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Phil Spencer (television personality)

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Phil Spencer
Spencer filming in Stoke-on-Trent, July 2007
Born
Philip John Edward Spencer

Littlebourne, Kent, England
Occupation(s)TV presenter
businessman
journalist
Years active2000-present
EmployerChannel 4
Notable credit(s)Location, Location, Location
Relocation, Relocation
Phil Spencer: Secret Agent
Love It or List It
SpouseFiona Spencer
Children2
Websitehttps://www.moveiq.co.uk

Philip John Edward Spencer is an English media personality, television presenter, and journalist, best known as the co-presenter of Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location along with its spin-off Relocation, Relocation between 2004 and 2011 alongside Kirstie Allsopp.

Early life and education

Philip John Edward Spencer[1] grew up in Littlebourne, Kent, son of (Richard) David Edward Spencer and Anne, née Saville-Peck, of Garrington Farm, Littlebourne. His father had studied engineering at Loughborough University, and his mother, daughter of a GP, was a teacher.[2][3] His grandfather was the bank manager and first-class cricketer Harry Spencer.[4][5] He was educated at Uppingham School,[6] a co-educational independent school in the small market town of Uppingham, Rutland, in the Midlands, where he was Head Boy.[7]

Business career

Having studied as a surveyor in the early 1990s, Spencer decided that there was a lack of professional support available for buyers, and set himself up as a home finder.[8] He founded property search company Garrington Home Finders Ltd in 1996.[8] He describes himself as not the first to see this opportunity, "but I was probably second or third, and Kirstie [Allsopp] was the fourth."[8] The company entered into administration in early 2009.

Spencer remains an active property investor and landlord.[9][10] He launched the website Move iQ in 2018[11] to support buyers and renters in the UK property market,[12] and tenants in the UK.[13]

Media career

Spencer was co-presenter of Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location along with its spin-off Relocation, Relocation between 2004 and 2011, alongside Kirstie Allsopp.[14]

In early 2010, Spencer partnered with co-host Allsop and launched a new independent production company called Raise the Roof with colleagues from IWC Media.[15] Spencer is a director and shareholder.[16]

In April 2010, his book Adding Value to Your Home was published.[17]

In 2013, Spencer hosted the daytime game show The Common Denominator, on Channel 4.[18]

Personal life

Spencer lives in Hampshire with his Australian wife Fiona and their two sons.[8][19]

He is an ambassador for SOS Children's Villages.[20] He is also a patron of St Mungo's, a London homelessness charity,[21][22] and a supporter of the Countryside Alliance.[23]

In August 2014, Spencer was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to the 2014 referendum on that issue.[24]

In August 2023, Spencer's parents were killed in a car accident in Kent;[25] their estate of £18 million was left to their four children.[26]

Bibliography

  • Spencer, Phil (2004). How to Buy a House. Vermilion. ISBN 978-0718147341.
  • Spencer, Phil (2010). Adding Value to Your Home. Vermilion.
  • Spencer, Phil (2011). How to Buy Your First Home. Vermilion.

References

  1. ^ "Spotlight On... Phil Spencer". Western Mail. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  2. ^ https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/phil-spencer-location-star-parents-cause-deaths-drowning-car-overturned/
  3. ^ Froebel Journal, collected issues 7-21, 1967, p. 42
  4. ^ Property Market (29 July 2009). "Phil Spencer: from boom to bust". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ^ https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1805118/phil-spencer-parents-accident-death-farm
  6. ^ School details – Uppingham Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine Guide to Independent Schools
  7. ^ "Phil Spencer". TVLives. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Property Market (29 July 2009). "Phil Spencer: from boom to bust". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Phil Spencer: What the terms confusing first time buyers actually mean". iNews. 8 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Phil Spencer's guide to negotiating thousands of pounds off the price of your dream home". Telegraph. 14 October 2019.
  11. ^ Scott, Caroline. "Property guru Phil Spencer's top tips for buying and selling". www.thetimes.co.uk.
  12. ^ Smith, Sophie (12 December 2018). "Phil Spencer: 10 ways to get around untrustworthy estate agents when buying a home". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Phil Spencer launches new podcast for rental sector and buyers". www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  14. ^ Latest. "Phil Spencer's biography". Channel4.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  15. ^ Deans, Jason (15 March 2010). "Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer set up independent production company". guardian.co.uk.
  16. ^ "About us - Raise The Roof Productions - Raise the Roof". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  17. ^ Markosky, Cheryl (12 April 2010). "Phil Spencer: how to add value to your home". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Channel 4 Commissions The Common Denominator". Endemol Distribution News. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  19. ^ Dalton, Nia (25 October 2023). "Phil Spencer lives a low-key life away from the cameras with his family-of-four". Mirror.
  20. ^ "SOS Children's Celebrity Supporters". SOS Children's Villages. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  21. ^ No tenant? What about the homeless? The Independent, 17 October 2010
  22. ^ Real Lettings, Real Lives Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Homelessness and Support, 13 October 2010
  23. ^ Countryside Alliance Update Countryside Alliance, autumn 2010
  24. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Location, Location, Location star Phil Spencer's parents killed in car crash". The Guardian. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  26. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/phil-spencer-inheritance-parents-car-crash-location-b2655371.html