Editing David Dickinson

{{short description|English antiques expert, television presenter and entrepreneur (born 1941)}}
{{other people|David Dickinson}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name             = David Dickinson
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|MBE}}
| image            = Dickinson's Real Deal 18.jpg
| caption          = Dickinson filming ''[[Dickinson's Real Deal]]'' in 2010
| birth_name       = David Gulesserian
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1941|08|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place      = [[Cheadle Heath]], [[Stockport]], [[Cheshire]], England
| death_date       =
| death_place      =
| death_cause      =
| employer         = {{hlist|[[BBC]] (1998–2005)|[[ITV plc|ITV]] (2006–)}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Broadcaster|antiques expert}}
| years_active     = 1998–present
| spouse           = {{marriage|Lorne Lesley|1968}}
| children         = 2
| website          = [http://www.david-dickinson.net/ David-Dickinson.net]
| television       = 
* ''The Antiques Show'' (1998–2000)
* ''[[Bargain Hunt]]'' (2000–2004)
* ''The David Dickinson Show'' (2003)
* ''[[Dickinson's Real Deal]]'' (2006–2024)
* ''Name Your Price'' (2017)
}}

'''David Dickinson''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}} (born '''David Gulesserian'''; 16 August 1941) is an [[English people|English]] [[antiques]] dealer and [[television presenter]]. Between 2000 and 2004, Dickinson hosted the [[BBC One]] antiques show ''[[Bargain Hunt]]'', where he was succeeded by [[Tim Wonnacott]]. Dickinson left the BBC in 2005, and between 2006 and 2024, he hosted the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] daytime show ''[[Dickinson's Real Deal]]''. The show saw members of the public bringing antiques and collectables to sell to a dealer or take to the auction. He is also known as the '''Duke.'''

In April 2003, Dickinson hosted his own daytime chat show series ''The David Dickinson Show'' and in 2017, he presented ''David Dickinson's Name Your Price'' for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

==Origins==
Dickinson was born on 16 August 1941 in [[Cheadle Heath]], [[Stockport]], [[Cheshire]], the son of Eugenie Gulesserian (born 1919 in [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], [[Lancashire]]), a daughter of Hrant Gulesserian, an [[Armenian people|Armenian]] textile merchant who had moved from [[Istanbul|Constantinople]] to [[Manchester]] in 1904. Dickinson was placed for adoption as an infant and never again met his biological mother although he corresponded with her in later life when she was living in [[Jersey]]. Dickinson's biological father is unknown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/past-stories/david-dickinson.shtml|title=BBC - Who Do You Think You Are? - Past Stories - David Dickinson|publisher=BBC}}</ref> David was subsequently adopted by the Dickinsons, a local couple. Mr Dickinson died when David was 12, and as his mother worked hard to keep the family together, David was partly brought up by his adoptive paternal grandmother, Sarah.

==Early life==
Dickinson began an apprenticeship at an aircraft factory when he was 14, but quickly left to work in the cloth trade in central Manchester. At 19, Dickinson served three years of a four-year prison sentence for mail-order fraud. The majority of his sentence was spent at [[Strangeways]] in Manchester.<ref>[http://www.david-dickinson.net/david-dickinson-bargain-hunting-books/david-dickinson-bargain-hunting-books.htm David Dickinson Bargain Hunt] – Books by David Dickinson</ref>

Dickinson set up in Manchester with the assistance of an old customer as silent partner, and the business ran until 1991 when, in light of forthcoming recession, the shop was closed. Dickinson decided to concentrate on selling antiques at prestigious fairs, taking stands at [[Olympia, London|Olympia]] and other major antiques fairs three or four times a year, dealing in 18th- and 19th-century furniture and works of art.

