Henry Cole
Henry Cole on the Brough Superior SS100 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013
Born (1965-02-16) 16 February 1965 (age 58)
Occupations
Notable work
  • World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides
  • The Motorbike Show
  • Shed and Buried
  • Find It, Fix It, Flog It
  • Find It, Fix It, Drive It
  • Junk and Disorderly

Henry Cole (born 16 February 1965) is an English TV presenter, producer and director. On television he is best known for World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, The Motorbike Show, Shed and Buried, and Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Many of these feature Allen Millyard and in the main are produced by his own production company, HCA Entertainment.[1] Cole is also the founder and CEO of bespoke motorcycle manufacturer Gladstone Motorcycles, named after his great uncle Dick "Red Beard" Gladstone.[2]

Early life

Cole was born in February 1965. His great-great-great-great uncle was William Ewart Gladstone, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was educated at Eton College, where he was a contemporary of Boris Johnson. He was a heroin addict for five years, but has been clean since 1988.[3]

Career

He started as a news cameraman for channels including ITV and TF1 and progressed to making rockumentaries, primarily with heavy rock bands,[4] then directing TV commercials, and finally directing films, such as the semi-autobiographical Mad Dogs and Englishmen with Elizabeth Hurley.[5]

HCA Entertainment

Founded by Cole in 1995, HCA Entertainment is an independent television production company, specialising in factual entertainment programmes that have appeared on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery and Quest in the UK.[6]

World Records

In 2013 Henry Cole set a world land speed record for a pre-1955 750cc motorcycle, riding a Brough Superior on the Bonneville Salt Flats.[7]

On 25 May 2023 Cole rode pillion with Allen Millyard on his Viper V10 home-built motorcycle at Elvington airfield in North Yorkshire, to set a new Guinness World Record for the “fastest tandem motorcycle”. Their top speed of 183.5 miles per hour (295.3 km/h) gave them a clear margin over American couple Erin Hunter and Andy Sills, who reached 181.42 miles per hour (291.97 km/h) at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2011.[8]

Books

Henry Cole has written two books: A Biker's Life (2018)[9] and The Life-Changing Magic of Sheds (2020).[10]

References

  1. ^ Hewitt, Sam (1 July 2020). "A brief chat with… Henry Cole - The Classic Motorcycle". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. ^ "About Gladstone Motorcycles". www.gladstonemotorcycles.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ Wintle, Angela (3 February 2019). "TV star Henry Cole: 'I got drugs delivered by dispatch riders'". Retrieved 20 July 2021 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Henry Cole". TVSA. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Henry Cole: A Discerning Hooligan". Cycle World. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  6. ^ "About Us". HCA Entertainment. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ^ "WORLD SPEED RECORD HOLDER: BROUGH SUPERIOR "BABY PENDINE"". silodrome. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  8. ^ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/101327-fastest-tandem-motorcycle
  9. ^ Cole, Henry (18 October 2018). A Biker's Life: Misadventures on (and off) Two Wheels. Quercus. ISBN 978-1787471047.
  10. ^ Cole, Henry (17 September 2020). The Life-Changing Magic of Sheds. Quercus. ISBN 978-1529406559.

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