Barry Bucknell
Encyclopedia
Barry Bucknell [Robert Barraby Bucknell] (26 January 1912 – 21 February 2003) was a BBC
TV presenter who popularised Do It Yourself
(DIY) in the United Kingdom
.
Bucknell served an apprenticeship
with Daimler
, after which he joined his father's building and electrical firm in St Pancras, London
.
In the 1950s he presented the series "Barry Bucknell's Do It Yourself" which attracted seven million viewers. The Programmes were presented live and, despite rehearsing his projects at home with his wife timing him, occasionally resulted in on-screen mishaps with Bucknell saying "This is how not to do it!".
Bucknell became synonymous with 'modernising' older properties, typically using cheap materials including plywood
to cover up the detail i.e. period doors and fireplaces. Many argued that he was responsible for millions changing their homes in the 1950s and 1960s to a style that is now considered dated.
The 1962 series "Bucknell's House" followed a 39-week BBC project renovating a house, bought for £2,250, in Ealing
. The house was now said to be worth £800,000 on 'How TV Changed Britain' (C4, 22 June 2008)
From the mid-1960s on he became increasingly involved in sailing
and he and Jack Holt
designed the popular Mirror Dinghy
. He also designed a two-man canoe for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
, and a catamaran
for his wife and himself, which he moored next to his house in St Mawes
, Cornwall
and caravans.
He appeared in a Public Information Film 'Energy Sense is Common Sense' in 1976.
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...
TV presenter who popularised 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...
(DIY) in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Bucknell served an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
with Daimler
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
, after which he joined his father's building and electrical firm in St Pancras, London
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
.
In the 1950s he presented the series "Barry Bucknell's Do It Yourself" which attracted seven million viewers. The Programmes were presented live and, despite rehearsing his projects at home with his wife timing him, occasionally resulted in on-screen mishaps with Bucknell saying "This is how not to do it!".
Bucknell became synonymous with 'modernising' older properties, typically using cheap materials including plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
to cover up the detail i.e. period doors and fireplaces. Many argued that he was responsible for millions changing their homes in the 1950s and 1960s to a style that is now considered dated.
The 1962 series "Bucknell's House" followed a 39-week BBC project renovating a house, bought for £2,250, in Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
. The house was now said to be worth £800,000 on 'How TV Changed Britain' (C4, 22 June 2008)
From the mid-1960s on he became increasingly involved in sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
and he and Jack Holt
Jack Holt (dinghy designer)
Jack Holt, OBE was a prolific designer of sailing dinghies. His pioneering designs of dingies using plywood did much to popularise the sport of sailing in the period immediately following World War II....
designed the popular Mirror Dinghy
Mirror (dinghy)
The Mirror is a very popular sailing dinghy, with more than 70,000 built.The Mirror was named after the Daily Mirror, a UK newspaper with a largely working class distribution. The Mirror was from the start promoted as an affordable boat, and as a design it has done a great deal to make dinghy...
. He also designed a two-man canoe for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
, and a catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
for his wife and himself, which he moored next to his house in St Mawes
St Mawes
St Mawes is a small town opposite Falmouth, on the Roseland Peninsula on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the east bank of the Carrick Roads, a large waterway created after the Ice Age from an ancient valley which flooded as the melt waters caused the sea level to...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and caravans.
He appeared in a Public Information Film 'Energy Sense is Common Sense' in 1976.