==Personal life==
Dickinson met his wife, Lorne Lesley, a cabaret performer, in a nightclub in the 1960s, and they married in 1968. As a wedding gift Lorne gave David an antique regency mourning ring, set with a rose cut diamond. Lorne is of African, Welsh and Scottish ancestry; she hails from [[Tiger Bay]], [[Cardiff]]. The couple live in the village of [[Prestbury, Cheshire|Prestbury]] in Cheshire. They have two grown-up children, and four grandchildren, Aim'ee and Lauren, Miles and Finley. Finley appeared alongside Dickinson on the second series of ''[[Big Star's Little Star]]''. Miles, who is now an [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]], featured on Series 20 of [[Dragons' Den (British TV programme)|BBC's ''Dragons' Den'']], becoming the youngest contestant to [[List of Dragons' Den (British TV programme) offers Series 11-20|successfully]] secure investment from a [[Steven Bartlett (businessman)|Dragon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/tv/dragons-den-david-dickinson-grandson-questions/|title=Dragons' Den: David Dickinson's grandson sparks viewer confusion as he asks for £35k|last=Doherty|first=Réiltín|date=3 February 2023|work=Entertainment Daily|accessdate=3 February 2023}}</ref>  

Dickinson's nickname is "The Duke", a reference to his wardrobe. For forty years he has used the same tailor, Chris Nicolaou, who appeared as a guest for Dickinson's ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' programme, when he was surprised by [[Michael Aspel]] at an auction house in Folkestone in November 2002.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Until May 2008, Dickinson drove a bright blue [[Bentley Continental GT]]. He owns two vehicles, the first being an eco-friendly electric [[Smart EV]] and the second a [[Reliant Regal]] van; this van was one of the famous yellow Trotters Independent Traders vans from the sitcom ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', which Dickinson bought in 2007 for over £44,000.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==Television career==
[[File:David Dickinson crop.jpg|thumb|right|Dickinson filming ''Real Deal'' in 2007]]
In 1998, a chance meeting with a TV producer at a barbecue led to Dickinson's TV appearance, a two-part documentary for the BBC made about him and his preparation for a show at Olympia. His dark complexion (often implied to be a fake tan, but he says that it is because of his Armenian ancestry) and numerous catchphrases quickly caught the viewers' attention.

Dickinson came to public attention as an antiques expert on ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' and [[BBC Two]]'s ''The Antiques Show''. His career break as a television celebrity came from presenting ''[[Bargain Hunt]]'' on [[BBC One]] at lunchtimes which gained a keen following amongst daytime viewers including students.

A primetime evening version of ''Bargain Hunt'' was broadcast for a few years following the success of the daytime show. Dickinson left the daytime edition of ''Bargain Hunt'' in 2003 and was replaced by [[Tim Wonnacott]] on the daytime slot while Dickinson carried on presenting the primetime, celebrity and Christmas versions of the show. He went on to present a reality show, ''Dealing With Dickinson'' on [[BBC One]] in 2005 which was cancelled after only one series. Dickinson left the BBC once the primetime editions of ''Bargain Hunt'' were cancelled.

Dickinson moved to [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in 2006 to present a new daytime antiques programme, ''[[Dickinson's Real Deal]]'', which is broadcast on daytime weekday afternoons. Old episodes are frequently repeated. The show visits locations around the UK and asks people to come in and either sell their antiques and collectables for valuation by an antiques dealer who may offer to buy the item for cash. Alternatively, the participants can take a gamble and go to auction if the dealer's offer is refused or no offer is made to buy the object. The participant risks taking a lower price than offered by the dealer if the object fails to exceed the dealer's offer or fails to meet its reserve. Dickinson's job is to act as a mediator to help the sellers obtain the best prices from the dealers or to help them with the decision about whether to refuse the offer and to take the item to auction.

From 17 May 2010, ''The David Dickinson Show'', a celebrity variety show, was broadcast on ITV for 10 episodes.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} In 2017, he presented ''David Dickinson's Name Your Price'' for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

==Catchphrases==
* "Real bobby-dazzler" (particularly excellent item). Dickinson's biography is entitled ''What a Bobby Dazzler''.<ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Dickinson-Duke-Bobby-Dazzler/dp/0563521473 ''What A Bobby Dazzler''] Amazon UK; Accessed 5 May 2014</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>Dan Hear, [http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4707650.print/ "A Real Bobby dazzlers in Oxford"] ''Oxford Mail,'' 28 October 2009; Accessed 5 May 2014</ref>
* "Cheap as chips" (bargain)<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* "See you, and don't be late." or "TTFN, that's ta-ta for now." (Usually at the end of a programme.)
<!-- * "Penchod” (friend)<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Can we get a reliable source to confirm this was not added in catchphrases as vandalism. This word means someone who has sexual relations with his sister in the Hindi and Urdu languages.  -->

==Guest appearances==
In 2002, Dickinson appeared as a guest on ''[[Shooting Stars (British TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'' joining Team B led by [[Ulrika Jonsson]] with [[Johnny Vegas]].

