Henry Cole: The Life, Career and Motorcycling Legacy of Britain’s Favourite TV Presenter
Henry Cole is one of Britain’s best-known television presenters for motorcycles, restoration and motoring heritage. His relaxed humour and love of old machines have made him a familiar British face on The Motorbike Show, Shed & Buried, World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, Junk & Disorderly and Find It, Fix It, Flog It.
He is also a filmmaker, producer, author, motorcycle entrepreneur and record-breaking rider. Behind the cheerful television personality is a life shaped by education, media work, addiction, recovery, business and a fascination with machines.
Henry Cole at a Glance
Henry Cole was born in Norfolk in February 1964 and is British. He was educated at Eton, while Beeston Hall is also named in his professional history. He is based in the Oxfordshire and Cotswolds area, although his precise home address remains private.
His main businesses are HCA Entertainment, Henry Cole Associates and Gladstone Motorcycles. His family includes his wife Janie, also referred to as Jane, and their two sons, Charlie and Tom. His dogs, Jelly Bean and Jelly Tot, feature regularly in his social-media work.
Companies House records show that he is a director of Gladstone Motorcycles Limited, H.C.A. Entertainment Limited and Henry Cole Associates Limited. He was also connected with PHR Media, which has since closed. These records match the identity shown on his television and social-media channels.
Henry Cole Childhood, Eton and the Start of a Passion
Henry Cole’s Family Influence
Henry Cole’s interest in old machinery began when he was about eight. His great-uncle Dick “Redbeard” Gladstone invited him into a shed filled with old British motorcycles. The experience gave the young boy a sense of freedom and calm, and it became the foundation of his future interests.
The Gladstone family connection later became important when Cole created his motorcycle company. He has explained that the business takes its name from Dick Gladstone, rather than directly from former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. The family heritage remains part of his personal story.
Henry Cole Education and Early Rebellion
Henry Cole attended Eton during his teenage years. His memoir describes a difficult relationship with formal education and a desire to rebel against expectations. He moved through music, camera work, film-making and travel before finding his strongest identity in factual entertainment.
From Camera Work to Film-Making
Work Before Television Fame
Before becoming a familiar presenter, Cole worked as a session drummer and news cameraman. He travelled with rock bands and created music-related films and programmes. This work gave him practical experience with cameras, editing and production.
Addiction and Recovery
Cole has spoken openly about heroin addiction between the ages of 19 and 24. He has described those years as the most difficult period of his life and has remained clean for decades.
His recovery became an important part of his memoir and public speaking. He has used his experience to speak about addiction, loneliness and rebuilding a life after serious problems. This honesty adds depth to the light-hearted personality seen on television.
Film Credits
Cole made his feature-film debut with Mad Dogs and Englishmen, a 1996 drama connected with addiction and the world of motorcycle couriers. The film starred Elizabeth Hurley, C. Thomas Howell and Joss Ackland.
His other film work includes Dead Funny and Princess in Love. He has held directing, producing and executive-producing roles. He also directed more than 70 television commercials for brands such as Mastercard, Flora, Dixons, Transport for London and Amstrad.
HCA Entertainment and Business Success
A Production Company Behind the Programmes
HCA Entertainment was founded by Cole in the mid-1990s and became the production home for many of his television projects. It works in specialist factual television, factual entertainment and corporate film-making.
Its work has involved ITV, Channel 4, BBC, Sky, Channel 5, UKTV, Discovery and NBC. Productions include Grimefighters, Kensington Wives, London’s Greatest Hits, Frontline Stories, Discovering Gardens, The Skulls of Sanctuary and The Real Filth Fighters.
HCA has also created hundreds of corporate films.
Gladstone Motorcycles
Gladstone Motorcycles produces bespoke British-style custom motorcycles. The company reflects Cole’s love of classic engineering, traditional design and hand-built machines. He presents the business as a brand for riders who want character, craftsmanship and individuality rather than mass-produced transport.
Henry Cole on Television
The Motorbike Show
The Motorbike Show is one of Cole’s most successful programmes. It combines restoration, motorcycle history, road tests, riding trips, specialist visits and conversations with racers and enthusiasts.
The programme has run for 13 series and more than 60 episodes. Cole often works with Allen Millyard and Guy “Skid” Willison. Episodes follow neglected motorcycles from discovery to repair, testing and a final ride.
