lottery game show
2011–2015 Perfection Daytime game show
2013–2014 Break the Safe National Lottery game show
2014, 2016—present Close Calls: On Camera
2015–2016 5-Star Family Reunion[20] Game show
2016 Invictus: The Road to the Games One-off special
The Retreat 5-part series
2017 Mind Over Marathon
2018 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Contestant 6th place

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Golden Years Co-writer, executive producer Comedy film

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[21]
Every Kind of People[11] 92

Singles
Year Title Album
2017 "River" Every Kind Of People
"Make You Feel My Love"
"Every Kinda People"

Music videos
Year Title Director(s)
2017 "River" N/A
"Make You Feel My Love"
"Every Kinda People"

References
  1. Evening Standard. Nick Knowles to divorce wife Jessica Moor after three years of marriage. 12 January 2016. Accessed 14 July 2016
  2. "'I'm sorry, but I'm no choirboy', says Last Choir Standing presenter". Evening Standard. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  3. "Personal Information". Nick Knowles Official Website.
  4. Parkin, Simon. "'I used to illegally catch trout and sell them to a restaurant': Nick Knowles on his rural Suffolk school days". Eastern Daily Press.
  5. Wintle, Interview by Angela (12 November 2017). "Nick Knowles, DIY SOS presenter, on not doing it himself and his new album" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  6. Press Office – Mission Impossible for Nick Knowles. BBC (15 September 2006). Retrieved on 13 August 2013.
  7. "Can't Touch This: Will BBC One's new Saturday night gameshow be a hit?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  8. "BBC pay: How much do its stars earn?". 19 July 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-12-08/viewers-reaction-nick-knowles-eliminated-from-im-a-celebrity/
  10. "Golden Years (2016)".
  11. "Every Kind Of People". Nick Knowles. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  12. Vincent, Alice (10 November 2017). "Nick Knowles has released an album, and it has nothing to do with DIY". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  13. "Official Charts". Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  14. Interiors – Nick Knowles Archived 18 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Fabulous Mag. Retrieved on 13 August 2013.
  15. Nick Knowles opens antiques shop in Eton Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Slough Observer. 15 November 2011.
  16. "DIY SOS star Nick Knowles launches his new vegan restaurant in Shrewsbury". Shropshire Star. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  17. "Seven jobs lost as Shrewsbury restaurant backed by TV's Nick Knowles folds". Shropshire Star. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  18. Nick Knowles website - Personal. Accessed 24 July 2016
  19. "Nick Knowles banned from driving". 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  20. "Nick Knowles reconnects long lost family members in new BBC One Saturday night gameshow". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  21. "NICK KNOWLES | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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