In 2004, Dickinson was one of several celebrities to have their portraits painted in the [[BBC One]] television series ''[[Star Portraits with Rolf Harris]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Star Portraits - Dickinson |url=http://www.starportraits.co.uk/programme.htm#dickinson |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204043607/http://www.starportraits.co.uk/programme.htm |archive-date=4 February 2007}}</ref> and, also in 2004, he appeared in the first series of ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]''.

In 2005, Dickinson appeared on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] reality show ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]'', where he first announced that he had used [[heroin]] in his younger years. He also presented information slots for viewers on how to bid on satellite shopping channel Bid TV. He appeared in one episode of the ITV drama ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'', playing an antiques dealer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bargain Hunt host joins Heartbeat |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3392097.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=13 January 2004 |access-date=13 June 2014}}</ref>

Dickinson explored his family background in an episode of the third series of the BBC [[genealogical]] documentary series ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/18/bbcone.shtml|title= Autumn 2006|publisher=BBC One|date=18 July 2006}}</ref> broadcast in the UK on 4 October 2006. He was able to trace relatives in both the UK and [[Istanbul]].

On one radio episode of ''[[Dead Ringers (comedy)|Dead Ringers]]'', [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] (voiced by [[Jon Culshaw]]) telephoned Dickinson to ask him how much he could get for a magnetic core extractor that was believed to have been owned by the Doctor when he was played by [[Jon Pertwee]]. Dickinson described the extractor as "a bit of a bobby dazzler".

In March 2014, Dickinson appeared in the eleventh series of ''[[Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway]]''. The duo disguised themselves with prosthetics and fake accents to dupe Dickinson into believing there was a live argument and subsequent car crash on the set of his new 'fake' show ''Long Lost Treasures''. During the aftermath of the wind up and following the big reveal from [[Ant & Dec]], Dickinson said "you two have done me up like a kipper!"<ref>{{cite web|last=McGeorge|first=Alistair|date=2014-03-08|title=Not the real deal: Watch Ant & Dec fool David Dickinson in hilarious prank for Saturday Night Takeaway|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/saturday-night-takeaway-david-dickinson-3206255|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Daily Mirror}}</ref>

He played the Emperor in the third episode of ''[[The Keith & Paddy Picture Show]]'' ("[[Return of the Jedi]]").<ref>{{Cite web|last=Darvill|first=Josh|date=2017-05-20|title=Keith & Paddy Picture Show does Star Wars' Return of the Jedi tonight on ITV|url=https://tellymix.co.uk/tv/310584-keith-paddy-picture-show-star-wars-return-jedi-tonight-itv.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=TellyMix}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.david-dickinson.net/ Official David Dickinson website]
* {{IMDb name|id=0225510|name=David Dickinson}}
* {{cite web |title=Official "Bargain Hunt" website |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/antiques/tv_and_radio/bargainhunt_index.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=2 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050605080904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/antiques/tv_and_radio/bargainhunt_index.shtml |archive-date=5 June 2005}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050904044958/http://www.bbcamerica.com/genre/home_living/bargain_hunt/bargain_hunt.jsp Bargain Hunt] BBC America (Archived)
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/wdytya_celeb_gallery_06.shtml ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' - David Dickinson] BBC History, 17 February 2011

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, David}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:English television personalities]]
[[Category:English businesspeople]]
[[Category:English antiques experts]]
[[Category:English people of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:People from Stockport]]
[[Category:People from Bollington]]
[[Category:BBC television presenters]]
[[Category:20th-century English criminals]]
[[Category:English male criminals]]
[[Category:English prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales]]