the real Deal

Paul Martin’s new project Make Me A Dealer is bound to keep Flog It! fans entertained. Georgia Humphreys finds out more.

The TV programme Flog It! has been staple day-time viewing for an impressive 17 years. But, earlier this month, the BBC announced the much-loved TV series was getting the axe, leaving its presenter, 59-year-old Paul Martin, feeling unashamedly emotional. “Flog It! has been my life. I’ve had Willy Wonka’s golden ticket on that; to meet wonderful people and go to wonderful places,” says the Teddington-born TV personality. “I’ve done it day in and day out, 200 days of the year and I miss it so much. I really do.” But Martin has a new TV show which he promises fans of Flog It! will love. Called Make Me A Dealer, it sees wannabe antique and collectable dealers given the chance to learn the tricks of the trade. In each episode (it will air every weekday), two amateur enthusiasts compete against each other to buy anything that takes their fancy at auction. Then, under the guidance of pro Paul, the aim is to sell the items on to make a profit. But this is risky business, as it’s their own money the contributors are investing during filming. It’s a fierce competition too, as they document their efforts through video diaries, and everyone is left wondering who will make a profit and who will have their dreams dashed. Paul also has the job of revealing who is the ‘Dealer Of The Day’ at the end of each show. “Some of them got lucky and some failed miserably, but it was just fantastic,” he recalls, a huge grin on his face. “Some of them opened my eyes up to what they were looking at as well, which was really quite interesting. They’d pick up something I’d normally dismiss and say, ‘It’s only £15 but I think I can sell it for £25’ and I’d think, ‘You probably could.’ “In general a lot of them had good business sense. They probably didn’t know how to deal - I brought that out but I’d say 50 per cent of them were in business.” Filming Make Me A Dealer was a learning process for Paul, as with any new job, but one which he hopes will inspire any hopeful dealers to delve into some bargaining themselves. “It was hard work making it. There’s no footprint to a new show so I was pulling my hair out. “It’s brilliant entertainment. It takes day-time antiques to a different place. It’s faster, and not so stuffy and it’s going to say to you, ‘Give it a go.’” Part of his role was to encourage the wannabe dealers and give them advice even if they didn’t always take it. “They listen to everything and they virtually followed in my footsteps, but come the auction day, they are there by themselves,” he explains. “I meet up with them afterwards in their hotel to see what they’ve bought. Some of them surprise me; they haven’t stuck to what I told them to do. They’ve got wrong-footed, got outbid, they’ve panicked, they’ve lost their discipline, so we have to regroup and say, ‘Right I can see a profit there, a failure there.’” his top tip? Quality always sells. “So buy the best you can afford and buy something that’s signed or dated because it’s provenance - you know who made it, who painted it and the date it was made or painted,” he elaborates passionately. Paul has become a household name thanks to the popularity of Flog It! There have been more than 1,000 episodes, and it regularly achieved viewing figures of more than two million. “Thousands of people in the streets have been saying, ‘My God, Paul, what are you going to do?’” he reveals, when asked about the reaction to Flog It! going off air. But he feels lucky to be so valued by the BBC that they’ve given him two new shows (he’s starting to film the second one in January). “Because the BBC needs to be seen to be safeguarding people’s money and also to be very creative and progressive, this is a very good time to try and introduce new shows,” he notes. Plus, as he’s keen to point out, Make Me A Dealer is not just “educational and entertaining”, but also different in that it has people putting their own earnings on the line. “The press have been on the BBC’S back for a long time, where shows are using the BBC’S money - 50 per cent of the time they [the wannabe dealers] are making a loss, and the profits go to charity, so this show we’re not using the BBC’S money.” Paul, who studied art and woodwork at Falmouth College of Arts, was discovered by BBC Bristol when they interviewed him about his passion for oak furniture. he had worked various jobs - a scenic painter on film sets, an antiques prop stylist and a trader - but he had zero TV experience at that point. however, he impressed so much he was snapped up for telly work straight away. Over two decades later, does he ever cringe while watching himself on screen? “I don’t mind watching myself, but the people that are on Make Me A Dealer, it’s cringey,” he admits gently. “They go in the shop and it all goes to pieces. “It’s an emotional journey for me as well, because you can’t be too hard on people when they get it all wrong.” As for how he relaxes away from filming, life after Flog It! means the father-oftwo isn’t away from home so much anymore - he spent 60 days travelling a year for that show, and that’s not including the time spent filming. Which means he now has more time for drumming again (he played professionally for rock bands like The Quireboys and the Dogs D’amour in the early ’90s). “I’m teaching my kids to drum,” shares the star, who married BBC production co-ordinator Charlotte Godfrey in 2007. “I kayak a lot. And I’m a great snooker player - I love snooker, so I watch snooker a lot. I know Ronnie O’sullivan so I go down to The Grove in essex and play with those guys.” So, it’s fair to say, even without Flog It!, Martin is still a very busy man with an eye on a good deal.