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Nick Hewer

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Nick Hewer
Hewer at the BAFTAs in 2009
Born
Nicholas Radbourn Hewer[1]

(1944-02-17) 17 February 1944 (age 80)[1]
Swindon, Wiltshire, England[1]
NationalityBritish
EducationClongowes Wood College
Occupation(s)Public relations consultant (retired)
Television presenter
Years activeBusiness career (1966-1998)
Television career (2005—)
TelevisionThe Apprentice (2005–2014)
Countdown (2012—)
Political partyLabour Party
SpouseMargo Spindler (m. 1973-1985; divorced)
PartnerCatherine (?–present)
Children2
Parent(s)Patricia and John Hewer

Nicholas Radbourn "Nick" Hewer (born 17 February 1944) is an English former public relations consultant and television presenter. From 2005 to 2014, he appeared as Lord Sugar's adviser on the British television series The Apprentice. Since January 2012, he has presented the Channel 4 programme Countdown with Rachel Riley and Susie Dent, having taken over from Jeff Stelling. He is the fifth presenter of Countdown and the longest-serving one since the death of the original host, Richard Whiteley, in 2005.

Early life

Hewer was born in Swindon on 17 February 1944. He lived in Old Town, and was educated at Clongowes Wood College, an exclusive Jesuit Boarding housel, located in County Kildare, Ireland.[3] His mother, Patricia Hewer (née Jamison), and father, John David Radbourn Hewer (senior partner of the Old Town firm of veterinary surgeons Hewer, Spriggs and Wilson) had met when both were university students in Dublin. He has two sisters and two brothers.

Hewer's grandfather, John, began as a vet in Swindon in 1912. His maternal grandfather, Oswald Jamison was High Sheriff of Belfast during the 1920s.[4][5]

He secured a place to study law at Trinity College, Dublin, but his parents could not afford the fees for him to go there.[6]

Career

Hewer moved to London in the 1960s.[7] aged 20 to join a PR consultancy as a trainee.[8] Within six years he had joined the board and eventually bought out the owner, becoming the sole shareholder. His PR company was hired by Amstrad to represent them in 1983.[6] He spent 21 years in the Amstrad management group. He sold his PR agency in 1998.

Hewer's status as a business man and public figure has been utilised in various ways; for example, in 2012, he was one of many celebrities to help promote the change in the UK pension scheme to automatic enrolment.[9] In 2013, he worked with Vista Print on their “Build Your Small Business Campaign”,[10] and in 2014 worked with Bark.com to promote their services marketplace product.[11]

Television

Hewer and ex-Amstrad owner Alan Sugar became friends through their working relationship.[7] He became one of Sugar's advisers on The Apprentice on BBC One. On 18 December 2014, Hewer revealed that he had decided to leave the show after the tenth series, believing it to be "the appropriate time".[12]

On 9 January 2012, Hewer became the new host of the Channel 4 game show Countdown.[13]

In July 2012, Hewer presented a four-part series on BBC Two called The Farm Fixer, where he assisted farmers in Northern Ireland in diversifying.

Hewer also presented two BBC One series The Town that Never Retired and We All Pay Your Benefits with Margaret Mountford.

On 28 August 2013, Hewer appeared on an episode of BBC One's, Who Do You Think You Are?.

In July 2014, Hewer co-presented a BBC One documentary series with Margaret Mountford called Nick and Margaret: Too many Immigrants? which researched the impact of and attitudes towards immigrants in the UK.

Hewer has appeared on panel shows Would I Lie to You? (2011), Ask Rhod Gilbert (2011), Have I Got News for You (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016), Room 101 (2012) and Big Star's Little Star (2015).

In December 2015 Hewer appeared, alongside Margaret Mountford, in BBC's Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.[14]

Personal life

Hewer married Margo Spindler in 1973, but they were divorced in 1985[6] after they had had two children (James and Kate).[6][15]

Hewer has a house in Lot-et-Garonne, in southwest France, and one in Northamptonshire where he lives with his partner Catherine.

In July 2008, Hewer took part in the charity drive event, the Mongol Rally, in a Renault 4, driving from London to Ulan Bator. He raised over £12,000 for Hope and Homes for Children.[16] He wrote a series of blogs about his journey for the online travel section of the Daily Telegraph.

Hewer is a supporter of the Labour Party.[17]

On 2 November 2012, Hewer received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Kingston University recognising his 'outstanding contribution to business and entrepreneurship'.[18][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jeffries, Stuart (9 May 2011). "Nick Hewer: 'The Apprentice does a great job for young people'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  2. ^ McLaughlin, Martyn (9 May 2008). "'You're fired' — Edinburgh University is panned after Apprentice's error". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "All fired up!". Independent.ie. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Who Do You Think You Are? Series 10 - 6. Nick Hewer". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Featured Articles". TheGenealogist. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Mcgibbon, Rob (3 May 2013). "Nick Hewer: 'Working for Alan Sugar influenced me the most. He lives life like a battle and I've grown to like the smell of cordite'". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  7. ^ a b "BBC - The Apprentice - The Board". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Apprentice and Countdown star Nick Hewer receives honorary degree - News - Kingston University London". Kingston.ac.uk. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Celebrity bosses raise awareness of biggest pensions change in over a century". Department for Work and Pensions. 17 September 2012.
  10. ^ Frost, Caroline (6 August 2013). "The Apprentice's Nick Hewer Reveals The Three Things Anyone Thinking of Starting a Business Should Know". Huffington Post.
  11. ^ "Nick Hewer teams up with Bark". Bark Blog.
  12. ^ "Nick Hewer to leave The Apprentice". BBC. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  13. ^ "The Apprentice star Nick Hewer is new host of Countdown". the Guardian. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "Nick Hewer on The Apprentice: Interview". The Daily Telegraph. London. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  16. ^ "Justgiving - Nick Hewer". Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  17. ^ "BBC News - Nick Hewer: The Labour Party's new 'apprentices'". www.bbc.co.uk. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  18. ^ "Apprentice and Countdown star Nick Hewer receives honorary degree - News - Kingston University London". Kingston.ac.uk. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Businessman and TV presenter Nick Hewer receives Honorary Doctorate | Kingston Business School, London". Business.kingston.ac.uk. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
Preceded by Host of Countdown
2012–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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