Angus Purden

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Angus Purden

Born Angus Purden
1974 (age 33–34)
Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
Residence Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom British
Occupation Television presenter
Height About 6 ft (1.8 m)[1]

Angus Purden is a British television presenter from Scotland. Crowned Mr Scotland as a teenager, he worked as a catwalk model in Paris and Milan and modelled for three years for Giorgio Armani. Returning to Scotland, he wrote for Glasgow newspapers before breaking into television. Probably best known as one of the regular presenters for the BBC series Cash in the Attic since 2002, Purden has also appeared in programmes such as Channel 4's Room For Improvement (2004) and Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns (2005–2006) by Living TV. He makes frequent appearances on Scottish television.

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[edit] Biography

The youngest in his family with two sisters and a brother,[1] Purden was born in 1974[2] and raised in Lanarkshire, Scotland. As a teenager, he won the title of Mr Scotland in a Daily Record competition in 1992.[1] The win opened the door to working as a catwalk model in Paris and Milan, including a three-year modelling stint for Giorgio Armani in Milan.[3] According to Purden, "I was surrounded by beautiful people so I remember laughing my head off that they thought I looked exotic. I was just a wee boy from a housing estate in Lanarkshire but I had thick, long curly hair and they liked me. The designer Romeo Gigli used me as his muse, and designed an entire collection on me. It was an amazing time."[1]

Subsequently, Purden turned to journalism, writing a column for SMG newspapers in Glasgow.[3] His first break on television was on STV as a prize presenter for the quiz show Wheel Of Fortune presented by John Leslie.[1] Subsequently, he was a reporter for GMTV and Five News.[4]

Purden is probably best known as one of the regular presenters of the BBC's Cash in the Attic. In the programme, the presenter visits a family's home to find out what they need to raise money for. They then explore the home to find items that may be taken to auction, which are valued by experts. Before this, he presented Series 1 to 3 of Channel 4's Room For Improvement, lending his design, interior-decorating and property-buying skills to 95 people wishing to renovate their homes.[4]

Purden has also appeared in programmes with TV personality and self-described psychic medium Derek Acorah. In 2005 he presented Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes, which attempted to discover what happened during the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 by contacting Guy Fawkes's spirit. In the first season[1] of Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns (2005–2006), Purden and co-presenter Danniella Westbrook accompanied Acorah to towns and cities throughout Great Britain said to be haunted. These programmes were produced for Living TV.

Purden has done television work for British Airways TV, RBS, Scottish Television (now STV)[5] and the Travel Channel, and also fronted TV We Love To Hate for BBC Three. He has also been involved in radio work for BBC Radio Scotland and LBC 97.3, and is a regular travel writer for the Scottish tabloid the Sunday Mail.[4]

In 2006, Purden played a shopping channel presenter, Clive, selling a Kalashnikov assault rifle, in a cinema advertising campaign against the arms trade for Amnesty International.[4][6]

[edit] Selected work

Year(s)
of appearance		 TV programme or series Awards and nominations
2002–present Cash in the Attic (2001–present)
2004
(Series 1–3)		 Room for Improvement[7]
2005 2005 BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards[8][9]
2005 Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes[10]
2005–2006
(22 episodes)		 Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns[11]
2007–present Postcode Challenge
[Unknown] Watch to Win

Some information in this table was obtained from Angus Purden : Filmography. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved on 2007-11-16.

[edit] Personal life

Purden is interested in interiors and architecture.[4] In January 2004 it was reported that he and his partner owned a 1722 five-storey Georgian townhouse in the East End of London which had taken seven years to renovate and furnish from its original near-derelict state.[3] He later moved to Notting Hill.[1][4][12]

By April 2006 Purden had returned to Glasgow's West End after having spent 12 years in London. He said that being back in Scotland was a "breath of fresh air" and added: "Life seemed too hard in London. I needed to be there initially because of my career but now that I'm more established I feel it's going to be easier to commute. I'm elated to be back."[13] In Glasgow, he acquired and renovated two B-listed properties.[4][12]

Purden lists his other main interests as including food, travel (he speaks fluent Italian) and consumer issues.[4]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Adams, Lisa. "Hunk Angus back on home territory", Daily Record, 2007-02-14. 
  2. ^ This is an estimate based on information in a Sunday Mail article that Purden was 32 years old in 2006: Weale, Natasha. "Wearing a kilt makes you feel like George Clooney; TV hunk Angus says ladies go tartan barmy for Scots gear", Sunday Mail, 2006-04-30. 
  3. ^ a b c Raikes, Sally. "Work ethic", The Scotsman (Scotsman Magazine), 2004-01-31. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Angus Purden. RDF Management. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  5. ^ He was the presenter of the STV show Watch to Win: Adams, Lisa. "Hunk Angus back on home territory", Daily Record, 2007-02-14.  Starting in 2007, he is also hosting Postcode Challenge: Murray, Paula. "People's Postcode Lottery launched in Scotland : Postcode game will raise millions", Daily Record, 2007-11-06. 
  6. ^ Roberts, Lesley. "Every home should have gun : Exclusive shopping channel ad attacks arm trade", Sunday Mail, 2006-01-29. 
  7. ^ Room for Improvement at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
  8. ^ 2005 BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
  9. ^ English, Paul. "On the phone with : Angus Purden : The Glaswegian Cash In The Attic presenter on his red carpet debut at the BAFTAs in Los Angeles", Daily Record, 2005-12-03. 
  10. ^ Quest for Guy Fawkes at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
  11. ^ Ghost Towns at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
  12. ^ a b Hunter, Nichola. "Rooms for improvement", The Scotsman, 2007-07-21. 
  13. ^ Weale, Natasha. "Wearing a kilt makes you feel like George Clooney; TV hunk Angus says ladies go tartan barmy for Scots gear", Sunday Mail, 2006-04-30. 

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Purden, Angus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION British television presenter from Scotland
DATE OF BIRTH c. 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH