Angus Purden
Encyclopedia
Angus Purden is a Scottish
television presenter
. A teenage Mr. Scotland and model, he wrote for a local evening newspaper and is now best known for presenting do-it-yourself
and Scottish lottery shows. One of the regular presenters for the BBC
series Cash in the Attic
since 2002, he also appeared in programmes such as Channel 4
's Room For Improvement (2004) and Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
(2005–2006) for Living TV, and he is a street prize presenter and public face of People's Postcode Lottery
. In April 2010, Angus became the main host of STV gameshow Postcode Challenge
.
, Scotland
. As a teenager, he won the title of Mr. Scotland in a Daily Record
competition in 1992. The win opened the door to working as a catwalk model in Paris and Milan, including a three-year modelling stint for Giorgio Armani
in Milan. According to Purden, "I was surrounded by beautiful people so I remember laughing my head off that they thought I looked exotic. I was just a wee boy from a housing estate in Lanarkshire but I had thick, long curly hair and they liked me. The designer Romeo Gigli used me as his muse, and designed an entire collection on me. It was an amazing time."
Evening Times
. His first break on television was on STV as a prize presenter for the quiz show Wheel Of Fortune
presented by John Leslie
. Subsequently, he was a reporter for GMTV
and Five News
.
Purden is one of the regular presenters of the BBC
's Cash in the Attic
. In the programme, the presenter visits a family's home to find out what they need to raise money for. They then explore the home to find items that may be taken to auction, which are valued by experts. Before this, he presented Series 1 to 3 of Channel 4
's Room For Improvement, a home renovation show.
Purden appeared in programmes with TV personality and self-described psychic medium
Derek Acorah
. In 2005 he presented Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes, which attempted to discover what happened during the Gunpowder Plot
of 1605 by contacting Guy Fawkes
's spirit. In the first season of Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
(2005–2006), Purden and co-presenter Danniella Westbrook
accompanied Acorah to towns and cities throughout Great Britain said to be haunted. These programmes were produced for Living TV.
Purden has done television work for British Airways
TV, RBS, Scottish Television
(now STV) and the Travel Channel
, and also fronted TV We Love To Hate for BBC Three
. Radio appearances include BBC Radio Scotland
and LBC 97.3
, and he writes occasional travel pieces for the Scottish tabloid the Sunday Mail
.
In 2006, Purden appeared in a cinema advertising campaign against the arms trade
for Amnesty International
.
Angus Purden, alongside Lorraine Kelly
presented the six-part series, Make Me Happier for STV, which was broadcast in November/December 2009.
Angus has appeared as a guest presenter on STV's daily lifestyle show The Hour on a few occasions - his first show being in February 2010, alongside main anchor Michelle McManus
. The Scottish magazine programme airs weekdays at 5pm.
In April 2010, Angus became the main host of STV gameshow Postcode Challenge
, replacing Carol Smillie
.
Some information in this table was obtained from .
townhouse
in the East End of London
which had taken seven years to renovate and furnish from its original near-derelict state. He later moved to Notting Hill
.
By April 2006 Purden had returned to Glasgow's West End after having spent 12 years in London. He said that being back in Scotland was a "breath of fresh air" and added: "Life seemed too hard in London. I needed to be there initially because of my career but now that I'm more established I feel it's going to be easier to commute. I'm elated to be back." In Glasgow, he acquired and renovated two B-listed properties.
Purden lists his other main interests as including food, travel (he speaks fluent Italian
) and consumer issues. However, in February 2008 he was branded a kitchen calamity after recording the lowest-ever score on the BBC programme Ready Steady Cook
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
television presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
. A teenage Mr. Scotland and model, he wrote for a local evening newspaper and is now best known for presenting do-it-yourself
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
and Scottish lottery shows. One of the regular presenters for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic, also Cash in the Celebrity Attic, is a UK television show on the BBC. The show, made by , premièred in 2002 and has run for sixteen series; as of February 2010, the seventeenth series is currently in production, along with the fifth celebrity series...
since 2002, he also appeared in programmes such as Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Room For Improvement (2004) and Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns is a paranormal reality television series which featured noted Medium Derek Acorah as he visited towns in the UK to investigate hauntings. The team would travel in the "Ghost Town Van" and would allow townsfolk to tell the team about their encounters with hauntings in...
(2005–2006) for Living TV, and he is a street prize presenter and public face of People's Postcode Lottery
People's Postcode Lottery
The People’s Postcode Lottery is a postcode-based subscription lottery which operates in Scotland, England and Wales. It is run byNovamedia BV, an international charity lottery operator based in The Netherlands...
. In April 2010, Angus became the main host of STV gameshow Postcode Challenge
Postcode Challenge
Postcode Challenge is a Scottish television game show presented originally by Carol Smillie and currently by Angus Purden, produced by STV Productions for broadcast on STV.-Format:...
.
Early life
The youngest in his family with two sisters and a brother, Purden is believed to have been born in 1974. He was raised in LanarkshireLanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. As a teenager, he won the title of Mr. Scotland in a Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
competition in 1992. The win opened the door to working as a catwalk model in Paris and Milan, including a three-year modelling stint for Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
in Milan. According to Purden, "I was surrounded by beautiful people so I remember laughing my head off that they thought I looked exotic. I was just a wee boy from a housing estate in Lanarkshire but I had thick, long curly hair and they liked me. The designer Romeo Gigli used me as his muse, and designed an entire collection on me. It was an amazing time."
Career
Purden subsequently turned to journalism, writing a column for the GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
Evening Times
Evening Times
The Evening Times is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The paper, an evening sister paper of The Herald, was established in 1876. The paper's slogan is "Nobody Knows Glasgow Better"....
. His first break on television was on STV as a prize presenter for the quiz show Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (UK game show)
Wheel of Fortune is a British television game show created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes...
presented by John Leslie
John Leslie (television presenter)
John Leslie is a Scottish former television presenter. He has presented BBC One's Blue Peter and ITV's This Morning and the ITV gameshow Wheel of Fortune. He was also the roving reporter for the first series of the UK version of Survivor...
. Subsequently, he was a reporter for GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
and Five News
Five News
5 News is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by Sky News. From 1 January 2005, Sky News was awarded the contract to provide the news for Channel 5, replacing ITN, which had provided the channel's news service from the channel's launch in 1997...
.
Purden is one of the regular presenters of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic, also Cash in the Celebrity Attic, is a UK television show on the BBC. The show, made by , premièred in 2002 and has run for sixteen series; as of February 2010, the seventeenth series is currently in production, along with the fifth celebrity series...
. In the programme, the presenter visits a family's home to find out what they need to raise money for. They then explore the home to find items that may be taken to auction, which are valued by experts. Before this, he presented Series 1 to 3 of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Room For Improvement, a home renovation show.
Purden appeared in programmes with TV personality and self-described psychic medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah is a British medium. He is best known for his work on Most Haunted, broadcast on Living, between 2002 and 2005. He recently presented the series Derek Acorah on Sky Real Lives...
. In 2005 he presented Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes, which attempted to discover what happened during the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
of 1605 by contacting Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
's spirit. In the first season of Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns
Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns is a paranormal reality television series which featured noted Medium Derek Acorah as he visited towns in the UK to investigate hauntings. The team would travel in the "Ghost Town Van" and would allow townsfolk to tell the team about their encounters with hauntings in...
(2005–2006), Purden and co-presenter Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
accompanied Acorah to towns and cities throughout Great Britain said to be haunted. These programmes were produced for Living TV.
Purden has done television work for British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
TV, RBS, Scottish Television
Scottish Television
Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...
(now STV) and the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
, and also fronted TV We Love To Hate for BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
. Radio appearances include BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
and LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
, and he writes occasional travel pieces for the Scottish tabloid the Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail (Scotland)
The Sunday Mail is a Scottish tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. It is the sister paper of the Daily Record and is owned by Trinity Mirror and as such has a left-wing outlook which in turn tends to guide Scottish political debate in that direction.The Sunday Mail is read by over one million...
.
In 2006, Purden appeared in a cinema advertising campaign against the arms trade
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
for Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
.
Angus Purden, alongside Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish television presenter, journalist and actress, best known as a presenter for TV-am, and later GMTV and ITV Breakfast, on Lorraine.-Early life:...
presented the six-part series, Make Me Happier for STV, which was broadcast in November/December 2009.
Angus has appeared as a guest presenter on STV's daily lifestyle show The Hour on a few occasions - his first show being in February 2010, alongside main anchor Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol....
. The Scottish magazine programme airs weekdays at 5pm.
In April 2010, Angus became the main host of STV gameshow Postcode Challenge
Postcode Challenge
Postcode Challenge is a Scottish television game show presented originally by Carol Smillie and currently by Angus Purden, produced by STV Productions for broadcast on STV.-Format:...
, replacing Carol Smillie
Carol Smillie
Carol Patricia Smillie is a Scottish television personality, model and actress. Smillie is well-known for presenting the award winning BBC series Changing Rooms, which won her a National Television Award for Most Popular Factual Programme in 1998.She became the hostess of the British version of...
.
Selected work
| Year(s) of appearance |
TV programme or series |
|---|---|
| 2002–present | Cash in the Attic Cash in the Attic Cash in the Attic, also Cash in the Celebrity Attic, is a UK television show on the BBC. The show, made by , premièred in 2002 and has run for sixteen series; as of February 2010, the seventeenth series is currently in production, along with the fifth celebrity series... |
| 2004 (Series 1–3) |
Room for Improvement |
| 2005 | 2005 BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards |
| 2005 | Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes |
| 2005–2006 (22 episodes) |
Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns is a paranormal reality television series which featured noted Medium Derek Acorah as he visited towns in the UK to investigate hauntings. The team would travel in the "Ghost Town Van" and would allow townsfolk to tell the team about their encounters with hauntings in... |
| 2007–present | People's Postcode Lottery |
| February 2008 | Ready Steady Cook Ready Steady Cook Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host... (participant) |
| [Currently unknown] | TV We Love to Hate |
| 2006 | Watch to Win |
| November/December 2009 | Make Me Happier |
| February 2010 | The Hour (guest host) |
| April 2010–present | Postcode Challenge Postcode Challenge Postcode Challenge is a Scottish television game show presented originally by Carol Smillie and currently by Angus Purden, produced by STV Productions for broadcast on STV.-Format:... (main host) |
Some information in this table was obtained from .
Personal life
Purden is interested in interiors and architecture. In January 2004 it was reported that he and his partner owned a 1722 five-storey GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
which had taken seven years to renovate and furnish from its original near-derelict state. He later moved to Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
.
By April 2006 Purden had returned to Glasgow's West End after having spent 12 years in London. He said that being back in Scotland was a "breath of fresh air" and added: "Life seemed too hard in London. I needed to be there initially because of my career but now that I'm more established I feel it's going to be easier to commute. I'm elated to be back." In Glasgow, he acquired and renovated two B-listed properties.
Purden lists his other main interests as including food, travel (he speaks fluent Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) and consumer issues. However, in February 2008 he was branded a kitchen calamity after recording the lowest-ever score on the BBC programme Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
.