Mahogany-tanned, immaculately-coiffeured presenter of the BBC's Bargain Hunt daytime TV show. A living legend, revered across the land: almost as godlike as Bob Holness or even, dare I say it, Richard Whiteley.

Some fun Dickinson facts:

Facts gleaned from http://www.david-dickinson.net, a slightly worrying site.

Born in 1941 David was adopted and had a happy childhood in Cheadle in Lancashire, England. His father died when he was 12, and at 14 his grandmother sent him to a factory to learn engineering. After a six month apprenticeship he left and got a job in the textile trade. In his early twenties, David decided to trace his original parents and met his half French half Armenian mother who was living in Jersey.

In the 1960s David met his future wife, Lorne Lesley, a cabaret artist, in a nightclub. David decided to leave the textile industry and became Lorne's manager. During his time as Lorne's manager, he developed his interest and knowledge with antiques. Going abroad and browsing shops during the daytime gave David the opportunity to learn about antiques.

In the 1970s David opened a shop with a childhood friend Chris Haworth. While Chris tended to the customers in the shop, David travelled, buying antiques for the shop.

In the early 1980s they sold the shop and rented a 'glamorous emporium' in Wilmslow, but the business was slow and so they sold it. Going solo, David then bought a shop in Manchester, but closed it in 1991 due to the impending recession.

David then began to concentrate on antiques fairs, going to major fairs 3 or 4 times a year, dealing primarily with 18th and 19th century antique furniture. After a chance meeting with a TV producer at a barbeque, a documentary was shown on Channel 5 about his living buying and selling antiques. Shortly after, the BBC offered him Bargain Hunt, which gave contestants the opportunity to buy and sell at antiques fairs and attempt to make a profit.

The program quickly became popular and got extra episodes at prime time. It also got the "most popular daytime program" award at the National Television Awards in October 2002, at these awards David (ironically) announced that he would cease producing the daytime episodes in order to concentrate on prime time.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/choice/celeb_city/celeb_speak/david_dickinson.shtml
http://www.geocities.com/daviddickinsonshrine/
http://www.david-dickinson.net/

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