Journalist turned farmer turned sailor, Paul has trudged his muddy boots across many parts of Britain’s rural landscape, and sailed around the UK.
He founded a small farm run on Victorian principles, using cart horses instead of tractors, and is probably the only presenter who can plough a straight furrow while talking to camera!
Paul has broadcast widely on country matters, including Victorian Summer and Secret Rivers for ITV Anglia, which achieved unprecedented viewing shares, and is an obvious choice for an engaging, knowledgeable guide.
In 2005 he fulfilled a long-standing ambition to sail the Atlantic single-handedly in the wake of the solo sailing pioneers which led to his book The Last Man Across
The Atlantic.
Paul has been a well-known writer and broadcaster for more than 30 years and has appeared on all the major UK TV and radio networks.
He continues his career in consumer journalism by presenting the BBC’s Watchdog programme and was a familiar face in the 1980s as one of the presenters on That’s Life.
Rachel de Thame studied ballet at the Royal ballet School before taking a course in drama and history of art. She briefly worked for an art dealer.
After she married and gave birth to her first baby, Rachel was recruited by a modelling agency and went on to enjoy a successful modelling career, making appearances in various TV ads. She also landed a number of acting roles and appeared in the mini-series Merlin and the film Bodywork.
With acting not being Rachel’s real ambition, in 1998 she enrolled at the English Gardening School. She graduated with distinction in Practical Horticulture and Plants & Plantsmanship.
An audition for BBC2 Gardeners World landed her a presenting job and she went on to film her own series for the BBC called Small Town Gardens and Gardening with the Experts.
Rachel has gone on to co-present the BBC’s coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show and she’s made appearances on Going for A Song and Call My Blufff. She has penned two gardening books, Small Town Gardens and Rachel de Thame's Top 100 Star Plants, and co-wrote Gardening with the Experts.
