Sarah Beeny
Encyclopedia
Sarah Lucinda Beeny is an English
property developer and television presenter, best known for presenting the Channel 4
property shows Property Ladder
, Streets Ahead, Britain’s Best Homes and Help! My House Is Falling Down
.
, to Richard and Ann. Beeny has an elder brother, Diccon. The daughter of an architect
for Bovis Homes
, her mother loved the self-sustained outdoor life. The family lived in two converted brick cottages in a nine acre
plot on the edge of the Duke of Wellington's estate Stratfield Saye
, in a style that Beeny describes as "a bit like The Good Life." The family kept goat
s, chicken
s and duck
s, while her father made Dolls House furniture to raise extra cash: "They were crafty-entrepreneurial but more craft than entrepreneurial."
After her mother died aged 39 of breast cancer
when Sarah was aged 10, she was educated as a weekly boarder
at the all-girls Luckley-Oakfield School
in Wokingham
. Although her friends went to university
, Sarah did not and was encouraged to study drama
by her English teacher, resultantly taking a leading role in Brecht
’s Caucasian Chalk Circle. Pursuing the idea of becoming a professional actress, she studied drama at Queen Mary's College
, Basingstoke
, but failed to get into a drama school.
Advised by her father and stepmother Trisha to get out and see the world, Beeny travelled around the world solo at the age of 17 and felt "lonely and seasick" most of the way round. She returned to the UK to take a series of jobs, including: working for Save the Children
; window cleaning; door-to-door vacuum cleaner selling and running her own sandwich making business. Assuming she would be self-employed for the rest of her life, at weekends she would study the property market, which gave her a good grounding in the market. Having saved up a deposit, without any formal training Beeny began her own property developing business with her brother and her husband. Beeny is also the co-founder of the popular UK dating website Mysinglefriend
, with childhood friend Amanda Christie.
Beeny met her husband and business partner, Graham Swift, when she was 18 - her brother is married to Swift's sister, Caroline. Beeny and Swift have four sons: Billy, Charlie, Rafferty and Laurie. They have homes in Streatham
, London
and at Rise Hall
, in the East Riding of Yorkshire
.
Sarah supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer
's Crocus Walk campaign in 2009.
, she was asked to undertake a screen test
to front a new programme series about property development, which was to be fronted by a property expert. Taking the advice of her stepmother and never turning down an opportunity, the successful format Property Ladder has led to various spin-off series, including Streets Ahead and Britain’s Best Homes. In 2006 Sarah Beeny presented another Channel 4
programme One Year to Pay Off Your Mortgage. She has written a number of books to accompany the series, and a weekly column for the Mail on Sunday.
In other media appearances, in August 2007 Sarah starred in a promotional trailer for Channel 4 which was made in the form of a parody of a Kung Fu movie. The classic line "You dare to challenge the might of the Beeny", was said by Sarah to the evil nemesis. Later that year, she also appeared on the Five motoring show, Fifth Gear
, where she raced Jason Plato
in an articulated lorry around a course. Beeny has appeared on Gordon Ramsay
's The F-Word
, as she offered up her garden for Gordon's sheep to feed on.
She regularly appears on television and is a friend of DJ Christian O' Connell. She has also appeared on Bob the Builder
alongside Dermot O'Leary
, on which she estimated the value of Bob the Builder's house to be "Two Bob".
From August 2010, she began fronting Channel 4's new show Help! My House is Falling Down
(working title: House Rescue).
In November 2010 she presented Beeny's Restoration Nightmare on Channel Four, showing her renovation of Rise Hall
, a Grade 2* listed historic house near Rise, East Riding of Yorkshire
, to create a wedding venue.
In August 2011, Beeny began presenting a new series for BBC One
titled Village SOS
. In this series the programme follows a group of passionate villagers who want to restore their village to its former glory.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
property developer and television presenter, best known for presenting the 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...
property shows Property Ladder
Property Ladder (TV series)
Property Ladder is the name of two television shows from the United Kingdom and United States where first-time property or real-estate developers purchase houses , renovate them, and attempt to sell them for a profit. Their efforts are the featured bit of the show...
, Streets Ahead, Britain’s Best Homes and Help! My House Is Falling Down
Help! My House is Falling Down
Help! My House is Falling Down is a Channel 4 show hosted by Sarah Beeny. She and her team of experts travel around Britain looking for homes that need urgent repair...
.
Biography
Beeny was born in Reading, BerkshireReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, to Richard and Ann. Beeny has an elder brother, Diccon. The daughter of an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
for Bovis Homes
Bovis Homes Group
Bovis Homes Group plc is a second tier national British housebuilding company based in New Ash Green, Kent. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, her mother loved the self-sustained outdoor life. The family lived in two converted brick cottages in a nine acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
plot on the edge of the Duke of Wellington's estate Stratfield Saye
Stratfield Saye House
Stratfield Saye House is a large stately home at Stratfield Saye in the north-east of the English county of Hampshire. It has been the home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817.-Early history:...
, in a style that Beeny describes as "a bit like The Good Life." The family kept goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, while her father made Dolls House furniture to raise extra cash: "They were crafty-entrepreneurial but more craft than entrepreneurial."