Shed & Buried
Shed & Buried takes Cole across Britain looking for forgotten vehicles and motoring treasures. He visits sheds, barns, garages and outbuildings, negotiates purchases and works with restorers to bring the finds back to life.
Fuzz Townshend, Allen Millyard and Guy Willison have all played important roles. Series 8 began in 2026, with further episodes and a classic-bike special planned during the year. The show has made Cole’s love of sheds a defining feature.
Junk & Disorderly
Junk & Disorderly follows Cole, Allen Millyard and Guy Willison at autojumbles, auctions and collections. Their aim is to buy wisely, restore unusual objects and create a profit fund for future projects.
Sam Lovegrove has worked with Cole on earlier programmes, but the group has changed from series to series. This does not provide evidence of a personal disagreement. Cole’s online series Shed Talk began with Sam, whom his production material describes as a close friend and talented engineer.
Find It, Fix It, Flog It
In Find It, Fix It, Flog It, Cole worked with Simon O’Brien to transform unwanted possessions into useful or valuable items. Cole focused on motorcycles and mechanical objects, while O’Brien handled furniture and creative restoration.
The programme ran for six series and 170 one-hour episodes, combining technical interests with negotiation, entertainment and practical restoration.
Find It, Fix It, Drive It
Find It, Fix It, Drive It reunited Cole with Sam Lovegrove. Together they found unusual vehicles and prepared them for challenges, including a vintage tractor ploughing contest, a custom motorcycle build and a pre-war racing car at Brooklands.
World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides
World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides takes Cole across Britain and other countries. It focuses on travel, local history and riding through challenging landscapes.
His journeys have included Route 66, Australia, Europe and the Balkans, establishing him as a travel presenter as well as a motorcycle specialist.
Record-Breaking Motorcyclist
Bonneville Achievement
In 2013, Cole rode a pre-1955 750cc Brough Superior at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States. He set a land-speed record for his class, with the widely quoted average standing at 99.78 miles per hour.
Tandem Motorcycle Record
In 2023, Cole joined Allen Millyard for a tandem motorcycle attempt. Millyard rode while Cole travelled as the passenger. They reached 183.50 miles per hour, equal to 295.31 kilometres per hour, setting a Guinness World Records title at the time.
Books and Personal Interests
Henry Cole’s Books
Cole’s books include A Biker’s Life, The Life-Changing Magic of Sheds and Riding Route 66: Finding Myself on America’s Mother Road.
A Biker’s Life covers his childhood, education, addiction, recovery, television work and motorcycle journeys. The shed book explores how these spaces become workshops, storage areas and private creative worlds.
His Route 66 book follows a journey of self-discovery along one of America’s famous roads. Cole has ridden Route 66 three times and connects its physical challenges with personal resilience.
Henry Cole Age
Henry Cole was born in February 1964 and is 62 years old in 2026. His birth date is often given as 16 February, though records confirm only month and year.
Henry Cole Wife, Sons and Dogs
Henry Cole’s wife is known publicly as Janie or Jane Cole. A Companies House record shows Jane Cole as a significant shareholder and controller of HCA Entertainment, holding more than a quarter but less than half of the company’s shares and voting rights. No reliable source confirms a separate occupation for her, and she keeps away from television.
Cole has two sons, Charlie and Tom. He also speaks warmly about his dogs Jelly Bean and Jelly Tot, who have become familiar to followers of his social-media accounts.
Outside work, his interests include fishing, cycling, classic tractors, vintage cars, aviation and old motorcycles. His sheds contain bikes, tractors, cars, petrol pumps, memorabilia and helicopter projects.
Current Work in 2026
During 2026, Cole remains active through Shed & Buried, Junk & Disorderly, online Motorbike Show content, Shed Talk, YouTube videos and public appearances. His theatre tour includes 19 venues and is hosted with motorcycle racer Steve “Stavros” Parrish.
Conclusion
Henry Cole’s success comes from combining professional media skills with genuine enthusiasm. He is a producer, director, writer, businessman, rider and restorer who has built a career on the subjects he enjoys most. His history of addiction and recovery adds an important human dimension, while his work with motorcycles, sheds and vintage machinery continues to attract audiences across Britain and beyond.
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