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Dick Strawbridge 1979.
Richard Francis Strawbridge was born in Burma on 3rd September 1959. The son of an oil worker, he moved to Northern Ireland where he attended Ballyclare High School before entering Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College. After becoming head of college, he entered Sandhurst on SMC 19 as part of 7 Platoon, Burma Company. He was subsequently commissioned and remained on the Regular Careers Course before joining the Royal Signals. Awarded the MBE for his work as a communications staff officer in Northern Ireland, he was promoted to lieutenant- colonel in 1999 and retired in 2001.
Still a serving officer, Strawbridge began his television career on Scrapheap Challenge, leading a team called Brothers in Arms with his younger brothers and fellow Sandhurst alumni David and Bobby. Teams were required to build vehicles or machines to complete a specific task using materials from a scrapyard – they were the winners of series three. After leaving the army, Strawbridge became a regular contestant, eventually becoming the main presenter. His skill as an engineer and larger-than-life personality landed him other presenting jobs on Planet Mechanics, Junkyard Wars and Coast. He also presented shows with a military theme, including working as part of the commentary team for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
In 2010, Strawbridge, together with his by-now-trademark bushy moustache, appeared in Celebrity MasterChef, reaching the final and kick-starting a parallel media career. Together with his chef son, James, he presented two series of The Hungry Sailors, where they sailed around Britain buying and cooking food at various destinations. They also fronted ITV’s food series Saturday Farm. However, in 2015, he starred, together with his wife Angel, in the series that made him a household name. After buying the derelict Château de la Motte-Husson in France, nine series of the Channel 5 series Escape to the Chateau followed the couple and their two children
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