After her mother died aged 39 of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
when Sarah was aged 10, she was educated as a weekly boarder
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
at the all-girls Luckley-Oakfield School
Luckley-Oakfield School
Luckley-Oakfield School is a boarding and day school for girls in Berkshire in England. It has a community of about 300 girls, with about 240 pupils in the first five year groups, and 61 girls in the Sixth Form. The school is set in a rural location, south of the historic market town of...
in Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
. Although her friends went to university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, Sarah did not and was encouraged to study drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
by her English teacher, resultantly taking a leading role in Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
’s Caucasian Chalk Circle. Pursuing the idea of becoming a professional actress, she studied drama at Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College is a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.-The College:The majority of the college's classrooms are housed in a single, two-storey, wide spread main building with a few smaller buildings and four temporary buildings providing most of the rest of the teaching...
, Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, but failed to get into a drama school.
Advised by her father and stepmother Trisha to get out and see the world, Beeny travelled around the world solo at the age of 17 and felt "lonely and seasick" most of the way round. She returned to the UK to take a series of jobs, including: working for Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
; window cleaning; door-to-door vacuum cleaner selling and running her own sandwich making business. Assuming she would be self-employed for the rest of her life, at weekends she would study the property market, which gave her a good grounding in the market. Having saved up a deposit, without any formal training Beeny began her own property developing business with her brother and her husband. Beeny is also the co-founder of the popular UK dating website Mysinglefriend
Mysinglefriend
Mysinglefriend.com is a UK online dating site which claimed, in February 2007, to have over 100,000 users . One of the original founders was Sarah Beeny, a TV presenter on Channel 4.-My Single Friend Limited:...
, with childhood friend Amanda Christie.
Beeny met her husband and business partner, Graham Swift, when she was 18 - her brother is married to Swift's sister, Caroline. Beeny and Swift have four sons: Billy, Charlie, Rafferty and Laurie. They have homes in Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and at Rise Hall
Rise Hall
Rise Hall is a grade II* listed stately home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-History:...
, in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
.
Sarah supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a United Kingdom charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. Its vision is "to work for a future free from the fear of breast cancer".-History:...
's Crocus Walk campaign in 2009.
Property media
After meeting the sister-in-law of a researcher at Talkback Thames at a hen partyHen party
A bachelorette party, hen party, hen night or hen do, is a party held for a woman who is about to be married. The terms hen party or hen night are common in the United Kingdom and Ireland, while the terms hens party or hens night are common in Australia and New Zealand, and the term bachelorette...
, she was asked to undertake a screen test
Screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
to front a new programme series about property development, which was to be fronted by a property expert. Taking the advice of her stepmother and never turning down an opportunity, the successful format Property Ladder has led to various spin-off series, including Streets Ahead and Britain’s Best Homes. In 2006 Sarah Beeny presented another 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...
programme One Year to Pay Off Your Mortgage. She has written a number of books to accompany the series, and a weekly column for the Mail on Sunday.
In other media appearances, in August 2007 Sarah starred in a promotional trailer for Channel 4 which was made in the form of a parody of a Kung Fu movie. The classic line "You dare to challenge the might of the Beeny", was said by Sarah to the evil nemesis. Later that year, she also appeared on the Five motoring show, Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
, where she raced Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
in an articulated lorry around a course. Beeny has appeared on Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
's The F-Word
The F-Word
The F Word is a British food magazine and cooking show featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. The programme covers a wide range of topics, from recipes to food preparation and celebrity food fads. The programme is made by Optomen Television and aired weekly on Channel 4...
, as she offered up her garden for Gordon's sheep to feed on.
She regularly appears on television and is a friend of DJ Christian O' Connell. She has also appeared on Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specialising in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of...
alongside Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
, on which she estimated the value of Bob the Builder's house to be "Two Bob".
From August 2010, she began fronting Channel 4's new show Help! My House is Falling Down
Help! My House is Falling Down
Help! My House is Falling Down is a Channel 4 show hosted by Sarah Beeny. She and her team of experts travel around Britain looking for homes that need urgent repair...
(working title: House Rescue).
In November 2010 she presented Beeny's Restoration Nightmare on Channel Four, showing her renovation of Rise Hall
Rise Hall
Rise Hall is a grade II* listed stately home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-History:...
, a Grade 2* listed historic house near Rise, East Riding of Yorkshire
Rise, East Riding of Yorkshire
Rise is a village and civil parish in Holderness, the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of the town of Beverley and south west of Hornsea. It lies to the east of the B1243 road....
, to create a wedding venue.
In August 2011, Beeny began presenting a new series for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
titled Village SOS
Village SOS - Big Lottery Fund
The Village SOS programme was established by The UK's Big Lottery Fund to provide economic regeneration funding for rural communities. The programme was announced in early 2009 and villages with a population of less than 2000 were invited to bid for the money in a competition-style bidding process...
. In this series the programme follows a group of passionate villagers who want to restore their village to its former glory.
Internet entrepreneur
In 2007, Sarah set up a new dating site, mysinglefriend, that encourages people to recommend their single friends as an ideal date by describing them on the site. In June 2009, she launched property site, Tepilo, with business partner Will Miller.Books
- Property Ladder: How to Make Pounds from Property
- Property Ladder: Profit from Property
- Property Ladder: The Developer's Bible
- Property Ladder: Hints and Tips
- Sarah Beeny's Price the Job
- A Date with Sarah Beeny: Mysinglefriend.com's Guide to Dating and Dumping, Flirting and Flings - 2007
- Property Ladder: Sarah Beeny's Design for Profit
Quotes
- Does she think she has achieved a lot?