Henry Cole

Henry Cole

Henry Cole is a passionate motorcycle enthusiast and adventurer. He is on television most days of the year as the presenter of shows like Shed and Buried, Find It, Fix It, Flog It!, The World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides and The Motorbike Show.

In addition to his work as a television presenter Henry runs HCA Entertainment, his own successful television production company, that makes all the shows he presents and a lot more that he doesn’t.

Henry holds the world land speed record for a pre-1955 750cc motorcycle (of 104.298 mph), and is the founder of Gladstone Motorcycles, not named after Henry’s great-great Uncle, the Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, but after his great-uncle Dick ‘Redbeard’ Gladstone, the man who instigated Henry’s passion for classic British motorcycles at the tender age of eight. Gladstone Motorcycles manufactures bespoke British custom motorcycles.

Henry lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, two sons and his dog Bumble.

Books

The Life-Changing Magic of Sheds

Rights

Quercus/Hachette UK[UKCexC]

Synopsis

The ultimate guide to sheds from the renowned presenter of Shed and Buried.

When it comes to truly finding out who you are and what makes you tick, there is one thing that needs no online subscription to a cloud-based server with a password you keep forgetting. That, my friend, is a shed.

Your shed is your refuge. It's the place where you go when you need a break from this mad, crazy world. But a shed can only help you if it's not attached to the house. The minute you attach the shed to the gaff, or confuse the concept of a shed with the concept of a conservatory, or a home office or a Shepherd's Hut, you're doing yourself over. You're never, ever going to get spiritual enlightenment in a lean-to. That's like going to find yourself in Thailand, and staying in the airport.

You need to make that pilgrimage to the bottom of the garden. Whether you're walking down a muddy track or crunching along a perfect gravel path, you have to get out of the house. Breathe in the fresh air. Then pull open the door, grapple for the light switch, fire up the heaters and turn on the kettle.

Once you're inside the four walls of your shed, you can do whatever you like. You're the king in there.

A Biker's Life: Misadventures on (and off) Two Wheels

Rights

Quercus/Hachette UK[UKCexC]

Synopsis

"I can't think of anywhere I'd less like to be than in a car. When you're driving a car, you're not taking part, you're a spectator. You're in a can; if it's cold you turn up the heating, if you're hungry you have a wine gum. You might be looking at what's going on, but you're definitely not a part of it."

A Biker's Life is the dramatic, humorous and candid memoir of one of the most recognisable names in motorcycling.

Henry Cole's passion for motorbikes began when, at the age of eight, he was first introduced to a 'man cave'. His great-uncle Redbeard's corrugated iron shed was 'stuffed to the gills with old motorbikes' which Henry helped rebuild and ride. Since then, Henry's life can be charted through the bikes and journeys he has been on - from a stifling public-school education, via many years battling addiction, to the big-sky iconic routes Henry has ridden for over twenty series as presenter of numerous TV shows.

This book reminds millions of motorcyclists why their bike gives them the freedom to be exactly who they want to be: to say 'I'm doing my thing.' When you ride a motorbike you become part of a worldwide community of kindred spirits - those of us who will not be pacified by driving a car, but instead live for adventure, escape and the sheer thrill of the throttle.